Former Sparrow doctor accused of sexually assaulting men denies allegations, asks for dismissal
Megan BantaLANSING — A former Sparrow doctor has denied allegations of sexual assault and medical negligence.
Dr. John Laurain, who is no longer employed with Sparrow as of April, and his attorneys filed Monday in Ingham County Circuit Court a response to a lawsuit brought by a former patient.
James St. Clair sued Laurain in February, saying his former primary care physician repeatedly performed "unnecessary prostate exams without gloves for his own sexual gratification" and regularly "made inappropriate sexual comments and gestures."
In a 25-page answer to the legal complaint, Laurain denies all the allegations, including performing the prostate exam without gloves. Laurain writes in the response that his actions were "careful, prudent, proper, lawful and in strict accordance with the standard of care."
And he says St. Clair "failed to make every reasonable effort to mitigate, prevent, and/or reduce the alleged damages and injuries."
In a separate filing, Laurain has also asked Ingham County Circuit Court Judge Clinton Canady III to dismiss the case. Sparrow, through its lawyers, filed a separate motion asking Canady to dismiss the case as it names the health system.
An attorney for Laurain did not respond to a request for an interview.
Three men say Laurain assaulted them
St. Clair and his fiance, Dustin Morrell, both say Laurain sexually assaulted them.
St. Clair, now 22, had been seeing Laurain regularly, including for a persistent and painful rash between February 2017 and April 2018 that turned out to be a serious infection.
St. Clair said every time he saw Laurain for the rash, he performed a prostate exam without gloves and failed to properly treat him so he would keep coming back.
Morrell, 25, said the assault happened on the first visit when he saw Laurain alone.
He went to see Laurain for his Crohn's disease. While he was there, Laurain made inappropriate, sexual comments and clearly had an erection, Morrell said during an interview in April
Having gone through childhood abuse, Morrell knew something wasn't right, he said.
"If he can do it on my first visit, how many other people did he do it to?" Morrell asked. "And for how long?"
The two men talked not long after Morrell's appointment and decided to reach out to Grewal Law.
That led them to file the civil suit in February and report Laurain's actions to local law enforcement and to the Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory affairs.
They're joined by a third man who said he's talked to LARA about Laurain's conduct during an appointment three or four years ago.
He's a Lansing resident in his 30s who asked to not be named. The State Journal does not identify reported victims of sexual assault who want to remain anonymous.
He said during an appointment in 2015 or 2016, Laurain kept putting his hands on his tattoos and lingering.
He said Laurain also did a hernia check — the first he'd ever had performed on him — without gloves. He couldn't remember whether Laurain touched his genitals.
“I was very uncomfortable for that whole appointment,” he said.
He called LARA after hearing about St. Clair and Morrell coming forward. The state agency is still investigating Laurain's conduct.
LARA fined doctor in 2011
The state agency has disciplined Laurain before.
Years ago, state officials fined him for questionable practices with prescriptions and controlled substances, according to a 2011 consent order the State Journal obtained through a public records request.
The Mason Police Department reported Laurain to the state in February 2006. A Meijer pharmacist had reported "discrepancies in prescription narcotics from Dr. Laurain."
Mason police investigated and learned Laurain was pre-signing prescription pads for his employees to fill out later. A billing clerk had access to a locked desk drawer that contained the prescription pads and injectable Demerol, an opioid similar to morphine.
Police found 41 fraudulent prescriptions during the investigation.
That included call-in prescriptions that were never documented in patients' charts. The billing clerk or her daughter apparently wrote or made the calls for all of the suspect prescriptions. They wrote or called them in for themselves or their spouses.
The claim says that demonstrates Laurain was negligent and incompetent in his business practices.
Laurain pleaded no contest but admitted he "used poor judgment" when pre-signing prescriptions and giving a staff member access to a locked drawer that had both the signed pads and injectable Demerol inside.
The state fined him $1,500, and he agreed to change his practices.
Case is with county prosecutor
While LARA continues interviews, police have wrapped up their investigation and forwarded the case to Ingham County Prosecutor Carol Siemon’s office, Lansing Police Department Public Information Officer Robert Merritt said Tuesday.
That means it's now a waiting game for St. Clair, Morrell and the other former patient.
While St. Clair and Morrell wait to hear about potential charges and progress on the lawsuit, they're trying to rebuild their lives.
They've struggled financially and are thankful to organizations that have helped them keep their home and keep the water on, Morrell said.
Morrell says they're trying to balance severe stress and depression, fear of being taken advantage of again, worry over making ends meet and other extreme emotional swings and challenges.
Doctor still licensed
Laurain's licenses to practice medicine and prescribe controlled substances are still active, according to state records.
It's not clear whether Laurain is practicing anywhere as a physician. He's listed as practicing at an office in Mason, but someone at that location said he hasn't worked there in years.
Contact reporter Megan Banta at (517) 377-1261 or mbanta@lsj.com. Follow her on Twitter @MeganBanta_1.
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