Jack Mark Levine Has A Long List Of Infractions And Complaints In WV And OH by Jack Swint“It’s a case of a physician who fulfilled his own sexual selfish desires by engaging in conduct that is considered depraved. He controlled, he dominated and he manipulated not just patients, but vulnerable patients with built-in credibility issues. That is, these patients were all drug addicts”… Assistant Ohio Attorney General Julie Pfeiffer
Dr. Jack Mark Levine was born in New York and graduated from the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1982. In addition to Ohio, Dr. Levine held medical licenses in West Virginia and Illinois. He was board-certified by the American Board of Osteopathic Surgeons in 1995 in general surgery and critical care medicine, and became a fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Surgeons in 1998.
Here was a man who had the world in the palm of his hands. But, beneath the public and state medical board’s radar, Doctor Levine’s multi state practices were beginning to crumble as medical mistakes and indiscretions mounted in both WV and Ohio.
Malpractice And Settlements Come First
According to documents we obtained, Levine was facing allegations of at least 2 wrongful death suits dating as far back as 1992. The first was in Mason County WV involving Kandi Tweety. The other was filed on the behalf of Helen Zeigler in Cabell County. Malpractice Liability forms filed by Levine to the State Board show that his insurance carrier paid $100,000 on the Tweedy complaint in 1992 and $400,000 in the Zeigler action in 2000.
Four additional Malpractice complaints were filed against Levine from 1994 to 1998. One report alleges Levine failed to totally remove a catheter from the chest of one of his patients. Cabell County records also show a 2001sexuall harassment lawsuit filed against Levine and others by Dr Maria Teresita Paulin Antigua-Martinez (01-C-467).
Drugs For Sexual Gratification Caught On Audio Tape
In 2008, Levine was notified that he was under investigation by the Ohio State Medical Board for 3 counts of misconduct. The charges arose from his treatment of three female patients who the board only referred to as Patient 1, Patient 2, and Patient 3. Levine treated each patient for opioid addiction by prescribing Suboxone, a drug designed to minimize withdrawal symptoms and curb addiction to opioids.
The board's first charge alleged that between November 2007 and December 2007, Levine engaged in sexual misconduct with Patient 1 over the course of several "inappropriate" phone calls that were secretly tape recorded by the patient. Specifically, the board alleged that Levine asked Patient 1 to write him notes about sex and masturbation; he told her that "she needed a master to tell her what to do" and asked her to say "F… me master.” He told her that he "would like to ‘f…her’ and that when he called she should be ‘Ready to f….’
Levine was recorded telling her that she should see his "cock right now" and also told her that he wanted her to "get a vibrator.” He also referred to her as his "sex toy" and asked her whether she liked what she felt, referencing to his penis, when she was previously in his office. In the second and third charges, the board alleged that Levine engaged in sexual misconduct with Patient 2 and Patient 3 at separate times in 2007. According to the second charge, appellant told Patient 2, after she tested positive for the use of drugs other than Suboxone, that she would have to "prostitute herself" again for him to prescribe her more Suboxone.
The third charge alleged that Levine asked Patient 3 to write him notes about masturbation and to bring him those notes on her next visit, and that he inappropriately "touched" and "bounced" her breasts when examining her during an office visit in 2007. Ohio Assistant Attorney General Julie Pfeiffer testified at Levine’s hearing and stated that “this case is one of the most disturbing” cases that she had ever tried before the Board. “This is not a case about two people who cared for each other, two people who fell in love or even two people who had a physical attraction for each other.
It’s a case of a physician who fulfilled his own sexual selfish desires by engaging in conduct that she considers depraved. He controlled, he dominated and he manipulated not just patients, but vulnerable patients with built-in credibility issues.” Ms. Pfeiffer stated that this was not a compassionate, two-sided affair. It was Dr. Levine crossing all bounds of decency, morality, and integrity to get what he wanted from an extremely vulnerable patient. Ms. Pfeiffer commented that Dr. Levine talks about being taken aback and not being truthful at first, but he didn’t know about the tapes right away. It was after the tapes were made known to him that he decided to admit those allegations.
Pfeiffer also stated that “if the Board didn’t have those tapes, Dr. Levine probably wouldn’t be here today.” In his defense, Mark Levine pleaded with the board members (in part)…. “I pray that the Board will not judge my 25-year career in healthcare by my shameful words I uttered two years ago. For you to take my livelihood away over this will hurt my wonderful family who are just totally innocent. I have three wonderful children, two still in college, and an incredibly bright and beautiful wife. And they have endured such embarrassment due to my inexcusable actions. To take away my ability to support them over an inappropriate phone call seems very unfair to them." (The entire Ohio hearing is linked below.)
