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OAKLAND — Two former patients of a Pleasant Hill chiropractor went public Monday with accusations that he sexually assaulted them under the guise of providing treatment.
The women, who filed a lawsuit and appeared at a news conference Monday, say Dr. David Atkinson of Diablo View Accident and Injury groped their breasts and private parts during appointments. They say he called them names like “sugar” or “babe.” At one appointment, he is alleged to have told one of the women, with a laugh, “We’re here alone today, so if you scream, no one will hear you.”
Calls to Atkinson’s place of business were not immediately returned.
Attorney John D. Winer, left, speaks to the media while sitting with Shalan Hooks, 46, center, and Myisha Kee, 42, during a press conference in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, June 11, 2018. Shalan Hooks and Myisha Kee are filing a civil complaint in Contra Costa Superior Court against Pleasant Hill chiropractor David Atkinson. The victims are accusing Dr. Atkinson of sexually abusing multiple women including themselves. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Shalan Hooks, 46, and Myisha Kee, 42, speak to the media during a press conference in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, June 11, 2018. Shalan Hooks and Myisha Kee are filing a civil complaint in Contra Costa Superior Court against Pleasant Hill chiropractor David Atkinson. The victims are accusing Dr. Atkinson of sexually abusing multiple women including themselves. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Attorney John D. Winer, left, speaks to the media while sitting with Shalan Hooks, 46, center, and Myisha Kee, 42, during a press conference in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, June 11, 2018. Shalan Hooks and Myisha Kee are filing a civil complaint in Contra Costa Superior Court against Pleasant Hill chiropractor David Atkinson. The victims are accusing Dr. Atkinson of sexually abusing multiple women including themselves. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Myisha Kee, 42, closes her eyes as she speaks to the media during a press conference in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, June 11, 2018. Shalan Hooks and Myisha Kee are filing a civil complaint in Contra Costa Superior Court against Pleasant Hill chiropractor David Atkinson. The victims are accusing Dr. Atkinson of sexually abusing multiple women including themselves. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Shalan Hooks, 46, wipes a tear as she speaks to the media during a press conference in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, June 11, 2018. Shalan Hooks and Myisha Kee are filing a civil complaint in Contra Costa Superior Court against Pleasant Hill chiropractor David Atkinson. The victims are accusing Dr. Atkinson of sexually abusing multiple women including themselves. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Shalan Hooks, 46, sheds a tear as she speaks to the media during a press conference in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, June 11, 2018. Shalan Hooks and Myisha Kee are filing a civil complaint in Contra Costa Superior Court against Pleasant Hill chiropractor David Atkinson. The victims are accusing Dr. Atkinson of sexually abusing multiple women including themselves. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Both women said at the news conference that they were reluctant to come forward until they found out that others had similar experiences with Atkinson. The women are distant relatives and discovered the connection by chance, their attorney said.
“We need to come forward because if he’s doing this to us, we know there are other women out there,” said Pittsburg resident Shalan Hooks, 46, one of Atkinson’s accusers.
Both women say they were referred to Atkinson by their former attorney, after both of them were injured at their jobs and filed worker’s compensation claims. Their stories are similar in that Atkinson asked them to undress and wear “skimpy” shorts, then “massaged” their chests. One said at her last appointment, Atkinson actually pulled her breast out of her bra.
“I felt disgusted, I felt disrespected,” said Myisha Kee, 42, of Hercules, who says at first she gave Atkinson the benefit of the doubt since he was her doctor. “It’s not OK; that’s what pushed me to come forward.”
Neither woman filed a police report. Hooks said she didn’t think the police would believe her. Kee said she is still willing to speak with police and hopes to pursue criminal charges. The Contra Costa District Attorney’s office said they have never reviewed allegations against Atkinson.
The lawsuit, filed Monday, alleges that Atkinson began abusing both women in early 2017 and that it continued for months. The suit seeks unspecified damages. The attorney representing both women, John Winer, said they plan to file complaints with the state board of chiropractic examiners.
Winer said he identified a third woman with similar accusations against Atkinson, but she is not part of the lawsuit, nor did she appear at Monday’s news conference.