Lawsuits against Richland OB-GYN Mark Mulholland spark calls for accountability and patient safety reform

This article was published by Austin Reed at Apple Valley News on Nov 12, 2025 Updated Nov 16, 2025.

RICHLAND, Wash. — Multiple civil lawsuits are raising questions about patient safety and oversight in women’s healthcare.
The lawsuits center around a longtime Tri-Cities OBGYN, and they claim that both the doctor and the hospital system failed to protect patients. But beyond the legal fight, this is also sparking a conversation about how to rebuild trust in healthcare.

When you make an appointment with your doctor, it’s about more than just your schedule. The relationship between patient and doctor should be about respect and above all, trust — trust that you are getting information or doing things that will help you live a happy and healthy life.

But what happens when that trust is shattered

“My life will never be the same,” said a former patient of Dr. Mark Mulholland, a doctor and surgeon in Richland. “I don’t view doctors the same, I don’t view medical procedures the same. I question everything and I don’t view intimacy the same anymore.”

According to the National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as the NIH, there isn’t a lot of data that measures the extent of sexual abuse of patients by their doctors.

The reason?

Abuse goes largely underreported. Patients often times are consumed by guilt, shame, and even shock that it happened to them.
Rosanna Herrera is executive director of SARC in the Tri-Cities. SARC provides advocacy and support to survivors of crime.



“Some may even question themselves and wonder if they are overreacting,” Herrera explained. “Is this something? Should I say anything? Is my feeling valid?”

Another factor the NIH says is that even when sexual misconduct by a licensed physician is reported, very few cases are acted upon.

“That healing journey is different for each person,” Herrera said. “They may not want to go get medical care in the future. They may feel like or prolong accessing medical care because they are worried about their experience.”


The topic has been put front and center locally after a Richland doctor and surgeon is under investigation by the Washington Medical Commission after being accused of having inappropriate boundaries and unprofessional conduct, including that of a sexual nature, toward his patients.

For more than two decades, Dr. Mark Mulholland practiced in Richland and was affiliated with Kadlec Regional Medical Center and its Associated Physicians for Women Clinic.

Since July, dozens of women have filed civil lawsuits accusing him of sexual misconduct and performing procedures without consent.
According to the statement of charges from the Washington Medical Commission Dr. Mulholland is accused of commenting about patients’ bodies such as “body shaming” them for being overweight, or making sexual comments about body parts like their breasts and vaginas.
Patients say Doctor Mulholland would also comment about their sexual activity at length that didn’t relate to a medical purpose and some patients even accuse him of touching, rubbing, or grabbing them inappropriately.



The women involved in these lawsuits say their experiences left lasting trauma. Those claims are now part of the civil filings.

“I tend to be vigilant more so now,” said another former patient. “I’ve done enough work to understand that this experience isn’t isolated.”
Attorneys representing the women say these accounts reflect warning signs seen in other states.

I just settled the largest doctor–patient sexual abuse case in Illinois’ history,” said attorney Tamara Holder, who represents some of the former patients of Dr. Mulholland. “My dad lives in Richland. He sent me the article about Mulholland and my phone went off the hook.”

Holder and co-counsel Elizabeth Hanley have filed multiple suits arguing the healthcare system failed to protect patients.
“When you’re giving birth or in an emergency situation, you need to be safe,” Hanley said. “Institutions must make sure the person they send you to won’t take advantage of that.”

It’s not just Doctor Mulholland under fire. It’s also Kadlec Regional Medical Center. Attorneys for the women say the hospital failed to protect patients and the state medical commission says complaints made about Dr. Mulholland’s behavior toward patients and staff were often rationalized, normalized and minimized, meaning patients say they weren’t taken seriously.

Kadlec Regional Medical Center declined to comment on the pending litigation, but confirmed Dr. Mulholland is not currently practicing at their clinic.

Dr. Mulholland has not been criminally charged. We asked the Richland Police Department if it has an active investigation regarding Dr. Mulholland. They did not provide specific records but did tell us some records we requested are part of an active investigation.
A 2016 nationwide investigation by the U.S. National Practitioner Data Bank found that for the thousands of medical board orders for doctors who were disciplined for having a sex related offense of a patient since 1999, more than half of them were still licensed to practice.

Furthermore, the same analysis shows that medical boards did not discipline 70% of the physicians who had peer-review sanctions or malpractice payments made on their behalf due to sexual misconduct.

Advocates say even as these cases move through civil court, there’s an urgent need to rebuild trust in healthcare.

“When survivors come to us, they’re often scared and unsure where to start,” Herrera said. “We connect them to counseling, legal advocacy, and medical accompaniment so they don’t have to face the system alone.”

Statewide, Washington now requires written consent for pelvic exams on unconscious patients. Hospitals are also reinforcing chaperone policies and staff training.

“I’m not just in this for myself,” a former patient of Dr. Mulholland’s said. “I’m in this to speak up for the women who don’t want to come forward. Who don’t want to speak up. Who are afraid to speak up. Who did speak up but got ignored. Whose complaints somehow disappeared. I want to be all those people’s voice.”

Bottom line, these lawsuits are about more than one doctor.

They’re about accountability, trust and making sure patient safety is never just a policy on paper.

SARC says anyone who believes they’ve experienced sexual misconduct in a medical setting can call their 24-hour confidential hotline at 509-374-5391.

The lawsuits against Dr. Mulholland are still pending.
The Washington Medical Commission has ordered Dr. Mulholland to restrictions in his practice. He is not to engage in the practice of medicine with any biologically female patients or those who identify as female, including in a consulting role.
Dr. Mulholland’s license to practice is currently active