Seventeen former patients at a Valencia, California, chiropractor's office have filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court alleging that a doctor at the facility secretly recorded patients as they undressed before their chiropractic sessions. Among the plaintiffs are four minors.
The lawsuit accuses 40-year-old Nicholas Vanderhyde, a chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic of setting up the camera in the office. Both Vanderhyde and the company, Joint Chiropractic Management Co., have been named as defendants.
In May, the camera was found by a different employee in the office. The camera was allegedly installed inside of a bathroom cabinet that faced a toilet which was used by both patients and staff members. There was a power cable that was fed through a hole in the backside of the cabinet. The images that were captured on the camera were believed to be transferred to another device, though it is unclear how the transfer took place.
Joint Chiropractic Management Co. is headquartered in Scottsdale, Arizona, and is one of the nation’s leading networks of chiropractors. The lawsuit accuses both Vanderhyde and the company of negligence, sexual battery, sexual harassment, invasion of privacy, and several other violations.
The lawsuit paints the company as having created an environment where Vanderhyde had “zero fear” in his engagement with patients. As a result, Vanderhyde was able to sexually abuse and harass patients and other clinic staff.
Attorney Janna M. Trolia of Ikuta Hemesath LLP, who is representing one of the plaintiffs, says, “The long period of sexual abuse and harassment by Dr. Vanderhyde was allowed to continue while The Joint turned a blind eye to his practices that differed from all other chiropractic care providers at The Joint and from chiropractic practice generally.”
The lawsuit explains, “Dr. Vanderhyde was permitted to continue treating patients in his rogue fashion, including insisting on upper, inner thigh massage touching at least one patient’s vagina.”
One plaintiff vividly recalls her interactions with the doctor. She shared with the Los Angeles Daily News that Dr. Vanderhyde was “high-five-ing my kids, patting them on the back, and letting them try out some of the instruments there to see how they worked.” She adds, “Knowing what I know now, I am traumatized by the disgusting violation committed against the many people and families, including my own, that went to this clinic.”
After the Joint Chiropractic Management Co. learned of Vanderhyde’s conduct, the company says it took immediate action which included notifying the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and cooperating with their investigation. Vanderhyde, who was a part-time employee at the time, was placed on administrative leave and prohibited from entering the company’s clinics.
The company issued a statement which read in part, “At the Joint Chiropractic, the safety of our patients and staff, and the integrity of the service we provide, are always our highest priorities. As this is an ongoing criminal investigation, we are not at liberty to discuss further.”
Vanderhyde would go on to be arrested on June 4th. He was released after posting his $5,000 bail. The case against Vanderhyde is still ongoing.
