(WWJ) — A class action lawsuit has been filed against two Metro Detroit health systems and a doctor accused of secretly filming and sexually abusing patients.
Last month 40-year-old Dr. Oumair Aejaz of Rochester Hills was charged with a litany of sex crimes, including child sexually abusive activity, stemming from years of alleged abuse and secret recording. His victims range in age from 2 years old to grown adults. Authorities have been asking for more potential victims to come forward.
On Tuesday lawyers with Stinar Gould Grieco & Hensley, PLLC and Bailey Glasser, LLP announced the class action lawsuit against Aejaz, Henry Ford Health System, and Henry Ford Macomb Hospital in Wayne County Circuit Court.
Speaking at a press conference Tuesday, attorney Parker Stinar outlined the allegations in the lawsuit, including that he recorded himself sexually assaulting some patients and had other devices set up to record or photograph patients who were undressed, disrobing, naked or using the bathroom.
Authorities believe there could be upwards of thousands of victims between 2018 and 2024. Oakland County Sheriff Mike Bouchard said last month investigators had seized six computers, four cell phones and more than a dozen external storage devices. One of those devices alone had more than 13,000 videos Aejaz allegedly recorded over the past six years.
It could take investigators six months or more to analyze all the digital evidence.
Stiner says Henry Ford Health failed to implement appropriate safeguards to protect patients, while Detroit Medical Center is accused of failing to monitor, train and supervise Aejaz when he was with patients at Sinai Grace.
“Hospitals can no longer escape, saying ‘this individual wasn’t our employee’ when they hold out to the public that ‘we have the best physicians and best medical care in our community and in the world,’” Stinar said.
The hospitals have not released a statement or commented on the pending lawsuit.
The class action lawsuit represents a Jane Doe who received emergency back surgery at Henry Ford Macomb Hospital in May 2023. Law enforcement officials have described the ongoing criminal investigation into Dr. Aejaz as "one of the most disturbing sexual predator cases" seen in their careers, potentially surpassing the scale of the Larry Nassar case.
"This case is uniquely heinous," Stinar said in a press release. "Oakland County law enforcement officials managing Dr. Aejaz's criminal investigation have called what they are uncovering 'one of the most disturbing sexual predator cases' seen in their career—exceeding the evils of Dr. Nassar because this physician not only targeted women, but even children as young as two years old. His depravity had no limits."
Bouchard said some of the alleged recording took place at the Goldfish Swim Club in Rochester Hills, as well as in hospital rooms, changing areas and inside closets, bathrooms and bedrooms that he had access to.
In addition to the secret filming of nude children and adults, detectives believe Aejaz recorded sexual encounters he had with numerous women, as well as with hospital patients who were either asleep or unconscious, officials said in August.
"It goes beyond just capturing video. There is physical, assaultive, criminal conduct," Bouchard said at the time. "A woman is unconscious in her hospital bed, and he's violating her. A 2-year-old is thinking they're out for a great swim day and they're being captured naked. There's nobody who is out of bounds for this sick, sick man."
The DMC released the following statement regarding the lawsuits: "The DMC is committed to ensuring a safe environment for all patients who come to us for their care. Dr. Oumair Aejaz does not have privileges to admit or care for patients at DMC Sinai-Grace Hospital or any DMC hospital and has not treated patients at the DMC since completing his residency in 2015, so we do not know of any basis for these allegations."