The Medical Board of Australia has referred former Melbourne gynaecologist Simon Gordon to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), alleging professional misconduct. It’s a significant development in a matter our Medical Negligence team has been working on for months, and one that many of our clients have been waiting to see move forward.
What’s been referred to VCAT
The referral relates to allegations that Dr Gordon performed unnecessary and, for many women, life-altering endometriosis surgeries, including the removal of tissue and organs, in cases where subsequent pathology results showed little or no sign of the disease. The allegations first came to wider public attention earlier this year following investigative reporting into his surgical practices.
If VCAT finds that Dr Gordon engaged in professional misconduct, he could be permanently banned from applying for medical registration again, and from working in any healthcare role in Australia. No findings have been made at this stage, and the matter is yet to be determined by the tribunal.
Our role in this matter
Since the allegations first came to light, our Medical Negligence team, led by Principal Solicitor Emily Hart, has been contacted by more than 500 women who were treated by Dr Gordon. We are currently representing 295 of those former patients.
As principal lawyer Allanah Goodwin has explained, many of the women we represent describe lasting physical and psychological harm arising from their treatment, including loss of fertility, premature surgical menopause, chronic pelvic pain, and ongoing impairment that continues to affect their daily lives. Their claims seek compensation for the injuries and losses they allege resulted from their treatment.
Why this referral matters
A regulatory referral to VCAT is a separate process from a civil compensation claim, but the two are connected. A tribunal finding of professional misconduct doesn’t determine compensation, but it can be an important part of the broader picture for women pursuing their own claims, and it reflects a regulator taking the allegations seriously enough to test them formally.
For many of the women we act for, this referral is also simply validating: an acknowledgment, at a regulatory level, that their experiences are being examined properly.
If you were treated by Dr Gordon
If you were a patient of Dr Gordon and have questions about your own history of treatment, whether or not you’ve previously been in touch with us, our Medical Negligence team is available for a confidential, no-obligation conversation. We act on a No Win, No Fee basis, so there’s no cost to you unless your case succeeds.