Ex-Gynecologist Settles in Malpractice Suit : Court: Former Tustin doctor accused of sexually abusing more than 140 patients to pay undisclosed sum.

SANTA ANA — Dr. Ivan Clifford Namihas, a former Tustin gynecologist accused of sexually abusing more than 140 of his patients, reached an out-of-court settlement this week in a malpractice suit brought by a Huntington Beach woman.

Namihas, at the center of the largest medical sexual abuse case in state history, has agreed to pay an undisclosed amount of money to 21-year-old Stacy Crumpler, who accused the 60-year-old doctor of performing unnecessary surgery on her just to frighten her.

She also claimed in her lawsuit, which was filed in Orange County Superior Court, that Namihas falsely told her she had cancer and AIDS.

“My client is very happy with the outcome,” said Crumpler’s attorney, John A. Rosenbaum. “My hat is off to her, for her courage in all of this. It has required an awful lot of hard work and perseverance to get people to believe that a doctor was capable of these kinds of acts. She feels like the world has been lifted off of her shoulders.”

Namihas’ attorney, Mark Meyers, declined to comment on the settlement, which was reached Monday and does not include any admission of guilt.

“The settlement is not going to absolve him,” Rosenbaum said. “He wouldn’t be paying that kind of money if he didn’t do something wrong.”

Namihas’ medical license was revoked last July by the Medical Board of California. The board had received more than 140 complaints against Namihas from women with horror stories about their treatment.

Namihas has since relocated to Nevada and filed under Chapter 11 of federal bankruptcy laws. Rosenbaum said Namihas requested that details of the settlement remain confidential.