53 Patients Claim Misconduct By OB-GYN At DuPage County Practice

DUPAGE COUNTY, IL — A slew of additional misconduct claims have been filed against obstetrician-gynecologist Dr. Vernon Cannon by women who allege he performed exams while drunk, undressed in front of them and asked them on dates. Cannon, who had been employed at DuPage Medical Group (now known as Duly Health and Care) was named in 16 lawsuits in January and June of 2023.

Also named in the lawsuits filed by 53 women is Duly Health and Care, with the plaintiffs alleging negligence on the medical group's part.

One lawsuit, filed Aug. 15 by Elizabeth Gudella, alleges that during gynecological visits while she was in high school and college, Cannon appeared to be intoxicated and "offered to take [Gudella] to concerts" and "asked her to introduce him to her friends."

The complaint alleges that Cannon took his shirt off to show Gudella his tattoos and subsequently performed her pap smear without wearing a shirt.

Per the complaint, Cannon slurred his words and "appeared glassy-eyed" during a pelvic exam he performed on Gudella. It is further alleged that Cannon said, "I can tell you are a party girl and like to have fun by how your cervix has changed."

At a press conference Wednesday, Gudella said, "I just feel really bad for my previous self." She said she was a patient of Cannon's from the ages of 16 to 26 years old.

"There [were] numerous instances I was violated." She said that when she saw a press conference in January during which other women alleged misconduct by Cannon, she "immediately flashed back to me at that age, in that position in that office."

Another former patient, Vesta Eddings, alleges that "made sexual comments" and performed surgery on Eddings while he appeared to be intoxicated.

At Wednesday's press conference, Eddings said that Cannon, who delivered her two children, seemed to slur his speech during her appointments. She added that she felt "betrayed."

The women are being represented by Hurley, McKenna and Mertz.

In January, a representative from Duly Health and Care told Patch Cannon had not been employed by them since 2020.

Duly Health and Care shared the following statement with Patch Thursday,

"Duly takes allegations of physician misconduct extremely seriously, including those that have been raised concerning former DuPage Medical Group (DMG) physician Vernon Cannon. The actions alleged are unacceptable and inconsistent with Duly’s mission to provide outstanding patient care and the ethical standards we expect our physicians to uphold. Duly vehemently denies that it knowingly allowed Dr. Cannon to engage in misconduct, and Dr. Cannon has not had any patient contact at Duly since he departed the practice in 2020."