Sexual harassment lawsuit against prominent Charlotte eye doctor settled

The case against a prominent Charlotte eye doctor who relinquished his medical license amid sexual harassment accusations in 2017 was settled on Monday.

Charlotte eye doctor Jonathan Christenbury gave up his right to practice medicine and closed up shop amid claims of sexual harassment in November. Christenbury was being sued by two former employees, including one woman who is a former Charlotte Hornets dancer.

The lawsuit alleged that Christenbury, the owner of Christenbury Eye Center, reportedly maintained a sexually hostile workplace environment at his clinic in south Charlotte. Christenbury allegedly hired young women regularly based on their attractiveness and subjected women employees to unwanted sexual advances, the lawsuit claimed.

The lawsuit, which was filed in August 2017, was settled on Monday and "counsel will promptly file a stipulation of voluntary dismissal with prejudice" once a final settlement has been officially reached, according to court officials.

The plaintiff, Niloufar Saniri, claimed that Christenbury once offered her $5,000 for sex, and that he followed her and a group of friends on a trip to Miami. Saniri also claimed Christenbury once pulled up her skirt and “grabbed her buttocks."

Christenbury reportedly hired Saniri in 2014.

Another former employee accused the doctor of touching her inappropriately and claimed he would often hug her while pressing his genitals against her. She also alleged that the doctor licked her neck on one occasion.

When Christenbury closed his eye care center in November amid the sexual harassment claims, a notice was posted for patients, giving instructions to fill out a medical release form by the end of January.

In April, patients were still left feeling stranded without their medical records. One patient told WBTV that those records were nowhere to be seen.

It’s just frustrating, really,” Kayla Shomaker says. “To try to get something that’s yours, and you can’t.”

Shomaker says she paid nearly $20,000 out of pocket to Christenbury Eye Center for surgeries since the mid-'90s. “So I spent a lot of money there,” she says. “And I’m just worried about my records.”

Shomaker lives with diabetes, so she needs her medical records.

“I even have to carry a card in case something happens to me, what kind of lens I have in my eyes,” she says. “So it’s very important.”

Shomaker sent her forms in April.

“We had to pay $20 to get it, and I did,” she says. “I’m not worried about the $20, I’m worried about our information.”

Calls made to the office were a dead end and signage has been removed from the building. Christenbury’s listed attorney has not returned calls.

The specific terms of the settlement were not released.

This story was originally published June 26, 2018 at 4:29 PM with the headline "Sexual harassment lawsuit against prominent Charlotte eye doctor settled."