Eighty-one women have joined a civil lawsuit against a US army gynaecologist already facing criminal charges for allegedly secretly filming patients during examinations at Fort Hood, Texas. Major Blaine McGraw, a doctor at the on-base medical centre, is accused of inappropriately touching and covertly recording dozens of women during appointments.
The civil suit, originally filed in November, alleges that McGraw subjected patients to “invasive, unnecessary, and degrading touching, voyeurism, and covert filming”. An expanded complaint was submitted on Wednesday, a day after the army’s office of special trial counsel filed criminal charges involving 54 specifications of “indecent visual recording” and related offences concerning 44 identified victims.
While the military case focuses on recordings, the civil suit goes further, accusing McGraw of assault, sexual assault and battery under Texas law. The filing claims he “intentionally and knowingly made harmful and offensive physical contact” during gynaecological exams. McGraw began treating patients at Fort Hood in 2023.
One active-duty soldier described an encounter during a rape-kit examination in which she suspects McGraw photographed her. “During that deeply vulnerable procedure, he was constantly on his phone while between her legs,” the lawsuit states. The complaint also says McGraw failed to document the rape kit in her medical records, and that her assailant was later acquitted due to lack of forensic evidence. “McGraw’s misconduct … actively undermined her access to justice and allowed her perpetrator to escape accountability,” the filing adds.
Legal experts and advocacy groups told the Washington Post the case may test recent Pentagon reforms aimed at addressing sexual misconduct and supporting survivors.
