People v. Lefkovitch CA2/6

CourtCalifornia Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 23, 2015
DocketB250602
StatusUnpublished

This text of People v. Lefkovitch CA2/6 (People v. Lefkovitch CA2/6) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering California Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
People v. Lefkovitch CA2/6, (Cal. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

Filed 4/23/15 P. v. Lefkovitch CA2/6

NOT TO BE PUBLISHED IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS

California Rules of Court, rule 8.1115(a), prohibits courts and parties from citing or relying on opinions not certified for publication or ordered published, except as specified by rule 8.1115(b). This opinion has not been certified for publication or ordered published for purposes of rule 8.1115.

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SECOND APPELLATE DISTRICT

DIVISION SIX

THE PEOPLE, 2d Crim. No. B250602 (Super. Ct. No. 2010045381) Plaintiff and Respondent, (Ventura County)

v.

BARRY LEFKOVITCH,

Defendant and Appellant.

A jury found Barry Lefkovitch, a physician, guilty on three counts of forcible sexual penetration (Pen. Code,1 § 289, subd. (d)(4); counts 1-3), one count of misdemeanor sexual exploitation of a patient (Bus. & Prof. Code, § 729, subd. (a), count 5) and one count of felony sexual exploitation of two or more patients (id. subd. (b)(3), count 6). The court sentenced Lefkovitch to the midterm of six years on count 1; a consecutive two years on count 2; a concurrent six years on count 3; a concurrent 180 days on count 5; and a concurrent two years on count 6.

1 All statutory references are to the Penal Code unless otherwise stated. We reverse count 5 as a lesser included offense of count 6. In all other respects we affirm. FACTS Victim H.S. - Counts 1 through 3 (forcible sexual penetration) and count 6 (felony sexual exploitation of multiple patients) Lefkovitch was a medical doctor and partner at the Arroyo Oaks Medical Associates in Thousand Oaks. H.S. was a patient at Arroyo Oaks, but Lefkovitch was not her usual doctor. H.S. saw Lefkovitch in November and December 2010, when her usual doctor was not available. H.S.'s sister brought her to the first appointment and stayed with her the entire time. H.S. complained of vomiting, hives and the inability to sleep. She told Lefkovitch that she was under stress because she had marital problems, lost her home and had to nurse her father after he was diagnosed with cancer. Lefkovitch ordered blood tests, and H.S. made a follow-up appointment with him. Lefkovitch did not tell her there would be a pelvic, vaginal or anal examination at the follow-up appointment. When H.S. arrived for the follow-up appointment, the nurse took her into an examination room and left her there alone. H.S. sat in a chair because the examination table was not covered with paper. Lefkovitch came into the room alone and shut the door. Lefkovitch asked H.S. if she had any hives. She said she did not. Nevertheless, Lefkovitch asked her to pull down her pants so he could look at her legs. She told him she did not have hives on her legs. He said he still wanted to look. She pulled down her pants. He looked between and on the sides of her legs. Then he told her to turn around and bend down. She complied. He grabbed her hips and buttocks. "[H]is hands were all over" her. She stood up because it felt awkward. Lefkovitch asked H.S. if her kidneys were hurting and asked about vomiting and diarrhea. She said she no longer had vomiting or diarrhea.

2 Lefkovitch told H.S. to lie down on the examination table so that he could examine her pelvic area. She complied even though there was no paper on the table. He pulled down her underwear. He did not get gloves. He put his left hand on her hip and inserted two fingers of his right hand into her vagina. He kept his fingers in her vagina for a few seconds. Lefkovitch inserted his fingers into her vagina a second time. It did not feel like a medical examination. Lefkovitch handled her roughly and hurt her a lot. At this point, H.S. realized Lefkovitch was not wearing gloves. She could feel his thumb on her skin and he was rubbing her clitoris. She told him to stop, and he stopped after two or three seconds. H.S. noticed Lefkovitch was sweating and shaking and his face was blushed. Lefkovitch got a glove and aggressively shoved his fingers into H.S.'s anus. She told him it hurt. He apologized. H.S. asked Lefkovitch why he did the anal exam. He told her, "I just wanted to make sure you are okay, and you said you had diarrhea." H.S. replied, "No. I told you I didn't have diarrhea, and I haven't been vomiting for a few weeks now." Lefkovitch stayed with H.S. as she got dressed. When she was dressed, Lefkovitch apologized and giggled. H.S. was shocked, frightened, embarrassed and disgusted. She told Lefkovitch that he did not even review her blood test results with her. He said her vitamin D level was low. When H.S. got to her car she was crying. She texted her sister that something really bad had happened to her. She drove to her sister's home. She curled up in a corner of her sister's living room, crying and screaming hysterically. Eventually, H.S. was able to tell her sister that the doctor had raped her. H.S. contacted a friend who worked at the Simi Valley courthouse. The friend put her in contact with the police. Sergeant Jason Robarts of the Ventura County Sheriff's office began an investigation the same day as the medical examination. H.S. told Robarts what had happened. H.S. agreed to an examination by a forensic nurse.

3 Forensic nurse, Deanna McCormick, saw redness and bruising in H.S.'s genital area without the need for visual aids. The type of redness H.S. had is commonly caused by contact with another object. McCormick also saw bruising of H.S.'s rectal tissue. McCormick had never seen bruising that bad. H.S.'s injuries were consistent with the history she provided to McCormick. McCormick testified that a regular pelvic, vaginal or anal examination would not have caused the injuries she saw. Robarts asked H.S. to participate in pretextual telephone calls. Reluctant at first, she eventually agreed. Robarts recorded the calls. H.S. made the first call two days after H.S. visited Lefkovitch's office. At the start of the call, H.S. told Lefkovitch she was calling in regard to the appointment she had. The conversation continued as follows: "[H.S.]: Yeah, I, uh, it's just been on my mind, um, it's not a big deal, but I just felt a little uncomfortable the other day. "[Lefkovitch]: Yeah, I know, and I, I, um, was going to actually call you and, to, um, just to apologize. It was, um, uh, I was, uh, I don't know what, uh, what came over me. I apologize. Just, uh, if you can forgive me and just not think -- not to make anything of it. "[H.S.]: What do you mean, what came over you? "[Lefkovitch]: I don't know. I don't know, it was like, uh, I-I-I don't know to tell you the truth. I really don't know. It was kind of just, weird. I don't know. "[H.S.]: What did you feel, uh? "[Lefkovitch]: Um., I would rather not to talk about it over the phone, but, um, there were just kind of weird f--, just, uh, I don't know, somethin' came over me. "[H.S.]: Well, I would like to talk about it, so I can feel a little better. "[Lefkovitch]: Sure. "[H.S.]: I mean, it's not a big deal, um -- "[Lefkovitch]: Good, I was -- "[H.S.]: -- and thank you for apologizing.

4 "[Lefkovitch]: Yeah, I, I was, I, I, I was, I've been meaning to call you. I'm glad you called, uh, but like I said, I prefer, you know, talking to you in person, if that's okay." H.S. said she had to pick up her daughter. Lefkovitch said he would call her back. He called back later that day. Their conversation was as follows: "[Lefkovitch]: Um, I just, you know, found you attractive, that's all. So I, I apologize if, um, if I, um, you know, made you feel uncomfortable. "[H.S.]: Oh, um, thank you for apologizing. I just, um, I wasn't sure, like I had mixed emotions and I wasn't really sure, uh, -- "[Lefkovitch]: That's fine.

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Bluebook (online)
People v. Lefkovitch CA2/6, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/people-v-lefkovitch-ca26-calctapp-2015.