Utah County prosecutors will soon get the help of a nurse practitioner who specializes in sexual assault exams as they decide whether to bring charges against a Utah OB-GYN who has been accused of sexual assault by dozens of women.
At least 49 women have reported to Provo Police that David Broadbent had sexually abused them during exams, and prosecutors have been weighing whether to file charges for 18 months.
Many of the women allege Broadbent inappropriately touched their breasts, vaginas and rectums during exams — often without warning or explanation, and in ways that hurt them and made them feel violated. Other former patients, along with many of the women who went to police, have also sued Broadbent or the hospitals where he worked, with a total of nearly 120 women making sexual assault allegations in civil lawsuits.
Earlier this week, the Utah County Commission approved up to $6,000 in funding for Susan Chasson, a nurse practitioner, to review the evidence that prosecutors have, and to do research and advise them on what the “standard of care” is for a normal OB-GYN appointment.
Chasson is a trained nurse who conducts exams after someone reports a sexual assault, and she is currently the statewide Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program manager for the Utah Coalition Against Sexual Assault. She also works with the Utah County Children’s Justice Center, according to her CV included in a draft agreement.
Deputy Utah County Attorney Tim Taylor, who is the spokesperson for the prosecutors’ office, said they believe Chasson will begin reviewing records immediately, but he did not have an estimate of how long that review will take. He added that prosecutors believe “this is a necessary step to ensure we screen these cases appropriately.”
Broadbent has agreed to stop practicing medicine while this criminal investigation is ongoing. As part of a separate civil case, Broadbent’s attorneys have said sexual assault allegations against him are “without merit.”
It’s taken police and prosecutors more than two years to get to this point. Provo police records show the first woman reported Broadbent in March 2022, and they’ve received dozens more reports since then as news of the civil lawsuits filed against him spread.
In partnership with ProPublica, The Salt Lake Tribune interviewed 14 of the women who went to police, all Mexican immigrants who speak Spanish, who reported Broadbent between March 2022 and April 2023. The interviews revealed that many of these women faced delays, language issues and insensitive interviews when they went to the police.
Two women say they asked the Mexican Consulate to help them with their reports. Of the 14, five said police turned them away at least once because there was no one at the police station who spoke Spanish.
Those women are also suing two hospitals where Broadbent had privileges, saying that they knew of his alleged misconduct and failed to act. Their civil attorney, who has twice written letters to Utah County Attorney Jeff Gray urging him to file changes, did not respond to an email request for comment for this story.
Broadbent is also being sued by 94 other women in separate lawsuit. But in September 2022, a judge dismissed their case when he ruled that it fell under medical malpractice law instead of a civil sexual assault claim, which meant it had faced tighter filing deadlines. The women have appealed the ruling to the Utah Supreme Court, and have been waiting for seven months for its decision.
