Lawsuit Accuses Army OB-GYN of Secretly Filming Women During Exams at Fort Hood
A new lawsuit accuses an Army doctor at Fort Hood of secretly recording women during medical exams and claims military officials ignored earlier warnings about his conduct.
The complaint, filed in Bell County District Court, names Army Maj. Blaine McGraw and the United States Army as the defendants. Attorneys say the case was filed on behalf of a woman identified as Jane Doe and that more than 45 other women have come forward with similar accounts.
According to the lawsuit, McGraw used his phone to record patients without their consent while serving as an obstetrician-gynecologist at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center in Fort Hood. Investigators later found digital evidence allegedly showing hundreds of women filmed during medical examinations over several years. Court filings also claim that Army leadership failed to act on prior complaints about McGraw’s conduct at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii, where a patient reportedly accused him of recording an examination.
The woman at the center of the Texas case says she learned she had been recorded only after Army investigators contacted her last month. According to the filing, investigators showed her still images taken from McGraw’s phone that clearly depicted her body during a recent exam. The complaint states that discovering she had been filmed without consent caused emotional distress and violated her right to privacy.
Attorneys for the women say the Army’s response added to the harm. The lawsuit claims that patients were notified through social media rather than by medical officials and were offered pamphlets instead of counseling. It also alleges that some women were required to return to the same facility for follow-up care because leadership questioned whether civilian doctors were available.
Attorney Andrew Cobos, who represents the women, said the lawsuit seeks accountability for what he described as “a systemic failure to protect patients.” Cobos said he plans to file a separate federal claim against the Army.
McGraw’s attorney, Daniel Conway, said the doctor has cooperated fully with investigators and urged the public to wait for the outcome of the inquiry. The Army said McGraw was suspended on October 17, the day the allegations surfaced, and that several investigations are underway to review his conduct and medical oversight procedures.
At the center of the case is the right to medical privacy, which protects patients from being recorded or examined without consent. Violating that privacy can form the basis for civil claims such as invasion of privacy, emotional distress, or negligence. When the alleged misconduct takes place in a federal facility, the government’s liability is governed by the Federal Tort Claims Act, a law that requires victims to file an administrative complaint before taking the case to federal court. Separate state lawsuits, like the one filed in Texas, can proceed against individual medical providers accused of wrongdoing.
Cases like this also highlight how accountability works inside the military’s healthcare system. Army hospitals treat both service members and their families, which creates overlapping lines of responsibility between commanders, doctors, and civilian oversight agencies. When those systems break down, investigations can move slowly, and victims may have limited options for independent review.
The allegations against McGraw have renewed scrutiny of Fort Hood, a base that has faced repeated criticism for how it handles reports of sexual harassment and abuse. The case echoes earlier controversies, including the 2020 murder of Army Specialist Vanessa Guillén, which led to reforms meant to strengthen reporting procedures and improve oversight.
The Army Criminal Investigation Division confirmed that McGraw remains suspended pending the outcome of its investigation and said multiple reviews are underway to assess medical oversight and compliance with privacy standards at Army treatment facilities.
