Lawsuit Claims Valencia College Exams Included Vaginal Probes

Two female students from Valencia College studying medical diagnostics have recently filed a lawsuit claiming that their classwork at the school crossed a very serious line. The suit alleges that they were forced to endure invasive vaginal exams in front of all of their classmates.

The lawsuit, which was filed Thursday in Orlando, Florida, targets both the college and three of its instructors, Maureen Bugnacki, Linda Shaheen, and Barbara Ball. Both students, who were identified only as Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II, claim they were forced to submit to the examination of their sexual organs via a transvaginal ultrasound “under threat of having their grades reduced or of being blacklisted by future employers” reports CNN.

A transvaginal ultrasound is a procedure used to check for pregnancy, fertility, or other reproductive problems that involves inserting a probe directly into a woman’s vagina. The lawsuit describes the plaintiffs’ experience with the procedure as,

A student would place a condom over the probe and then apply generous amounts of lubrication to the probe. In some cases, the student would have to sexually ‘stimulate’ plaintiffs in order to facilitate inserting the probe into plaintiffs’ vaginas.

The plaintiffs claimed that they were forced to endure these exams weekly and without any privacy in full view of instructors and other students. The lawsuit also alleges that in one instance one of the defendants, Barbara Ball, made inappropriate comments to one of the students undergoing a probe telling her she was “‘sexy’ and should be an ‘escort girl’ (prostitute).”

Peer examinations are actually quite common when studying in the the medical field as they are a way for students to better understand the procedures they will eventually perform on real patients. The lawsuit states that Valencia College had used a second year student nicknamed the “TransVag Queen” to describe the procedure to new students during an orientation for the program. The lawsuit states,

[She] explained the Medical Diagnostic Sonography Program’s faculty believed that students should undergo invasive transvaginal ultrasound procedures in order to become better sonography technicians. Valencia positioned these transvaginal probes as voluntary, but its actual policy and practice was that they were not.

It’s important to remember that this is a pending lawsuit and the defendants haven’t been found guilty. But if these women’s allegations are in fact true then what happened to them is absolutely disgusting and almost definitely qualifies as sexual assault. Sexual assault has unfortunately become a permanent fixture on college campuses that has been increasingly highlighted by the media in several high profile rape cases. However, it’s almost inconceivable to think of it happening in full display of an entire classroom at the hands of an instructor. This may very well turn into a case where the actual details are are difficult to come by, but nevertheless these allegations should be taken very seriously.

Alexis Evans

Alexis Evans is an Assistant Editor at Law Street and a Buckeye State native. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and a minor in Business from Ohio University. Contact Alexis at aevans@LawStreetMedia.com.