Psychiatrist Keith Ablow Settles Suits Alleging Sexual Behavior with Patients, Other Violations

June 27, 2019

SALEM — A series of lawsuits alleging that celebrity Newburyport psychiatrist Dr. Keith Ablow had taken advantage of patients, including engaging in sexual behavior with them, inappropriately prescribing drugs and other "boundary violations," have been settled, court records show.

Terms of the settlements were not disclosed in court filings late Tuesday in Salem Superior Court.

Ablow, 57, of Newbury, has also had his medical license suspended in Massachusetts and New York.

Ablow's attorney, Paul Cirel of Todd and Weld, said in an email response to a request for comment from The Salem News that Ablow is appealing the suspension of his medical license.

"We are pleased that the civil matters have been amicably resolved," Cirel said in the email. "Dr. Ablow can now focus his attention and resources on overturning the Board of Medicine's order of temporary suspension, so that he can restore his medical license and resume helping patients into the future, as he has countless times in the past."

Three of the civil cases had been scheduled for a court hearing Wednesday afternoon, where a lawyer for the women was seeking injunctions barring Ablow from transferring assets while the case was pending. The hearing was canceled on Friday, when a joint motion was filed.

That motion indicated that there had been an agreement and "a final resolution of the disputes" between the parties.

In filings on Tuesday, lawyers for the women and Ablow and his practice, Baystate Psychiatry, filed a joint request that the case be dismissed.

Under Massachusetts rules, parties in a civil action who reach a settlement are not required to disclose the terms of the settlement, unless the matter involves a child or an incapacitated person, in which case a judge must approve of the settlement.

A fourth case had been set to go to trial earlier this month.

That case, filed in 2016 on behalf of a woman who did not allege sexual misconduct by Ablow but accused him of other inappropriate boundary violations, was reported to the court as settled last month. A formal notice requesting that the case be dismissed was filed on Tuesday, along with notices in the more recent cases.

The Salem News first reported on allegations of misconduct in the civil lawsuits last year, after a Minnesota woman who had traveled to Massachusetts to seek treatment from Ablow in 2015 alleged that he had engaged in sexual relations with her.

Ablow at the time strongly denied the allegations and contended that he was the victim of harassment by the woman, saying he had barred her from his offices.

In February, two more women, one from New York and the other from Ohio, filed suit against Ablow, alleging similar patterns of behavior by Ablow.

Ablow again denied the accusations in the immediate aftermath of the filings, tweeting "Categorically, completely deny the allegations lodged against me. I look forward to the court proceedings and will continue to offer excellent care to any patient who needs my help."

That tweet has since been deleted.

All four women are represented by Clyde Bergstresser, an attorney who specializes in malpractice cases involving psychiatrists, psychologists and other mental health providers who have allegedly engaged in boundary violations with patients.

Efforts to reach Bergstresser since Monday have been unsuccessful.

Source: “Keith Ablow settles sexual misconduct lawsuits,” The Salem News, June 26, 2019, URL: https://www.salemnews.com/news/keith-ablow-settles-sexual-misconduct-lawsuits/article_80d3bbea-9831-11e9-a0d4-a72d2fa45d6c.html