The Boards Decision
The Ohio State Medical Board permanently suspended Jack Mark Levine’s license to practice medicine in September 2009. Subsequently, on April 06, 2010, Illinois Medical Board revoked Levine’s license. Then on October 18th, 2011 the WV Medical Board revoked his license too. Levine appealed the decision to the Ohio Supreme Court and lost. He is reportedly to be residing in Piketon Ohio and had been allowed to teach, but not practice, osteopathic medicine in or near Detroit Michigan.
One Unanswered Question
The Ohio Board members did ask one question that Levine still has never answered. Why, would a man, who is Board-certified in surgery, decided to prescribe Suboxone? Especially when he had no specialty training in psychiatry or addiction medicine? Levine did have the legal right to prescribe the drugs because he passed an “on-line test by the FDA,” the Board didn’t charge him with this. Board members noted that when physicians step out of their areas of competency, the areas for which they’ve been trained, they generally do get into trouble.
In Closing
Jack Mark Levine’s medical license should have been reviewed/revoked back in the 1990’s due to the numerous related malpractice reports against him that include wrongful death civil suits for causing the death of at least 2 of his patients. Then, at some point in time, he elected to go outside of his area of expertise and began treating female patients who he knew to be drug addicted and vulnerable. He used their dependency to act out his sexual fantasies and or needs by objectifying these 3 patients to a place in his mind where he referred to at least one as his “sex toy” on tape.
All doctors should hold their patients above anything else; his pattern of malpractice alone is inexcusable, but compiled with the fact that he also categorized these 3 female patients as sex toys/slaves, goes beyond discipline and loss of his medical license. It should be investigated for possible criminal charges. Levine’s actions go against all of the simplest fundamentals in the practice of medicine, and it goes way beyond any defense possible.
End Of Story...
Jack Swint-Publisher
WV News
E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com
Pfeiffer also stated that “if the Board didn’t have those tapes, Dr. Levine probably wouldn’t be here today.” In his defense, Mark Levine pleaded with the board members (in part)…. “I pray that the Board will not judge my 25-year career in healthcare by my shameful words I uttered two years ago. For you to take my livelihood away over this will hurt my wonderful family who are just totally innocent. I have three wonderful children, two still in college, and an incredibly bright and beautiful wife. And they have endured such embarrassment due to my inexcusable actions. To take away my ability to support them over an inappropriate phone call seems very unfair to them." (The entire Ohio hearing is linked below.)
The Boards Decision
The Ohio State Medical Board permanently suspended Jack Mark Levine’s license to practice medicine in September 2009. Subsequently, on April 06, 2010, Illinois Medical Board revoked Levine’s license. Then on October 18th, 2011 the WV Medical Board revoked his license too. Levine appealed the decision to the Ohio Supreme Court and lost. He is reportedly to be residing in Piketon Ohio and had been allowed to teach, but not practice, osteopathic medicine in or near Detroit Michigan.
One Unanswered Question
The Ohio Board members did ask one question that Levine still has never answered. Why, would a man, who is Board-certified in surgery, decided to prescribe Suboxone? Especially when he had no specialty training in psychiatry or addiction medicine? Levine did have the legal right to prescribe the drugs because he passed an “on-line test by the FDA,” the Board didn’t charge him with this. Board members noted that when physicians step out of their areas of competency, the areas for which they’ve been trained, they generally do get into trouble.
In Closing
Jack Mark Levine’s medical license should have been reviewed/revoked back in the 1990’s due to the numerous related malpractice reports against him that include wrongful death civil suits for causing the death of at least 2 of his patients. Then, at some point in time, he elected to go outside of his area of expertise and began treating female patients who he knew to be drug addicted and vulnerable. He used their dependency to act out his sexual fantasies and or needs by objectifying these 3 patients to a place in his mind where he referred to at least one as his “sex toy” on tape.
All doctors should hold their patients above anything else; his pattern of malpractice alone is inexcusable, but compiled with the fact that he also categorized these 3 female patients as sex toys/slaves, goes beyond discipline and loss of his medical license. It should be investigated for possible criminal charges. Levine’s actions go against all of the simplest fundamentals in the practice of medicine, and it goes way beyond any defense possible.
End Of Story...
Jack Swint-Publisher
WV News
E-Mail: WestVirginiaNews@gmail.com
Website: http://WVNewsOnline.com
Twitter: @WVNewsOnline
LinkedIn: Jack Swint
Links
Ohio State Medical Board-Jack Mark Levine
Ohio Supreme Court Decision
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Twitter: @WVNewsOnline
LinkedIn: Jack Swint
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Ohio State Medical Board-Jack Mark Levine
Ohio Supreme Court Decision
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