This was the second week of testimony in the trial against Jeffrey Fultz, a former Juneau chiropractor who is accused of assaulting more than a dozen women under the guise of medical care.
This week, the jurors heard from more complainants — alleged victims. Thirteen women have accused former Juneau chiropractor Jeffrey Fultz of touching them inappropriately and without their consent while they sought treatment for pain and injuries. As of Thursday afternoon, we heard from most of them.
They testified that they felt discomfort during their appointments. Some said their experiences with Fultz caused them to avoid medical care later.
Rebecca Parkey testified on Friday. She worked at Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium and saw Fultz for treatment of recurring migraines. She said she was uncomfortable with the way he touched her, but she assumed he must have been acting within the bounds of medical care. She kept going back to treat her pain.
“Every time I walked down the hill, I kept questioning myself, like, ‘what are you doing?’” Parkey said. “‘Why are you going back?’ And then I would argue with myself, like, stop being crazy.”
Defense attorney James Christie asked Parkey to compare her care with Fultz to that of other chiropractors and massage therapists she’s seen, including when she lived in Missouri.
“And the chiropractor in Kansas City, who you really liked, they didn’t do massage therapy? Well, your chiropractor, I mean?” Christie asked.
“No, because he wasn’t a massage therapist. And technically, neither was Jeff,” Parkey said.
Tori Talley, another woman who testified, was in her early 20s when she was treated by Fultz. She said he touched her in sensitive places, making her very uncomfortable. But like Parkey, she doubted herself.
Prosecutor Jessalyn Gillum asked Talley if Fultz asked for permission or warned her that he would touch those areas.
“Do you remember if at any point the discussion of touching sensitive areas of your body — did that ever come up with Mr. Fultz prior to that last appointment, when he was doing the massage?” Gillum asked.
“No,” Talley said.
“Did you give any consent to that part of your body being touched, even for medical purposes?” Gillum asked.
“Absolutely not,” Talley said.
Talley said experience with Fultz caused her to avoid all medical care in general.
“I took a break from seeing anyone at SEARHC and a long break from physical therapy,” she said.
“How did that affect your symptoms, if at all?” asked Gillum.
“I definitely had a lot more headaches, and I stopped seeing all providers, and I developed really bad anxiety, and I developed a panic disorder, and not being able to see my providers,” Talley said.
During cross-examination, Fultz’s lawyers pointed out that Talley had anxiety and panic disorders before seeing Fultz. She said they escalated after her experience and break from medical care.
Marcy Sowers was a Fultz patient in 2014. She said she worried at the time that confronting him or avoiding physical therapy appointments with him could jeopardize her ability to access health care in the future.
“Your PT was linked in with your compliance with everything else,” she said.
Defense attorney Wally Tetlow quoted her telling the police years ago that she would have acted if Fultz was being inappropriate.
“Did you say you would have run to [Juneau police] quicker than quick if Fultz touched you inappropriately? He never crossed the line with anything inappropriate did he?,” he asked.
“He flirted with the line,” Sowers said.
Proceedings are scheduled to continue for at least one more week.
