At 71 years old, Mel Levine, a well-known pediatrician facing allegations of sexual impropriety with male minors since the 1960s, was found deceased last week. According to the News-Observer, he left behind a suicide letter.
Law Enforcement and Medical Examiner Investigate
The local law enforcement in Orange County arrived at Levine’s Rougemont residence following a distress call from his wife shortly after 12 AM last Friday.
While the police report doesn’t specify how or where Levine died, it notes that his spouse last saw him on February 12. The medical examiner’s office in the state is currently probing the circumstances of Levine’s passing.
Legal Actions Unfolding
On the same Thursday that Barbara Levine discovered her husband’s note, a collective lawsuit was initiated against him by 30 former patients in Massachusetts.
Levine has been charged with conducting unnecessary genital examinations on young male patients over the past several decades in Massachusetts and North Carolina. He voluntarily ended his medical practice in 2009 but rejected the allegations made against him.
Attorney Targets Levine’s Estate and Hospital
Legal counsel for the accusers in Massachusetts, Carmen Durso, intends to direct the lawsuit toward Levine’s remaining assets. Durso is also seeking judicial approval to invite approximately 5,000 men who were patients of Levine during the 1960s through the 1980s to join the class-action case.
Furthermore, Durso aims to file a case against Boston Children’s Hospital on behalf of at least five clients at UNC-CH, where Levine had relocated three years before the first legal claim against him emerged in 1988.
Historical Complaints and Prior Lawsuits
Durso noted that complaints about Levine’s purported sexual abuse date back to as early as 1967. Between 2005 and 2008, Durso had also represented five individuals in lawsuits against Levine.
Hospital Responds to Allegations
Boston Children’s Hospital issued a public statement, clarifying that they had received just one grievance about Levine during his 20 years of service, which was later adjudicated and dismissed. The hospital claimed that aside from that isolated incident, no additional issues were brought to their attention regarding Levine.
Closing Remarks
Should the claims against Levine prove to be accurate, Boston Children’s Hospital expressed deep sorrow, extending their deepest condolences to the victims.
