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Doctor Speaks Out Against Dignity Health Accusations

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — Dignity Health alerted employees by email and staff about a hospital Doctor who the Hospital said made credible threats against staff on Wednesday.

Today that Doctor is speaking out about the allegations and a lawsuit he has filed against Dignity Health. CBS13's Kelly Ryan sat down with Dr. Straznicky and his attorney.

Straznicky calls himself a medical whistleblower who has been wrongly accused and had his character assassinated.

Dr. Martin Straznicky says he learned from a colleague yesterday that Straznicky's face was posted in a number of Dignity hospitals calling Straznicky a quote "credible threat" and saying Straznicky was a person of interest to the FBI. Dr. Straznicky says he was never being sought by the FBI.

Straznicky says his attorney was calling the FBI when the Doctor got a call from an FBI agent

"He asked me a very, very few questions—had I made any threats, I said absolutely not; had I planned on making any threats, did I plan violence of any kind, I said absolutely not," he said.

Straznicky stands by what he says is his stellar record of 16 years of medical practice including anesthesiology.

"My entire career I've never so much is thrown a paperclip at a nurse attack another doctor anything I haven't threatened anybody I haven't touched anybody," he said.

Straznicky also talked about a lawsuit he filed in February against Dignity Health outlining a number of incidents and issues, starting in January 2013. That was three months after he started working at Dignity Health.

"They had it in for me because of the complaints I was making about patient care," he said.

The first incident in the lawsuit states, "Dr. Straznicky reported and complained about various issues in the hospital's operating room, including but not limited to" lack of basic standard equipment.

The lawsuit also says he was "falsely accused of using the N-word during a dispute."

"It was completely refuted unsubstantiated; it never happened," he said.

The lawsuit goes on to say that Straznicky was subjected to ongoing "unwelcome sexual harassment" at Methodist Hospital of Sacramento by a nurse.

"It's uncomfortable and difficult to do your job," he said.

Straznicky's suit states the "repeated instances of unwelcome physical touching ... created a hostile working environment."

He says he spoke with that nurse and reported the harassment to "to hospital leadership on numerous occasions."

The hospital responded to the lawsuit, denying all allegations and saying "The defendant took reasonable steps to prevent and correct workplace harassment. Plaintiff unreasonably failed to use the complaint procedure provided by defendant."

Straznicky is currently on administrative leave from Dignity Health.

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