First criminal trial scheduled for Provo OB-GYN accused of sexually abusing patients

KEY TAKEAWAYS

David Broadbent, a Provo OB-GYN, faces his first criminal trial in 2027. It is in one of eight criminal cases against him.
He is accused of sexual misconduct by hundreds of women over his career, many involved in civil lawsuits.
The trial will address one case, but prosecutors are asking to include testimony from other women.

PROVO — A doctor hundreds of women have claimed sexually assaulted or made inappropriate comments to them during medical appointments was scheduled for his first jury trial next year — stretching from September to November.

David Broadbent, 79, worked in Provo and was an OB-GYN for over four decades. Over the last few years, a growing number of women have accused him of making sexual comments, digital penetration without warning and feeling their breasts without a medical purpose, among other things.

He was charged criminally eight times between June 2024 and June 2025, each case based on allegations from one of his patients. This is in addition to several civil cases filed against him and the organizations he worked for or hospitals he provided care at from hundreds of women. Broadbent surrendered his license in June 2022, months after the first lawsuit was filed.

Attorneys planned to bring just one case before the jury, allowing them to decide based on the outcome whether other cases should also go to trial or if they will be resolved another way. Both sides agreed to address the first case that was filed in the initial trial, acknowledging that it could be the only trial.

Charging documents in that first case claim that in July 2020, a woman was undressed from the waist down in a treatment room and Broadbent lifted her shirt and bra and grabbed her inappropriately, then grabbed her leg "in what felt to her as a sexual manner" before pulling her to the edge of the table for an examination.

A few months later, the woman said Broadbent was doing a Pap smear, which took over 100 seconds, which charges claim is "far in excess" of what would be required for a Pap smear.

Broadbent is charged in the case with object rape, a first-degree felony, and forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony.

His attorney on the criminal charges, Cara Tangaro, said "many" of the women have had depositions in the civil cases, leading to recordings she is hoping to get as she prepares for the trial.

Deputy Utah County attorney Michael Starrs asked the judge to schedule a 24-day trial. He is planning to ask the judge to allow testimony from other women who have alleged abuse in a trial, not just the woman involved in the accusations that led to this case.

Tangaro was hesitant to schedule a trial at this point, saying she does not even know how many alleged victims would testify during a trial and does not know how long it would need to be. She said she needs to go through hours of transcripts from depositions in the civil cases. However, she did say fall of 2027 would give them the time needed to do things right.

In a hearing on Dec. 18, 2026, attorneys will debate what evidence from other women who have made allegations against Broadbent the judge should allow to be brought into the trial. Fourth District Judge Kraig Powell will consider if the value of evidence to the jury from the testimonies would be outweighed by the danger that it would cause Broadbent unfair prejudice, waste time or mislead or confuse the jury.

Powell said he thinks the case needs a detailed ruling on what other alleged victims can say at the trial for this case "so we almost have a script" for the trial, rather than dealing with objections in the trial.

Broadbent's trial is scheduled on 24 days that are not consecutive, beginning Sept. 8, 2027 and ending Nov. 9, 2027. Powell said the days could be adjusted, cancelled or rescheduled as necessary.

In total, Broadbent is charged with 14 counts of object rape, a first-degree felony, and four counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony,

Powell ruled there was not enough evidence for some duplicated felony charges and dismissed them earlier this year, citing a lack of support in the women's statements.

Civil lawsuits against Broadbent were initially dismissed because the women did not follow the requirements for a healthcare lawsuit, but the Utah Supreme Court agreed with the women that sexual assault is not healthcare in a 2024 ruling, reviving the case.

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