Doctor's license revoked for alleged sex with staff

Inset: Dr. David Diffine (KAIT). Background: Diffine's doctor's office where the alleged behavior took place (Google Maps).

An Arkansas doctor with a family practice has had his medical license suspended after allegations that he harassed and engaged in sexual activity with members of his staff – who were also his patients – and walked around his clinic completely naked.

The Arkansas State Medical Board issued an emergency suspension order Wednesday pending a hearing on alleged Medical Practices Act violations against Dr. David Diffine, according to documents obtained by Law&Crime.

According to the order, the board received information indicating that Diffine's practice required immediate action related to “public health, safety and welfare.”

On July 17, 2024, the board received a complaint alleging that Diffine “had sexual contact with his employees, who are also his patients, and sexually harassed those same individuals.”

Attached to the complaint was a video of the sexual behavior and harassment captured by a surveillance camera at the medical clinic.

“Specifically, the video shows, among other things, how Dr. Diffine engages in a sexual act with an employee while other employees are present and watching,” the order states. “The video also shows how Dr. Diffine walks around the clinic naked.”

Dr. Bradley Diner, a member of the Arkansas Medical Foundation, viewed the security footage from Diffine's clinic and said:

“The perverted behavior raises concerns about sexual compulsive disorder or paraphilia, which may actually exceed the limits of his medical care. Interaction with his office staff simply indicates involvement in his medical practice. Given these additional concerns, I would recommend that he undertake a more formal professional practice safety assessment.”

A majority of board members voted to confirm that Diffine's alleged conduct would pose “an ongoing danger to the public” if he were allowed to continue practicing medicine without a more thorough review of his actions.

Diffine's medical license was previously suspended by the board in 2017 for allegedly prescribing an excessive amount of controlled substances to several patients and failing to properly maintain records of their conditions. However, the charges against Diffine were dismissed for lack of evidence, the panel's order said.

Diffine is currently scheduled to appear at a hearing to determine whether the alleged conduct violated the Medical Practices Act, specifically whether he “used words or actions that sexually harass colleagues, employees or patients in the clinic or hospital.”

Read the medical board’s order below.

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