Vancouver, Washington – Sommers Schwartz, a law firm that represents survivors of sexual assault and institutional misconduct nationwide, is conducting an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse involving the late pediatrician Dr. Michael R. Wilmington.

The review, led by attorney Lisa Esser-Weidenfeller, focuses on reports that Wilmington subjected minor patients to medically unnecessary examinations and engaged in inappropriate contact during pediatric visits. According to law enforcement statements and publicly reported investigations, the Vancouver Police Department and the Clark County Sheriff’s Office have uncovered allegations of child molestation and the distribution of child sexual abuse material connected to Wilmington.

In civil court filings and other public records, former patients and families have alleged that complaints and warning signs involving Wilmington were ignored for years. The Sommers Schwartz investigation is examining not only the conduct attributed to Wilmington, but also whether any institutions responsible for supervising him fulfilled their legal obligations to protect patients from foreseeable harm.

“When abuse is alleged to have taken place in a medical setting, the inquiry cannot stop with the individual provider,” Esser-Weidenfeller said. “Hospitals and health systems have a duty to implement safeguards, respond to credible complaints and create an environment where children and families feel safe coming forward.”

Under Washington law and widely recognized standards of care, healthcare institutions may face civil liability if they fail to properly vet, monitor or respond to concerns about employees with access to vulnerable populations. Esser-Weidenfeller said the firm’s review includes evaluating whether any systemic failures may have enabled alleged misconduct to continue.

Esser-Weidenfeller has represented survivors in some of the nation’s most closely watched sexual abuse cases, including litigation involving former Michigan State University and USA Gymnastics physician Larry Nassar, and cases concerning the late University of Michigan physicians Robert Anderson and Matthew Weiss. Her work has centered on patterns of institutional inaction and coverups and the long-term impact of abuse on survivors.

“Survivors often describe not only the harm caused by an abuser, but also the deep sense of betrayal when institutions do not act on warning signs,” Esser-Weidenfeller said. “Part of our role is to examine carefully what was known, when it was known and what, if anything, was done in response.”

Esser-Weidenfeller emphasized that many survivors of childhood sexual abuse delay disclosure for years, often due to shame, fear or concerns about not being believed. Public reporting about past misconduct, she said, can be a catalyst for individuals to re-examine earlier experiences in a medical setting that they may have questioned but did not fully understand as children.

“Coming forward is a personal decision, and the pace belongs to the survivor,” she said. “Our responsibility is to listen, to explain the options the law provides and to help people make informed choices about what, if anything, they wish to pursue.”

Lisa Esser-Weidenfeller
Sommers Schwartz, P.C.
(800) 783-0989
LEsser@sommerspc.com