The suit accuses Myung Ho Lee, 70, of criminal sexual contact and practicing acupuncture without a license.
FORT LEE - An attorney has filed a class action lawsuit against an unlicensed acupuncturist who admitted in court to groping two female patients last year. The suit claims the man may have molested many others.
Myung Ho Lee (BCPO) In addition to unlicensed practice, Myung Ho Lee, 70, is accused of criminal sexual contact at Fort Lee Acupuncture and Physical Therapy on Whitman Avenue, according to the suit filed recently in Bergen County Superior Court.
Lee was arrested last spring, pleaded guilty to two charges and was sentenced late last year, according to court documents.
According to charges filed by the Bergen County Prosecutor's Office, two women ages 46 and 30 claimed Lee fondled them in March and April 2016.
In October 2016, Lee pleaded guilty before Bergen County Superior Court Judge Susan Steele to one count of unauthorized practice of acupuncture and one count of criminal sexual contact, according to court documents.
The plea deal allowed Lee to avoid jail, according to court records.
Lee admitted during sentencing that he performed acupuncture on two women and touched the breasts of both for sexual gratification rather than therapeutic or medical reasons. Lee also admitted he was not licensed to practice acupuncture in New Jersey, according to a transcript of court proceedings.
Steele sentenced Lee in December to probation and ordered him to undergo sex-offender specific therapy.
According to the lawsuit, a woman identified only as "Jane Doe" called the business seeking treatment for pain in her elbows. She made an appointment, agreeing to pay $100 for an acupuncture treatment, according to the suit.
When she arrived, Lee instructed her to change into a hospital gown and lie face up as he inserted needles into her elbow, the suit states.
Lee "placed his hands inside her shoulder opening of her patient gown and fondled her breasts during 'treatment,'" the suit states.
The suit was filed under a pseudonym and attorneys have asked the court to grant a protective order barring anyone from disclosing the woman's name until the time of trial. The suit alleges that Lee slandered the victim to a reporter.
Days after his arrest, Lee told the online edition of Korea Central Daily Newspaper that the victim was after his money, the suit states.
"The woman who reported (me) is a flowery snake who is trying to maliciously extort money from (me)," the suit quotes Lee telling the newspaper.
"In Korean culture, a 'flowery snake' is worse than a 'conniving sorceress" and is a label used to demean a person to the lowest levels of vilification," according to attorney Michael S. Kimm, who filed the suit.
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The lawsuit also names Lee's son, Sang Uk Lee, who is a licensed acupuncturist and owner of the business where his father was arrested, according to Kimm.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of one woman, but Kimm said his client believes there are many victims because Lee saw up to five to 10 patients per day for six days a week for many years. Kimm said other victims were aware of Lee's arrest but have been unwilling to come forward.
"Potentially, hundreds or thousands of patients have been victims of defendants' illegal practice scheme at their Fort Lee facilities," Kimm alleges in the suit.
Reached by phone Monday, Sang Uk Lee said his father owned a separate business called "Byun Young Herb," which was in the same building as Fort Lee Acupuncture but a separate entity.
"My dad's practice was separate from mine," the son said. "We don't share office space. We file separate taxes. We're in the same building but we don't share treatment rooms."
Sang Uk Lee referred further questions to his attorneys, who did not return calls seeking comment.
The suit accuses father and son of conspiring to shield the elder Lee's "illegal, unlicensed practice of acupuncture" for financial gain.
The suit also alleges assault and battery, negligent hiring, negligent training and supervision, criminal sexual assault, slander and libel.
The suit seeks an injunction permanently barring Myung Ho Lee from practicing acupuncture in New Jersey and seeks unspecified monetary damages.
Myung Ho Lee could not be reached for comment. His attorney did not return a call seeking comment.
Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.