Women File Sex Abuse Lawsuit Against Vancouver Psychiatrist John Christensen

May 14, 2018

Six women who claim they were employed as personal care aides are suing psychiatrist, Dr. John Allan James Christensen, for allegedly deceiving them into giving him sexual gratification.

Of these women, several claim they were asked to apply hot oil, were instructed to rub his penis and/or were told to massage Christensen's testicles as he lay naked on his bed. Three of the women claim Christensen told them during their interviews that in order to relieve pain from his arms, they would need to either squeeze or apply pressure to his testicles as part of their job."He referred to this method as the 'Pain Gate Theory," the court documents read. 

"They claim that a "deep inequality of power existed" between themselves and the psychiatrist based on Christensen's professional knowledge and their "relative ignorance" of medical procedures."The plaintiff was unaware that this sexual act was inappropriate and is not a medical procedure," the claims read. "She trusted what the defendant told her, as he was a doctor."

Additionally, one of the former employees claims that part of her job entailed checking his email and reading correspondence regarding personal aide positions. "The defendant told the plaintiff that when an email came in, the plaintiff had to search the sender's name in Google and see whether the sender was a female or a male," the woman's notice of civil claim reads. "If the sender was a male, the defendant told the plaintiff to delete that email.

The women are seeking unspecified damages.

According to the B.C.'s College of Physicians and Surgeons website, his registration is inactive at present.

Jason Proctor, "Lawsuits claim Vancouver psychiatrist deceived care aides into sexual acts," CBC News, http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/psychiatrist-suing-sexual-court-aides-1.4656219