Psychiatrist's license under review

From the Cincinnati Enquirer

The Ohio Medical Board notified Cincinnati child psychiatrist Leo D’Souza on Thursday that it will review his medical license after determining he inappropriately touched five male patients.

The board also determined he improperly told one mother her child could take medication prescribed for another child and he failed to seek medical help for a patient.

The allegations are detailed in a three-page letter to D’Souza posted on the Ohio Medical Board’s Web site.

The letter said the board “intends to determine whether or not to limit, revoke, permanently revoke, suspend, refuse to register or reinstate your certificate to practice medicine and surgery or to reprimand you or place you on probation.”

D’Souza has 30 days to request a hearing.

Efforts to reach D’Souza on Thursday were unsuccessful. He has not been criminally charged.

This is not the first time D’Souza has come under fire.

Two 19-year-olds separately sued D’Souza in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court last winter, accusing him of sexually molesting them.

D’Souza’s employer, Cincinnati Counseling Service, is also named in the suits that seek at least $25,000 in damages. Those cases are pending.

A third 19-year-old man who says D’Souza sexually molested him in 2003 settled out of court with him for $7,500 in 2005, according to Hamilton County Probate Court records.

“My clients and I are gratified that the Ohio State Medical Board has taken action. It’s just a shame that these people had to suffer,” said Mike Allen, who along with Nicholas Bunch, is representing the men in the pending cases. “We intend to aggressively pursue the civil actions that we have filed against Dr. D’Souza.”

The allegations outlined in Thursday’s letter happened from 1998 to 2006 and involve two, 12 year olds, a 19 year old, a 16 year old and a 17 year old. The males are not named in the letter.

After outlining the inappropriate touching, the letter says D’Souza failed to conform to the minimal standard of care for psychiatrists, violated the American Medical Association’s code of ethics, and said that his actions in three instances could be considered the misdemeanor crime sexual imposition.