A Forrest City physician who was recently reprimanded by the Arkansas State Medical Board was sued last week by a former employee for alleged sexual harassment.
The civil lawsuit was filed in St. Francis County’s Circuit Court by a woman who said she was sexually harassed by Dr. Sudesh Banaji at their workplace, Internal Medicine of Forrest City. His behavior ultimately caused her to leave her job, the complaint said.
Banaji, 60, has held a medical license in Arkansas since 1999. In addition to his clinic practice, he also has hospital privileges at Forrest City Medical Center, according to an online biography.
On Sept. 12, the medical board voted to enact an emergency license suspension and launch an investigation into Banaji based on six felony counts of second-degree sexual assault and one felony count of rape.
Members of the board received a copy of a felony case that was filed Sept. 6 in St. Francis County Circuit Court.
The file included an Arkansas State Police investigation in which they interviewed a handful of patients who claimed Banaji touched them inappropriately during medical visits. It also included three people who said they worked with Banaji and had concerns about inappropriate behavior with patients.
A medical board hearing for these charges is set for Dec. 5, according to a board order.
The lawsuit from Banaji’s former employee is the first of its kind against the doctor, according to court records. The Potts Law Firm, which is representing the former employee, said the woman is seeking $5 million in damages for a variety of reasons, including “severe psychological pain and mental anguish.”
The complaint references the alleged sexual harassment that occurred while she was working at Internal Medicine of Forrest City. According to the complaint, Banaji “offensively and sexually touched redacted buttocks without consent and in the workplace.”
Banaji allegedly continued to make unwanted advances toward the former employee, and she received “repeated harassing text messages and calls from Dr. Banaji,” the complaint states.
Purnima Sarkar, Banaji’s wife, is also listed as a defendant in the lawsuit, as the former employee said his wife was aware of the abuse and did not report it, according to court documents.
The Arkansas State Medical Board does not publicly list any disciplinary history for Banaji on its website, aside from the action it took earlier this month.
According to documents the Advocate received from a public records request, Banaji has had at least four formal complaints filed against him through the state medical board in the past, some of which involved sexual misconduct.
In May 2009, a female patient wrote to the medical board with concerns about a breast exam that she said she didn’t ask for. Though she was visiting for a back injury, the woman said Banaji put his hands under her shirt and touched her breasts. She described parts of the experience as “groping” and “rough.”
“My life has been changed forever,” she wrote as she pleaded with members of the medical board to take action.
In a response letter to the complaint, Banaji wrote that the woman’s sentiment had inconsistencies and facts that were “manipulated, exaggerated or just omitted.” He countered her experience and said the breast exam was consensual and the patient even lifted up her shirt for it.
“Her concern that I may ‘rape’ my next patient is outrageous, simply baseless and deserves strong condemnation,” Banaji wrote.
The state medical board has the authority to grant licenses to medical professionals in Arkansas. Based on the circumstances, the board can also alter those licenses, which can include suspensions and revocations. The board works closely with the Arkansas Medical Foundation and its staff to launch investigations into health care providers when necessary.
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