PROVO — The Utah County Attorney's Office has filed two more criminal cases against a former Provo OB-GYN accused of sexually abusing numerous patients under the guise of medical exams.
David Harrison Broadbent, 77, of Orem, was charged Tuesday in 4th District Court in one case with object rape, a first-degree felony; and in a second case with another count of object rape, a first-degree felony; and eight counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony.
Broadbent now faces a total of 19 counts of object rape, and 10 counts of forcible sexual abuse in eight separate criminal cases.
The latest charges filed Tuesday are for a woman who says she was abused during several appointments in 2020, and another woman who was sexually abused during a pre-marital exam in 2004, according to charging documents.
In 2022, 94 women filed a lawsuit against the doctor, claiming they were sexually assaulted while getting medical care from Broadbent and that he made insensitive, offensive and inappropriate remarks, performed unnecessary intimate exams and used his hands to touch them in sensitive areas for his gratification and when it was not medically necessary.
Broadbent surrendered his license to practice after the lawsuit was filed. However, 4th District Judge Robert C. Lunnen dismissed the lawsuit three months later, stating the allegations should be part of a medical malpractice suit and that he did not have jurisdiction over the issues raised.
The women appealed the decision to the Utah Supreme Court, which overturned the lower court's decision in August, stating that sexual assault is not a malpractice issue. According to an amended complaint filed in December, 217 women are now suing Broadbent in the ongoing civil lawsuit.
