More than 100 women have publicly accused the Utah County doctor of inappropriate touching, but this is the first time criminal charges have been filed against him.

Utah gynecologist David Broadbent was charged with sexual abuse on Thursday. Prosecutors accuse him of sexually touching a patient during an examination in 2020.

Broadbent has been accused in civil suits of inappropriately touching more than 100 patients during examinations – but this is the first time the Utah County District Attorney's Office has filed charges against him. He faces a second-degree felony, which carries a potential penalty of up to 15 years in prison.

Utah Deputy District Attorney Tim Taylor, who is also a spokesman for the agency, said Thursday that police and prosecutors are still investigating and are still considering whether to file further charges against the gynecologist.

The charging documents say one of Broadbent's patients came to him in 2020 because of a lump in her vaginal area. Broadbent allegedly instructed the patient to undress from the waist down – but when he returned to the exam room after changing, prosecutors say he lifted up her shirt and bra and touched her breasts. He then grabbed her leg “in a way that felt sexual,” prosecutors say, and began a vaginal exam.

At least 49 women have reported to Provo police that Broadbent sexually assaulted them during examinations. Prosecutors have been considering whether to file charges for 18 months. Earlier this month, the county prosecutor's office received funds to pay a nurse who specializes in sexual assault examinations to review prosecutors' evidence, conduct research and advise prosecutors on what the “standard of care” is during a gynecologist's appointment.

Many of the women who have come forward to police claim that Broadbent inappropriately touched their breasts, vaginas and rectums during exams – often without warning or explanation and in ways that hurt them and made them feel abused. Other former patients, as well as many of the women who went to police, have also filed lawsuits against Broadbent or the hospitals where he worked. In total, nearly 120 women have made allegations of sexual harassment in civil lawsuits.

Broadbent has agreed to stop practicing medicine while the criminal investigation continues. In a separate civil case, Broadbent's lawyers have said the allegations of sexual assault against him are “without merit.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.