A former Ohio children’s hospital doctor already facing federal child sexual abuse material charges is now at the center of a disturbing new lawsuit alleging he secretly photographed young patients during medical examinations and stored sensitive images alongside child sexual abuse material in his personal online account.
Dr. Bryan Shanley Sack, a former pediatric urologist at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Toledo, is being sued by the families of 13 former patients, some of whom were infants and toddlers when they received treatment.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday, November 4, in federal court in Michigan, accuses Sack of abusing his access to vulnerable children and alleges that the hospitals where he worked failed to enforce safeguards intended to protect young patients.
The allegations emerged months after Sack was arrested in February following an investigation into suspected child sexual abuse material.
According to the lawsuit, an FBI investigation uncovered 1,291 files classified as child sexual abuse material in Sack’s personal Dropbox account, along with thousands of additional files involving children.
But the discovery that has particularly alarmed parents is the presence of sensitive medical photographs and videos from pediatric procedures in the same account.
Investigators reportedly found images depicting intimate areas of children’s bodies, raising troubling questions about why medical photographs had been transferred outside hospital-controlled systems and whether any were taken without proper consent.
Several parents involved in the lawsuit claim they personally witnessed Sack using what appeared to be his cellphone to photograph their children during examinations.
Others allege their children were taken into examination rooms without their parents present, sometimes while undressed or under anesthesia.
In one incident described in the complaint, Sack allegedly used his personal cellphone to photograph an infant during an intimate medical examination.
Another family reported that their child displayed unusual changes in behavior involving privacy and physical boundaries following an appointment during which the child was examined without a parent present.
The lawsuit does not establish that the child was sexually assaulted, and investigators have not publicly confirmed that all the medical images recovered were taken for an improper purpose.
Nevertheless, attorneys representing the families say the discovery raises serious questions about patient privacy and the hospitals’ supervision of Sack.
David Champine, an attorney with Flood Law, questioned why sensitive clinical images were allegedly stored in a personal cloud account containing child sexual abuse material.
He also said parents remain deeply concerned because they do not know whether their own children’s photographs were among the files recovered or whether any images were shared with others.
That uncertainty has become one of the most distressing aspects of the case for the families.
Sack previously served as chief of pediatric urology at Nationwide Children’s Hospital – Toledo, a facility operating on the Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center campus.
He was arrested in February 2026 and later indicted in May on federal charges of receiving and possessing child sexual abuse material. He has pleaded not guilty, and his criminal trial is scheduled for January 12, 2027.
At the time of his arrest, Nationwide Children’s Hospital said authorities had informed the organization that the criminal investigation was unrelated to Sack’s clinical work.
But the families are now challenging the hospital’s assurances, pointing to the medical photographs allegedly recovered from his personal account.
In a statement following the lawsuit, Nationwide Children’s maintained that multiple law enforcement agencies had told hospital officials the criminal charges were not connected to his medical practice.
The hospital also confirmed that Sack was terminated immediately after administrators learned of his arrest and no longer has any affiliation with the organization.
The lawsuit names Sack, Nationwide Children’s Hospital, its Toledo operation and Mercy Health St. Vincent Medical Center. It alleges negligence, invasion of privacy, emotional distress and failures involving supervision and patient protections.
Attorneys are seeking to expand the litigation into a class action potentially representing between 1,000 and 2,500 children who received treatment from Sack.
The families are demanding financial compensation, counseling for affected children and a comprehensive accounting of every patient image Sack allegedly retained.
They also want hospitals to notify former patients, investigate whether sensitive photographs were improperly removed from medical systems and ensure that unauthorized copies are recovered and ultimately destroyed once no longer needed as evidence.
The lawsuit seeks more than $5 million in damages, although no court has determined liability.
For parents who entrusted their children to a specialist at a major pediatric medical center, the allegations have raised painful questions about whether their children’s privacy was protected.
The criminal prosecution and civil lawsuit remain ongoing. Sack has not been convicted of the criminal charges, and the allegations involving his former patients have not been proven in court.
When you have a child in hospital or visiting a doctor always make sure there is another employee there or you stay with your child