Woman suing Spokane psychiatrist over affair

SPOKANE, Wash. — A woman has sued a Spokane psychiatrist for malpractice after he allegedly tried to convince her that romantic dates were part of her treatment.

In a lawsuit filed Monday in Spokane County Superior Court, Sandra L. Garrity claimed Dr. John P. Moulton treated her for depression and then took her on dates, kissed and fondled her, told her he loved her, and tried to convince her that she loved him.

Garrity's lawyer, Michael S. Kolker of Seattle, said the psychiatrist indicated that the interaction was part of her treatment. Court documents indicate there was no sexual intercourse involved.

"The word relationship wasn't appropriate in this context. This was abuse," Kolker said. "There's no such thing as a consensual relationship between a psychiatrist and a patient."

Through a lawyer, Moulton acknowledged the relationship.

"He did have a brief personal relationship with a patient after her second stay at Sacred Heart Medical Center, which he deeply regrets," Seattle attorney Donna M. Moniz said, declining to discuss the allegations further.

Garrity, 41, who is married and lives in Alaska, also named Sacred Heart Medical Center and Moulton's private practice, Spokane Psychiatric Clinic, in the lawsuit seeking unspecified damages.

In her lawsuit, Garrity alleges that Moulton, 63, repeatedly violated professional boundaries between April and August 2005. The relationship ended after it was discovered by the pair's spouses, court and health department documents show.

Moulton retired from private practice in October, but continues to treat some patients at Sacred Heart, where he is a contracted employee, hospital spokeswoman Maureen Goins said.