Judge Orders Doctor to Stop Seeing Patients : Medicine: License is suspended in wake of charges of rape and molestation at offices in La Jolla and Encinitas.

A doctor who allegedly raped two women and molested 15 others during examinations at his offices in La Jolla and Encinitas had his medical license suspended Friday.

Authorities arrested Dr. Dominick A. Ricci in February on suspicion of raping two women by digital penetration during office examinations in October and February.

After media coverage of Ricci’s arrest, 15 more female patients came forward and alleged that Ricci also molested them during examinations during the period from March, 1990, to February, 1992.

Administrative Law Judge Stephen E. Hjelt ruled that allowing Ricci to continue to practice medicine would endanger the public’s health, safety and welfare.

“We’re pleased the order was granted and that it’s a complete bar to his practicing medicine,” Deputy Atty. Gen. Margaret Lafko said.

Joan M. Danielsen, Ricci’s attorney, declined to comment.

Hjelt ordered an immediate suspension of Ricci’s medical license based on a petition filed by the California Medical Board outlining rape and molestation accusations made by 10 of the women.

Also submitted to Hjelt was a letter from Dr. Alex Denes, who reviewed nine of the allegations as requested by the Medical Board. In his letter, Denes described Ricci’s behavior as “grossly negligent,” and he said it fell “clearly outside the regular practice of medicine.”

Ricci, a 44-year-old gastroenterologist, is alleged to have molested eight women by making them move through several positions while taking stool samples and to have penetrated two women with his hand, according to a legal brief. No nurse was present during the examinations.

Whether stool samples were needed for medical reasons is also at question.

In one incident Ricci apparently tried to obtain a sample from one woman who complained about a fish bone stuck in her throat. In another case, he tried to obtain a sample from a woman, who complained of a swollen foot, the state’s complaint alleges.

The amount of time it took Ricci to perform a rectal exam is another a point of contention. According to court documents it took Ricci up to 15 minutes to obtain a sample.

But, in his letter, Denes, the Medical Board’s expert witness, said the procedure usually takes 30 to 60 seconds.

After his arrest, Ricci took a leave of absence from Scripps Memorial Hospitals in La Jolla and Encinitas, where he is on the staffs. But Friday’s order now legally bars Ricci from practicing.

An interim hearing will be held next month to determine whether the order issued Friday should remain in effect. Ricci’s attorney will have an opportunity at that time to cross-examine witnesses and introduce evidence in his defense.

If a judge determines that the suspension should continue, Ricci can request that a full hearing be scheduled within 30 days.

The required hearing will center on the accusations of professional misconduct by Ricci, whose license could be permanently revoked at that point.

The district attorney’s office is continuing to investigate, spokeswoman Linda Miller said. No charges have been filed.