Gynecologist Hid Camera in Pen: Nikita Levy Commits Suicide, Johns Hopkins Hospital Doctor Secretly Tapes Patient's Privates, Lawsuits Filed

Reports confirm that the late Dr. Nikita Levy, a former gynecologist at the prestigious Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD, secretly tapped his patient's privates with the use of a hidden camera pen during several routine check-ups. A fellow Johns Hopkins employee grew suspicious of Levy's shady actions, and alerted authorities on Feb. 4. Levy, 54, committed suicide at his home on Feb. 18. Since the scandal broke, authorities alerted over 2,000 of Levy's patients to learn if they've been victimized. As a result, two class-action lawsuits were recently filed against Johns Hopkins, claiming that the hospital is ultimately to blame for not protecting patients from Dr. Levy's inappropriate and invasion of privacy practices.

Earlier this month, a female Johns Hopkins employee wrote a letter to hospital CEO Dr. Paul B Rothman, ousting Levy. The employee described Levy's hidden device - a camera pen that the doctor often wore around his neck. Rothman promptly alerted security, and Levy was interviewed on Feb. 5. An investigation soon followed, and officials found a number of camera pen devices as described by the fellow employee in Levy's possession. Levy was escorted off hospital grounds and banned from seeing any patients. The Baltimore police were informed about the "respected" gynecologist's actions - investigators eventually found a large amount of multimedia evidence to use against Levy. After searching his home, they also uncovered hard drives and servers filled with private, graphic pictures of several female patients.

Before the investigation could continue, Dr. Levy was found dead at his home on Feb. 18 of an apparent suicide.

Authorities and the hospital have since set up a hotline - over 2,000 of Levy's patients were called to learn if they've been victimized. Two class-action lawsuits were filed by several patients, claiming that Johns Hopkins cannot be forgiven for failure to protect patients from Dr. Levy.

Johns Hopkins Hospital issued this statement in response:

"Today, we stand humbled by the events and tragic circumstances that involve the patients and community we serve. We want to assure our patients that their privacy, safety and well-being are our priority."