Women Sue Plastic Surgeon, Saying He Molested Them

Two women who contend that they were sexually molested before and during surgery have filed a lawsuit seeking more than $1 million in damages against an Arcadia plastic surgeon, according to Pasadena court records.

Janine Pannock of Pasadena and Elizabeth Molinar of Whittier filed the suit in Pasadena Superior Court, accusing Dr. Alexander Villicana, a Pasadena resident whose office is in Arcadia, of sexual battery while the women were under his care for breast surgery.

Pannock said she was molested during an examination in October 1996 and again during the operation, according to the suit.

Molinar said Villicana molested her when she went for an examination last April and also during surgery, the suit alleges.

The two women filed separate complaints against the doctor with Arcadia police detectives, who alerted the district attorney’s office, Arcadia Police Lt. Bob Sanderson said. The D.A.’s office investigated the matter and decided not to prosecute, Sanderson said. The case is now before the Medical Board of California, he added.

Villicana, who has been licensed in California for more than 30 years, is the father of Pasadena Councilwoman Ann-Marie Villicana. He was unavailable for comment Tuesday. His attorney, Dan Hogue, called the charges “completely unfounded.”