A San Luis Obispo doctor who recently had his medical license suspended did meth in the office and sexually harassed his medical assistant, according to a lawsuit filed by the former employee.
David Jackson Levin, 44, worked as an ear, nose and throat doctor in San Luis Obispo. According to a suspension order from the California medical board, his license was suspended in interim on June 21 because he is “unable to practice medicine safely due to a mental condition.”
A lawsuit filed in May states Levin sexually harassed his lead medical assistant for nearly four years, did meth in the office, incorrectly performed medical procedures, and took painkillers he was prescribing, among other allegations.
The lawsuit alleges sexual harassment, sexual battery, sex discrimination, retaliation, wrongful termination and violating whistleblower law.
When The Tribune called Levin’s office, a voicemail said the office, located at 100 Casa St. in San Luis Obispo, was permanently closed.
“Due to unforeseen circumstances, our office is now closed effective immediately and will not be reopened,” the voicemail said. “This closure was unexpected, and we sincerely apologize for the lack of notice. Our staff is actively working to expedite any referrals to alternative ENT providers in our area.”
When reached by text message asking if he wanted to comment, Levin replied “no.”
Levin has not yet filed a response to the lawsuit in court.
Lawsuit lists variety of accusations against SLO doctor
All of the allegations in the lawsuit against Levin occurred between October 2020 and March 2024.
The medical assistant witnessed Levin perform a variety of unsafe medical practices during that time, the lawsuit said.
Among those unsafe practices were doing drugs in the office, the lawsuit alleged.
The former medical assistant allegedly witnessed Levin prescribe painkillers to patients before taking the drugs himself, snort powder that appeared to be drugs and do meth in the office.
On one occasion, the lawsuit said, the medical assistant found a drug pipe in the office that reportedly belonged to Levin. Levin allegedly had previously told the assistant methamphetamine was his “drug of choice,” the lawsuit said.
In addition to drug use, the lawsuit said, Levin also allegedly used un-sterile equipment on patients, used unsanitary needles after dropping them, carried out procedures incorrectly and failed to use proper protective equipment.
The medical assistant attempted to stop Levin from engaging in this misconduct several times, the lawsuit said, but was told to “stay out of it.”
The assistant brought the drug pipe she found to the office manager and reported the other unsafe practices she observed, the lawsuit said, but nothing was done in response to the complaint.
Lawsuit: Doctor sexually harassed, battered, lead medical assistant
In the same lawsuit, the medical assistant said Levin had sexually harassed her on multiple occasions over the course of four years.
Levin allegedly told the woman he would have sex with her if he liked women, asked about the size of her husband’s penis and told her 17-year-old-son something to the effect of trying “it in the butt,” the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit claims Levin also showed her a photo of himself in lingerie and images of penises and told her he would love to “motorboat” her breasts, the lawsuit said.
He also asked inappropriate questions about the medical assistant’s body, sniffed and pulled her hair, blew in her ear, grabbed and poked her breasts, and rubbed himself against her buttocks, the lawsuit said, while also repeatedly telling her about his sexual encounters.
The lawsuit said Levin also told her she had a double chin, said she shouldn’t eat chocolate because she would gain weight and advised her she needed to exercise more.
According to the lawsuit, the woman was “shocked and dismayed” at Levin’s unwanted behavior and asked him to stop being inappropriate each time this behavior happened.
Assistant threatened to report doctor to medical board and was fired, lawsuit said
According to the lawsuit, the medical assistant told Levin she was going to report him to the state medical board in February, but Levin told the assistant no one would believe her.
About a month later, the lawsuit said, Levin fired the medical assistant citing “financial challenges.”
That’s when the woman reported Levin to the medical board, the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit claims the woman’s firing was in retaliation for her threat to report Levin to the medical board.
Levin’s conduct caused the woman to suffer physical and emotional distress, the lawsuit said, including nervousness, humiliation, depression, anguish, embarrassment, fright, shock, pain and anxiety.
She also lost wages and other compensation benefits upon her firing, the lawsuit alleged.
Doctor accused of incorrectly removing nerves from patient
In a separate lawsuit filed in May 2022, a former patient of Levin, Amy Lessi, said that he botched a nasal surgery she underwent, causing her to lose her sense of taste and smell.
Lessi filed a lawsuit against Levin and ENT Medical and Surgical Care, French Hospital Medical Center and anesthesiologist Jesse Rohde for negligence, battery and loss of consortium in May 2022.
In April 2019, the lawsuit said that Lessi underwent nasal repair surgery to alleviate sinus pain and chronic sinusitis, a condition that causes inflamed and swollen sinuses.
The lawsuit said that after the surgery, Lessi lost her sense of taste and smell. Levin told Lessi in multiple follow-ups that she was either not differentiating flavors or that the senses would eventually come back, the lawsuit said.
But when Lessi received a second opinion from a different doctor, the lawsuit said, she became aware that her olfactory nerves had been removed without her knowledge or consent, resulting in the loss of her senses of taste and smell.
According to September and October 2022 responses filed in court , Levin, French Hospital Medical Center and Rohde declined all the allegations.
Lessi’s lawyer Tyler Saldo confirmed what court records show, that the hospital and Rohde were removed from the lawsuit in late 2023, but Levin is scheduled to go to trial in the case in April 2025.
Saldo said that at this point, the case is in litigation.
