Doctor accused of abuse steps aside

Halts patient care till suits resolved

Melvin Levine denies claim.

A former Children's Hospital Boston pediatrician and best-selling author accused of sexually abusing boys in his care has stopped seeing patients at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, where he has taught for more than 20 years, university officials said yesterday.

A lawsuit accused Dr. Melvin D. Levine, 68, Children's former chief of ambulatory pediatrics, of abusing at least seven boys who came to him for treatment. The suit was filed in Suffolk Superior Court this week by an unnamed plaintiff who was 8 years old when the alleged abuse began between 1980 and 1985.

"Dr. Levine has volunteered to stop seeing patients at UNC, at least until the lawsuits are resolved," said Tom Hughes, a spokesman for the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

Hughes said the university has not received any complaints about Levine, who was a professor in the Department of Pediatrics there between 1987 and 2006. Since then, Levine has held an unpaid appointment as an adjunct professor at the university, continuing to see patients twice a month.

At a press conference in his Boston law office yesterday, Carmen L. Durso, who is representing five of the alleged victims, said he has received 21 calls since Monday, when the lawsuit was filed, from people who described themselves as victims or relatives of victims of Levine.

"I got a number of calls from mothers," Durso said. "Those mothers said to me, 'My son told me he didn't want to go back to see Dr. Levine, because he put his hands in my genitals area' . . . Some said they were broken-hearted, because they didn't listen to their sons."

The lawyer said the North Carolina Medical Board contacted him this week as part of an investigation into Levine's record. Board officials declined to comment on the investigation, but said Levine has no record in North Carolina of any violations. They would not comment on whether complaints have been filed against him.

Levine's Boston lawyer, Edward Mahoney, did not return calls yesterday. But earlier this week he said the doctor is innocent.

"Dr. Mel Levine has provided pediatric care to more than 15,000 children over 40 years and categorically denies that he has ever been abusive in any way toward any patient," Mahoney said in a statement. "He adamantly denies these claims. Dr. Levine is distressed about the distorted or misinterpreted memories from decades past and questions the motivations."

Elizabeth Kuniholm, an attorney in Raleigh, said she has received multiple calls from North Carolina residents who said they had been abused by Levine.

"A number of people have come forward with complaints about their examinations with him, and we're working with the North Carolina Medical Board to make sure they get all the information," she said. "I'm investigating a number of cases. I hope anyone who has relevant information will come forward."

Levine, who has appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" to promote his books, worked at Children's Hospital between 1971 and 1985, specializing in children with developmental and educational issues. Levine began training as a resident at the hospital in 1965.

Children's Hospital, which was also named as a defendant in the Boston lawsuit, said in a statement this week that it "never had any complaint from any patient or parent of any patient suggesting inappropriate conduct of any nature by Dr. Levine."

Levine is the author of at least six books, including "A Mind At A Time," which was a New York Times bestseller.