Patients begin filing suits against accused Batavia chiropractor

The legal woes of a Batavia chiropractor accused of secretly recording nude or partially unclothed patients mounted this week, as lawsuits have been filed against him.

Dr. David H. Hanson remains in jail awaiting his next court date on allegations he recorded video of several partially undressed people without their permission — including two children — in a red-light therapy room at Hanson Family Chiropractic.

Authorities say they suspect he may have videotaped at least 180 people. He was arrested Nov. 5 at his office.

The first lawsuit, filed Monday by an adult woman named only as “Jane Doe,” states she became a patient of Hanson’s when she was pregnant, because he advertised prenatal service.

The suit states Hanson offered free red-light therapy and instructed her to take off all her clothes and stretch during the treatments. Advocates say red-light therapy treatment can help heal skin and muscle tissue, and best results are achieved when the patient’s skin is exposed.

She was a patient from September 2023 until late October; her two children were also patients, the suit states.

The lawsuit says secret cameras were disguised to look like “room fans.”

The second lawsuit, filed Wednesday by another Jane Doe, seeks to become a class-action lawsuit. Besides suing Hanson and the business, the second plaintiff is also suing the office’s landlord, and anybody who may have done construction or maintenance work in the office.

Because cameras were placed in fans and vents, the building’s owner should have known of unusual alterations, penetrations or cabling in the building’s systems, the suit claims.

The lawsuits were filed by the Meyers and Flowers firm of St. Charles and Fegan Scott LLC of Yorkville. The Chicago firm Romanucci and Blandin, which has clients suing an Addison ice-cream shop owner charged with secretly recording his teenage female workers undressing, also says it’s investigating.

Authorities have not said how they developed their case against Hanson. Police have refused to release their report, saying it’s part of an ongoing investigation.

Child porn allegations

But we do know why Hanson is charged with two other crimes — possession and dissemination of child pornography.

According to the Kane County state’s attorney’s office, his electronic communication service provider reported him — as required by federal law — to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, when it suspected child sexual abuse materials had been shared.

That information was forwarded to the Illinois internet Crimes Against Children Task Force.

A spokesman for the office said they don’t have any indication that videos of patients were shared online.

Counseling

Hanson’s arrest shocked many in Batavia. To that end, a group called the Batavia Counselors Collaboration decided to offer help, by holding a meeting last Sunday for people to talk about the situation. Counselors also attended a business forum Thursday night, where parents could ask questions, including how to talk to their children about this.

Ex-cop’s conviction upheld

A former Chicago police officer found guilty of killing his wife in their suburban home shouldn’t get a new trial over claims his lawyer messed up, a state appeals court has ruled.

Lorin Volberding was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to 50 years in prison for killing Elizabeth Volberding. Elizabeth, also an ex-Chicago cop, was shot to death Feb. 3, 2017 — her 68th birthday — in the couple’s Spring Grove residence.

In his appeal, Volberding, now 80 years old, argued that he deserved a new trial because his attorney didn’t pursue an insanity defense or persuade him to take a plea deal that would have shaved 30 years off his sentence.

According to court documents, Volberding learned just moments before his trial began that prosecutors were offering the minimum 20-year sentence if he admitted guilt. He turned down the deal then, but now argues his attorney should have brought it to him sooner so he would have had more time to consider it.

The appeals court rejected the argument, saying there’s no reason to believe Volberding’s response would have been any different.

“When defendant was presented with the offer, he resolutely rejected it. This was consistent with his insistence that the shooting had been an accident,” Justice Mary S. Schostok wrote in the unanimous ruling. “Also, defendant was obviously aware that (1) he was 74 years old, (2) in poor health, and (3) even a 20-year sentence … would effectively be a life sentence. Thus, deciding to go to trial was the more rational alternative.”

Representing himself

Michael Carwell, who’s charged with murder in a deadly May 2021 shooting outside a St. Charles nightclub, decided this week to fire his lawyer and represent himself at trial.

Kane County Judge John Barsanti approved the request. Court paperwork did not indicate why Carwell wants to handle the case himself.

The trial is set to begin Dec. 4.