Trial began today in the case of a Sacramento workers compensation doctor accused of taking sexual improprieties with his patients, but the most serious charges of rape, forced oral copulation and attempted sodomy have been stripped out of the complaint against him.
Dr. Scott Dodd Anderson who formerly worked at U.S. HealthWorks on Folsom Boulevard still faces 22 counts in the Sacramento Superior Court trial before Judge Eugene L. Balanon. They are split between misdemeanor sexual battery counts and felony charges that Anderson engaged in sexual contact with four patients.
Deputy District Attorney Laura West did not say why the more serious charges were dismissed. Defense attorney Patrick K. Hanly said they were dismissed due to insufficient evidence.
In her opening statement, West told the jury, "This is a case about a doctor violating his position of trust by committing sexual offenses against four of his female patients during their examinations."
Hanley countered, "If the allegations in this case were a bumper sticker, it would say 'Unbelieveable.' If it were a book, it would be a fiction. If if were a movie, it would be a fantasy."
One of the alleged victims began her testimony just before the lunch break and is scheduled to continue on the witness stand in the afternoon.
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