West suburban OB-GYN accused of performing exams drunk, lawsuits filed

WHEATON, Ill. (WLS) -- As an OB-GYN Dr. Vernon Cannon treated female patients at a number of offices in the western suburbs, including the Wheaton office formerly known as DuPage Medical Group which is now called Duly Health and Care.

Attorneys say seven of those clients now say he appeared drunk during their exams, and a number of those patients have filed lawsuits against Cannon and the medical group.

"Dilated pupils, slurred speech, wasn't making good eye contact with me," said patient Karin Stordz, who is among those suing.

Cannon is not facing criminal charges for these misconduct allegations. Attorneys for former patients displayed comments from a number of patients accusing Cannon of being drunk, including one that said, "The doctor was under the influence of alcohol. He was slurring his words and had a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage coming from his breath."

"If a physician is intoxicated that physician is not practicing medicine," said attorney Michael Mertz.

Attorneys allege that if the doctor was inebriated while performing an invasive gynecological exam, he would be unable to get the patient's consent to touch her. They are suing the medical group, claiming it knew of the alleged behavior and did nothing to stop it.

IN a statement, a spokesperson for the group said in part, "We are aware of new cases alleging misconduct by Dr. Vernon Cannon....Patient care and safety are our top priorities. We take any and all allegations of misconduct seriously. Due to the nature of these matters and out of respect for the parties involved, we will not comment further."

Attorneys said they believe there may be more alleged victims, and they are encouraging them to come forward. Stordz said she questioned herself at first, until she saw others coming forward with the same allegations against Cannon.

"It's fair to say everybody wants to feel safe when they go to see their doctor. Especially as a woman I can say it's the most vulnerable you can be when you're bringing life into the world," Stordz said.

Cannon left Duly Health and Care in 2020. Attorneys for the former patients said it's not clear if he is still practicing medicine. ABC7 attempted to reach him, but were unsuccessful.