LANSING, Mich. — "Going through it has been rough. I have lost my job at Michigan State University because of it, both of us had to withdraw from school," said Dustin Morrell and James St. Clair, both are claiming sexual assault by a Sparrow internal medicine doctor.
Two Sparrow Health System patients, James St. Clair and Dustin Morrell are accusing a doctor of sexually assaulting them on more than one occasion.
FOX 47 News' Alani Letang talked with the couple about the allegations.
Morrell and St. Clair told Letang that the assaults started in 2017. They have decided to go public to overcome the pain they've suffered.
"And that's not the care I got, the care I got was manipulation," said Morrell.
"And it's quite embarrassing to come out there as a male being molested or touched or however you want to put it by your physician," said St. Clair.
St. Clair and Morrell both saw Dr. John Laurain at Sparrow hospital. St. Clair started seeing him in February of 2017 for primary care.
"And I know it sounds ridiculous like why would you continue that, and I thought I found a doctor that he was gay, and was cool and, he understood me. All those things you would imagine a good doctor being," said St. Clair.
St. Clair said over the course of two years, Dr. Laurain would groom him and touch him inappropriately. He claims the doctor purposely misdiagnosed a rash for more than two years so he would keep coming back for "treatments."
"I think it's quite ridiculous that he would use his platform as a physician to prey on victims. Additionally, he ruins the name for physicians and he's just continuing in these footsteps that Nassar has created," said St. Clair.
In a lawsuit filed in Ingham County it stated that Dr. Laurain would perform several prostate exams on St. Clair without gloves. The suit stated the exams were for the sexual gratification of the doctor.
St. Clair's fiance Morrell saw Dr. Laurain for treatment for his Crohn's disease.
"I went and saw Dr. Lauraun, I was in dire need. I was going to the ER on a weekly basis, and the ER would only allow me to have X amount of medications for Crohn's," said Morrell.
He said his second appointment was his last one, claiming the doctor was aroused.
"He had an erect penis through his pants, " said Morrell.
"That you could see?" asked Letang.
Dustin answered yes and added that the doctor "made the remark about my basketball shorts and he then look down to his genitalia and I glanced and it was there."
We've asked Sparrow Health System for a comment on this story. They released a statement saying "at Sparrow, the safety and well-being of our Caregivers, Patients and Visitors is our top priority. We take Patient confidentiality, along with any concerns and allegations raised by any Patient, family member or Caregiver, very seriously. Sparrow is unable to discuss the matter in any greater detail."
A sexual assault report has been filed with the Lansing Police Department. FOX 47 News is working to get a copy of that report. We'll let you know when we have it, and where things stand with the lawsuit.
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