Two former female employees of an Alabama physician sued the physician, Edward Witt, ARC Healthcare LLC, and QC Kinetix LLC, in Madison County. They allege ongoing workplace sexual harassment and retaliation under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, along with state law claims such as invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence, and wantonness.

The plaintiffs, identified as Jane Doe and Mary May, allege that between September 2024 and July 2025, Witt repeatedly engaged in sexually-charged behavior, including inappropriate comments about patients' bodies, explicit discussions of his marriage and sex life, and unwanted physical contact such as placing his hands on their thighs.

The plaintiffs further allege that Witt regularly required them to shave his thighs and calves in his office, including instances where he dropped his pants and directed one employee to shave close to his genitals, acts the complaint says had no legitimate medical purpose.

After the employees tried to avoid being alone with Witt, both were allegedly terminated by text message on July 10, 2025, without a stated reason.

Source: https://www.al.com/news/huntsville/2026/01/alabama-doctor-sued-by-former-employees-for-sexual-harassment-forcing-them-to-shave-his-legs.html

Commentary

In the above matter, two former staff members allege they were subjected to repeated, highly inappropriate conduct by a physician and then terminated after expressing concern about the conduct. This is a classic retaliation fact pattern.

For healthcare employers, this is a reminder of the risk when staff believes they have nowhere safe to report wrongdoing or a concern. If the only reporting path runs through the accused, departments controlled by the accused, or through supervisors who are dependent on the accused, employees will stay silent until they file a claim.

Multiple reporting channels are a core loss prevention control. Staff should be able to report concerns to HR or other designated clinical executives outside the chain of command. Policies should make it clear that retaliation is prohibited and that leadership, not staff, owns the risk of investigation of an accusation, including those made against a high-value provider like a physician.

When employees see prior reports managed promptly and fairly, they are more likely to speak up early, allowing the healthcare organization to intervene, correct behavior, and limit harm to staff, patients, and the institution.