Women Accuse Quadriplegic Of 'Sexual Battery' For 'Deceiving Them Into Sexual Acts,' Cite 'Power Dynamics'

Six women who claim they were employed as personal care aides are suing a disabled Vancouver psychiatrist for allegedly deceiving them into giving him sexual gratification.

The women all filed lawsuits in B.C. Supreme Court last week against Dr. John Allan James Christensen.

According to their notices of civil claim, Christensen is a quadriplegic "and hires personal care aides in order to assist him with his daily needs."

The women claim they worked for Christensen for lengths of time varying from nine months to just two shifts during 2016, 2017 and 2018.

All say they found out about the job through Craigslist or UBC's CareersOnline portal.

Three of the women claim Christensen told them during their interviews that in order to relieve pain from his arms, they would need to either squeeze or apply pressure to his testicles as part of their job.

"He referred to this method as the 'Pain Gate Theory," the court documents read.

[...]"The plaintiff was unaware that this sexual act was inappropriate and is not a medical procedure," the claims read.

"She trusted what the defendant told her, as he was a doctor."

[...]The women all claim they have sustained anxiety and insomnia as a result of what they say is sexual battery, because Christensen coerced them to engage in sexual acts without their express or implied consent.

One woman claims she has had a relapse into bulimia and five of the women claim to have suffered nightmares.

They claim that a "deep inequality of power existed" between themselves and the psychiatrist based on Christensen's professional knowledge and their "relative ignorance" of medical procedures.

The women are seeking unspecified damages.

None of the allegations against Christensen has been proven in court.