Doctor and his twin sued over alleged sexual assaultsBy The Associated Press
A Seattle attorney has filed a lawsuit against twin doctors, accusing both men of sexually assaulting women in the obstetric-gynecology practice of one brother who already faces state charges.
Charles Momah, the gynecologist, in September pleaded not guilty to charges of rape, indecent liberties and insurance fraud filed in King County Superior Court. He was freed on bail pending trial set for May 9. If convicted, he would face a maximum 23 years in prison.
The civil case filed Thursday, which also addresses improper sexual behavior toward female patients, names Charles and his twin brother, Dennis Momah, a general practitioner. The men, born in Nigeria, are 48 and both live in east Bellevue.
Attorney Harish Bharti, who has filed 50 lawsuits against Charles Momah since September 2003, is suing the twins on behalf of six women.
The plaintiffs in the latest complaint say Dennis Momah frequently posed as his brother at Charles Momah's now-defunct gynecological clinics in Federal Way and Burien.
Like his brother, they say, Dennis Momah regularly performed unnecessary procedures, botched in-clinic surgeries and in many cases sexually assaulted them.
Dennis Momah wasn't a suspect in the criminal case because there wasn't enough evidence to charge him with the crimes with which Charles Momah was charged, said spokeswoman Stacy Flores of the Federal Way Police Department, which conducted the investigation of Charles Momah.
Neither of the Momahs could be reached for comment. Dennis Momah's attorney, Tyna Ek, told KOMO-TV News her client denies the allegations. She declined further comment, saying she hadn't seen the lawsuit.
Dennis Momah sued Bharti in November for defamation of character.
In a voluntary statement to Federal Way police on Oct. 10, 2003, Dennis Momah denied he had ever posed as his brother or treated his brother's patients.
"Any time I visit Charles [at his clinics], I stayed in the waiting room," Dennis Momah was quoted as telling a detective. "He did not allow me to even go behind his counter."
Dennis Momah is neither qualified nor licensed in obstetrics, gynecology or surgery, court documents state.
Patients noticed some contradictions at Charles Momah's clinics. Sometimes the doctor was jovial and talkative, sometimes he seemed confused and hardly spoke, one former patient said.
Sometimes he spoke fluent English, sometimes he had trouble with the language. Sometimes he walked with a limp. Sometimes he seemed significantly heavier.
After interviewing several of the plaintiffs in the suit, Karil Klingbeil, founder of the Sexual Assault Center at Harborview Medical Center, said she is convinced the women are telling the truth.
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