Peeping OB-GYN To Cost Baltimore's Johns Hopkins Hospital $190M In Settlement

Three women whose Baltimore gynecologist secretly filmed their pelvic exams have won a local judge's approval of a $190 million settlement, one of the largest on record for sexual misconduct by a physician.

Gynecologist Nikita Levy, 54, was found dead in his home in February 2013. Johns Hopkins Hospital had fired him following reports that he used a pen camera to record his patients.

The three unnamed women filed a suit in March 2013, alleging that the doctor had secretly filmed his patients for 20 years.

A subsequent investigation by the Baltimore City Police Department and a search of Levy's home in Towson, Maryland, reportedly yielded an "extraordinary amount of evidence, including, but not limited to, multiple servers for storage of electronic and digital data," the lawsuit said.

The investigators found more than 1,300 images and videos in Levy's home and office, and lawyers Jonathan Schochor and Howard Janet estimate as many as 8,000 patients could have a claim in the lawsuit, the Baltimore Sun reported.

Schochor and Janet said that their clients were "extremely distraught" to learn of Levy's actions and "felt betrayed."

"They felt a great breach of faith and trust," the attorneys said in a statement. "Now, with this proposed settlement, we can begin the process of healing our community."

Two other women, also alleged victims of Levy, filed separate suits against Johns Hopkins Hospital in December.