Editor’s note: This story discusses child sexual abuse and suicide. If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988, or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

More than 100 people have now come forward with allegations of abuse by a former Southwest Washington pediatrician accused of a broad range of inappropriate behaviors with children, according to lawyers representing former patients and their parents.

Five new lawsuits were filed this week against Dr. Michael Wilmington of La Center over allegations that he sexually abused his underage patients over a span of more than two decades. The suits are seeking to hold Kaiser Permanente and the doctor’s estate accountable for a range of allegations, including that Wilmington conducted inappropriate intimate exams and required parents to leave the room when he examined their children.

The doctor died by apparent suicide on May 2 in Lewis County. A warrant for his arrest had been filed the previous day in Clark County Superior Court on charges of first-degree child molestation that allegedly took place while he worked at Kaiser’s Salmon Creek Medical Office in Vancouver, Washington. He’d been fired days earlier, after Kaiser officials were notified of the investigation, a spokesperson for the health system said.

The physician was being investigated by the Vancouver Police Department based on a February tip from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about child sex abuse material.

The lawsuits, which were first reported by The Columbian, bring the number of suits against Kaiser filed by the Seattle law firm Pfau Cochran Vertetis and Amala to six.

“From what we can tell, there’s a long pattern of parents complaining and Kaiser doesn’t take it seriously, doesn’t take steps to make sure he’s not using his position as a pediatrician to abuse his patients,” said Jason Amala, who is representing plaintiffs in the cases.

Court records describe sexual abuse of unnamed plaintiffs dating back to 1998. The records list another eight instances — dating back twenty years to as recently as this year — when Wilmington’s actions made parents feel so uncomfortable that they reported him to Kaiser staff.

One lawsuit states:

“Defendants were aware of Dr. Wilmington’s open, obvious, and repeated behavior of advocating for nudity to his peers and his patients; inviting parents and children to his home, to social events, and to nudist events, including ‘sleepovers’ at his home; insisting on genital exams when not medically necessary; requiring that parents leave the room for medical appointments in order to examine their children alone; having minor ‘interns’ whom he had examine other patients and/or medical students in the nude; and becoming angry if medical assistants did not have children nude or in gowns prior to him entering the clinic room.”

The Vancouver Police Department has also heard some of those allegations. “Wilmington allegedly hosted naked sleepovers with young children at his La Center, Washington residence,” it said in a press release issued in May.

“There are dozens and dozens more of his former patients who asked us to represent them, so there will be more lawsuits,” Amala said.

The Clark County Sheriff’s Office, which has an open investigation into the allegations, has 16 reports in which the doctor is mentioned as a possible suspect, according to Sgt. Matt Volker. Some of those accusations occurred outside of Clark County, Volker said.

Kaiser Permanente is conducting an external investigation led by Helen Cantwell of the law firm Debevoise & Plimpton LLP.

“We are committed to fully understanding the facts. Caring for children is among the most profound responsibilities we hold, and it rests on trust,” reads a statement from the health care system provided by spokesperson Debbie Karman.

“We are committed to accountability and to acting on what we learn. The trust our community has placed in us deserves nothing less.”

Three other individuals have also been implicated in connection with Wilmington. Anna May Hartley, Chad Hartley and William J. Sneiderwine were booked in the Clark County Jail in late April and early May on charges ranging from child molestation to sexual exploitation of a minor.

The lawsuits were filed in King County Superior Court. They seek damages against Kaiser for monetary relief, attorney’s fees, and other damages.

News Source : https://www.opb.org/article/2026/07/01/child-abuse-allegations-southwest-washington-pediatrician/