A transcript of the court proceedings during which a grand jury decided not to indict a former Cleveland Clinic surgeon accused of rape may be released to the public after the jury was reportedly given a copy of the surgeon's polygraph test, USA Today reports.
Here are six things to know about the case.
1. Ryan Williams, MD, a surgeon at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, was placed on paid administrative leave last December after a USA Today investigation, published in January, discovered Dr. Williams' previous employer, Cleveland Clinic, kept him on staff despite knowing of at least two rape allegations filed against him in 2008 and 2009. The health system also reportedly reached a confidential settlement with one of the patients.
2. A Cleveland Clinic spokesperson previously told USA Today the allegations against Dr. Williams "were concerning, and we immediately reported them to the authorities. When the second patient came forward in 2014, five years had gone by — but again, the police came and investigated and had no evidence that anything occurred. We typically don't terminate employees over unsubstantiated allegations that were thoroughly investigated."
3. During the police's initial investigation into Dr. Williams, the surgeon was made to take a polygraph test, which he passed. The polygraph was reportedly filed as evidence to a grand jury — a move some Ohio lawyers have deemed unprecedented and influential, because an indictment may spur a state's medical licensing board to sanction or investigate a physician, according to the report.
4. While grand jury proceedings are generally kept secret, the transcript of the hearing may be released to the public due to a rule adopted by the Ohio Supreme Court that allows transcripts to be made public when the public's interest to know outweighs grand jury secrecy, according to USA Today.
5. Some Ohio lawyers claim Dr. Williams' indictment hearing is particularly important because the decision not to indict him influenced the favorable treatment he received from Cleveland Clinic in terms of remaining on staff, and the Ohio Board of Medicine, which chose not to launch an investigation against Dr. Williams until January, USA Today reports.
"If the courts find someone guilty, then we can bring an action based on that conviction," a medical board spokesperson told USA Today. "If the courts have not gone forward with a conviction, law enforcement may or may not share their evidence with us."
6. A state attorney told the publication at least 12 of Dr. Williams' former female patients have reached out to him or the medical board.
To access the USA Today report, click here.