Photos by Ty O’Neil
A small protest was held yesterday at the corner of Arlington Avenue and Plumb Lane against a local doctor of obstetrics and gynecology.
Dr. Samuel Chacon of the Women’s Health Center of Reno was recently arrested on a charge of soliciting prostitution, a misdemeanor. But he has been sued five times since 2020. One case was dismissed with prejudice while four others are pending.
“How many women is he going to hurt, rather than help?” Lurena Durante said on Tuesday.
The lawsuits against Chason were filed by women represented by the same attorney. They are alleging negligence, performing unnecessary procedures and irreversible damage.
The most recent lawsuit was filed late last month.
“Defendant Chacon intentionally, negligently and/or with a conscious disregard performed unnecessary and non-consensual procedures … which caused permanent harm and emotional distress…” one lawsuit claims.
Chacon’s attorneys, in court filings, denied all charges.
“Plaintiff repeats her bald allegations that Dr. Chacon intentionally misdiagnosed her and other ‘similarly situated’ patients to fraudulently collect insurance payments,” they wrote in August as part of a motion to dismiss one of the cases. “These scandalous allegations are unsupported by any facts. They are simply unspecified allegations about other patients evidently intended to avoid the requirements and limitations of [state law] and to prejudice Dr. Chacon…”
Chacon was arrested in October along with 26 others for soliciting prostitution.
One of his former patients described him as “coercive” in a report by KOLO TV.
“I cannot understand how he has continued to do what he’s doing for another 21 years,” she said.
Chacon has mixed reviews online with some people praising his work and others describing their experiences with him as horrific.
