LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Four men have filed a lawsuit against an Arkansas pediatrician that allegedly sexually molested them as children.
The men allege that Dr. James "Darrell" Nesmith sexually molested during "routine examinations" when they were his patients in the 1990s and 2010s, according to a press release.
Nesmith practiced pediatrics in central Arkansas for roughly 25 years before he was reportedly arrested and convicted in 2018, while serving as a deacon at a Little Rock church. Nesmith reportedly also served as a youth director and boy scouts troop leader.
During his time at the church, this is where the fourth victim said that he was one of the people sexually molested by Nesmith.
“A serial child molester who works as a pediatrician during the week and serves as a youth director at his church on weekends –that is truly the nightmare scenario,” said Josh Gillispie, attorney for the four victims. “Nesmith’s true victim number will likely never be known, but the prevailing research and statistics on this type of serial predator would suggest it’s over 100, particularly given the unique access to children Dr. Nesmith enjoyed as a pediatrician for 25 years.”
The lawsuit filed by the four men is even more prominent as it's one of the first cases to be filed as part of the "lookback window" law, which was enacted under the Justice for Vulnerable Victims of Sexual Abuse Act (JVVSAA) last year.
The law works to provide victims with a larger window of time to report cases of abuse, with the law allowing the following for victims:
The JVVSAA, codified at A.C.A. 16-118-118,allows victims of sexual abuse to bring claims that would otherwise have expired due to statute of limitations against perpetrators, other individuals, private organizations, and the government. The two-year window period opened recently and will allow other victims to file similar suits until January of 2024.
Nesmith's alleged sexual molestation of the four victims happened from 1995 until 2007, according to the lawsuit.