CHARLESTON – A Florida woman has sued a Charleston dentist alleging sexual harassment.
The plaintiff, identified only as M.S., filed her complaint December 15 in Kanawha Circuit Court against Dr. Jack Bernardo and Ignacio Z. Bernardo Jr. DDS Inc.
According to the complaint, the plaintiff was a longtime patient of the defendant. During a scheduled appointment, she says Bernardo subjected her to negligent, improper sexual improprieties as well as nonconsensual and unwanted sexual harassment, groping, touching, rubbing, massaging and molesting. She says the acts violated her right to privacy, and she reported the acts to law enforcement.
The plaintiff says the defendants deviated from the accepted standard of care, intruded upon her privacy, committed civil battery and civil assault as well as sexual abuse, infliction of emotional distress and negligence.
She seeks compensatory and punitive damages. She is being represented by William M. Tiano of Tiano O’Dell in Charleston. The case has been assigned to Senior Status Judge Jim Rowe.
Kanawha Circuit Court case number 23-C-1097