Nurse anesthetist Daniel Maldovan was accused of molesting a woman after a Cesarean section at Mount Carmel East Hospital in December 2008, 10TV's Andy Hirsch reported.

Maldovan's alleged victim, Christine Black, spent most of the morning and early afternoon testifying.  10TV News does not typically identify victims of sexual assaults, but Black did not object to using her name.

Black said that Maldovan touched her breast on three occasions, shortly after she gave birth, Hirsch reported.  Black told a jury the first alleged incident left her confused.

"He touched my breast but I couldn't really wrap my head around it because everyone was poking and prodding me," Black said.
 
After allegedly touching her breast a second time, Black said that Maldovan came back to her room to offer her pain medication.  

When defense attorneys asked Black why she allowed it, she pointed to her past problems with drugs.

"He had told me that he would see what he could do about the pain, and being an addict, that's the only thing I really cared about at that time was the medicine," Black said.

Black told the jury the pain medication put her to sleep, and when she woke up, Maldovan had his mouth on her breast, Hirsch reported.

Both sides questioned why she waited hours before telling anyone about the alleged assault, Hirsch reported.

"You're supposed to be there to have a baby, and the next thing you know you're waking up to some stranger sucking your breast," Black said. "You don't just tell that. You have to tell somebody that you trust first, so I just waited to tell my friends."

Maldovan's attorney said Black is lying about the incident.  He got Black to admit she never saw Maldovan's mouth on her breast.  She only felt an odd sensation, and noticed his head pulling away from the area of her breast as she woke up, Hirsch reported.

Maldovan's license to practice has been inactive since the charges were filed, Hirsch reported.

The trial is expected to last a few days and expected to include testimony about saliva matching Maldovan's DNA that was found on Black's breast, Hirsch reported.

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Previous Stories:

February 10, 2009: Nurse Anesthetist Indicted On Sex Charges
January 23, 2009: Woman Says Nurse Violated Her After She Gave Birth
January 19, 2009: Woman Claims Anesthetist Molested Her At Hospital

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