Doctor accused of molesting dozens of women in Wash.

SEATTLE -- Dozens of women have sued a gynecologist, saying he performed unnecessary and painful surgeries, molested them, and in some cases raped them in the exam room.

In 44 lawsuits, former patients say Dr. Charles Momah fondled their breasts and genitals and frequently penetrated them with a vaginal ultrasound probe that gynecologists rarely use.

The lawsuits also allege Momah got the women hooked on heavy painkillers such as Vicodin, Percoset, and morphine, and used their addiction to manipulate them, threatening to stop their prescriptions if they reported sexual abuse. He also told the women no one would believe the reports because they were drug addicts, according to the lawsuits.

Some women allege Momah even allowed his identical twin, Dr. Dennis Momah, to impersonate him and ''examine" patients.

''Dr. Momah's Little Shop of Horrors" is what MiKell Bannach calls Momah's Seattle clinic.

''God, how could I have been so stupid? He kept saying, 'You have to trust me,' " Bannach, 42, said in an interview. Bannach's lawsuit alleges Momah molested her and botched her tubal ligation-reversal surgery.

Charles Momah's lawyer, David Allen, says his client is not guilty and will fight the allegations. Both brothers are named in the lawsuits, but neither has been charged with any crime.

The state suspended Charles Momah's license in September, after investigating the rape complaints. The Health Department investigated his brother and cleared him of wrongdoing.