Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
Sam Penrod Reporting A judge today ruled there is enough evidence for a Utah County fertility doctor to stand trial on charges he sexually abused patients.
After a two day preliminary hearing, the judge ruled there is enough evidence against Larry Andrew that he stand trial on 19 counts of forcible sexual abuse, but the judge dismissed four of the counts because of a lack of evidence.
Dr. Larry Andrew was charged in April after a long investigation prompted by patients and his own employees, who accused him of taking indecent liberties in his Springville fertility clinic. Andrew is a doctor of osteopathy and specializes in fertility treatments.
He is accused of touching several women in a sexual manner while performing fertility treatments, and also asking employees to practice giving prostate exams, using himself as the model. Prosecutors argue Andrew knowingly victimized the patients.
David Sturgill, Prosecutor: "My impression is that you have women meeting with him because they have fertility problems and women under those circumstances can be very fragile and desperately want to have a baby, so I think they might have forgiven some of the things they felt were inappropriate."
Ken Brown, Defense Attorney: "It's a case that we think, from the state's point of view, is fraught with problems. I think it's more a case of misunderstanding than anything else, and we will attempt to prove that at trial."
Apparently, in all the cases, a nurse or someone else was in the room when Andrew was performing the procedures. His license was suspended by the state when the allegations were first made, but it has been re-instated until the criminal case is over.
Andrew pleaded not guilty to the 19 remaining counts of forcible sexual abuse against him and apparently will fight the charges.
