Woman Says Shrink Abused Her

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (CN) - A woman claims in court that a psychologist dragooned her into a sexually abusive relationship by threatening to report her as an unfit parent not entitled to custody of her kids during her divorce proceedings.

Jane Doe sued Brian Wald and Psychological Consulting Resources in City Court, alleging sexual assault, battery and malpractice.

Doe claims that Wald, a licensed psychologist, was appointed as her parenting coordinator, giving him "broad decision-making power on issues involving plaintiff's minor children."

The complaint states: "During the course of the parenting evaluation, and also while serving in his role as the parenting coordinator, Wald committed multiple, separate acts of sexual assault and battery upon plaintiff, such as fondling, groping and touching plaintiff in a sexual manner, without plaintiff's consent, and without justification or excuse, and by verbally propositioning plaintiff in a sexually explicit manner."

She claims Wald would sit very close to her, hold her hand in a romantic manner, kiss her on the mouth, and touch her breasts, buttocks and vaginal area.

"On multiple occasions, Wald hugged plaintiff in such a manner that he pressed against her breasts and she felt his erect penis.

"On at least one occasion, Wald touched plaintiff's breasts and put her hand on his erect penis," the complaint states.

Doe says she reported Wald's behavior to The Virginia Board of Psychology, prompting the suspension of Wald's practice. After a hearing, she says, the Board voted to indefinitely suspend Wald's license for a minimum of 18 months.

"Defendants' intimidation and implied and expressed threats against plaintiff in ongoing legal proceedings, in which Wald had been designated as the parenting evaluator and subsequently as the parenting coordinator, resulted in defendants' use of both direct and indirect means to obstruct the filing of an action against defendants," Doe states in her complaint.

"Plaintiff understood and feared that if she did not submit to defendants' sexual advances and abuse, that her relationship with her minor children would be irreparably harmed, and that she would be deprived of contact with them, and that she would be denied a decision-making role in their upbringing, and that her children would be under the control of her ex-husband, whom she did not trust to care for her children's needs and maximize their development."

She seeks $5 million in compensatory damages and $700,000 in punitive damages for sexual assault, sexual battery and professional malpractice.

She is represented by John Wilson of Wilson McIntyre in Norfolk, Va.

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