An Orlando-based cardiologist will have his California medical license revoked following an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct, according to a report of the probe’s findings published last month by the state’s medical board.
The decision to revoke Samer Kabbani’s license comes nearly two years after a complaint was filed on behalf of a woman who accused him of inappropriately touching her breasts “under the pretense of examining her heart,” the 16-page report found.
His California license is to be revoked effective Dec. 1, though the discipline usually called for is “at least seven years’ probation for a physician who has committed sexual misconduct,” according to the report.
“In this case, however,” the report continued, “[Kabbani] has no plans to practice in California in the future, and denies that sexual misconduct even occurred. Revocation of his California physician’s and surgeon’s certificate is appropriate to protect public welfare.”
The woman, a caregiver of one of Kabbani’s patients, said the incident took place on a Sunday afternoon in September 2020, when she was invited to Kabbani’s office to troubleshoot a device that checks a patient’s blood pressure. She said he purported to conduct a manual blood pressure check, which the report said should have been conducted using a manual cuff while placing “the diaphragm of the stethoscope against the inner elbow of the same arm.”
Instead, the woman alleged, he put the stethoscope on her breast by “reaching inside her shirt.” Kabbani then said he suspected she had a heart murmur and told her she needed an electrocardiogram to investigate it. However, the report continued, he did not place the electrodes “in appropriate locations for an effective diagnostic.”
The woman said she disconnected herself from the electrodes after Kabbani reportedly made remarks “complimenting” her figure and attempted to kiss her before she left.
Kabbani, who was not charged with a crime, denied wrongdoing to the medical board, and he did not immediately respond to a message from the Orlando Sentinel seeking comment. Records show he began practicing in 1991 and was licensed by the Medical Board of California in 2001. His Florida license, issued in 2012, is due to expire in January.
Supportive colleagues and former staffers were cited in the report as giving glowing reviews of Kabbani’s work. One medical assistant testified that he “always took patients’ modesty seriously, asking permission to touch them and removing clothing or examinations gowns as little as possible.”
Meanwhile, Kabbani described his encounter with the caregiver differently, telling the board that the only time they touched was “incidental contact that occurred while she practiced measuring his blood pressure.” He further said they had a “short and cordial discussion about her interest in attending nursing school” before directing her to the exit.
The medical board deemed his account not credible, but the report does not say what made his recollection of events unbelievable. Questions to the medical board received no response by the time of publication.
The Florida Department of Health did not respond to questions about protocols addressing doctors accused of misconduct while licensed out of state.
The incident involving Kabbani was first reported Sept. 9 by KGTV, an ABC-affiliate in San Diego, as part of an investigation that found three doctors were allowed to keep their licenses, a supposed loophole in the state’s law meant to have zero tolerance for physicians accused of sexual misconduct.
Kabbani’s case, a medical board spokesperson told the station, “is related to allegations of unprofessional conduct and is not a criminal charge,” meaning that law did not apply.