More women say a South Florida psychiatrist asked them to remove clothes
More state complaints and a lawsuit have been filed in the last two weeks against a Boca Raton psychiatrist accused of asking female patients to dress scantily and show their breasts during video appointments.
Dr. Andrew Sorial has been sidelined in Florida since being hit with a pair of emergency suspension orders from Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo on Jan. 21. Though Sorial retains a physician’s license in Massachusetts, the state’s online license profile says he entered into a voluntary agreement on Feb. 23 not to practice.
Five days after the suspension order, Jan. 26, the Florida Department of Health filed the first two administrative complaints against Sorial. Administrative complaints start the discipline process for licensed medical professionals. A Miami Herald story on Sorial’s suspension and the accusations posted on Feb. 12.
READ MORE: A South Florida psychiatrist asked two patients to take off clothes, state says
Four days later, a woman emailed the Herald that she’d been through a similar experience with Sorial. On May 22, three more administrative complaints posted to Sorial’s Department of Health discipline page. The lawsuit, filed Friday in Palm Beach County Circuit Court against Sorial and his employer, Boca Raton Psychiatry, involves one of the women in the three recent complaints.
Neither Sorial nor Boca Raton Psychiatry manager Dr. Richard Phelps answered Miami Herald calls or emails about the lawsuit.
Adam Horowitz of Fort Lauderdale’s Horowitz Law and Ashley Ventrillo of Pennsylvania’s Andruzzi & Foote represent the woman.
“I’ve spoken with three women who were victims, but were not part of the administrative complaints filed,” said Andruzzi & Foote name partner Nathaniel Foote. “We think he exploited a number of patients. It remains to be seen how many.”
What follows is a summary of two of the three May 22 complaints. The Miami Herald filed a records request Wednesday for details on the third.
‘He asked her while she was topless to move to better lighting...’
The complaint says Patient 3 — diagnosed with “major depressive disorder, PTSD, anxiety with panic attacks and alcohol use disorder” — saw Sorial from June 2023 through this January “for medication management” related to those issues. In 2024, from September through December, Patient 3’s sessions were one-hour, online video sessions.
“[Sorial] suggested periodic body ‘check-ins’ during sessions to monitor progress on her personal fitness goals,” the complaint said. “[Sorial] told Patient 3 to wear short shorts and a sports bra during sessions so that visible changes could be better evaluated.
“During sessions, [Sorial] visually assessed Patient 3’s body for visible changes,” the complaint continued. “[Sorial] asked Patient 3 to move to a location with better lighting and move closer to the camera so he could have a clearer view of individual body parts. [Sorial] told Patient 3 to lower her waistband so he could view her midsection and pelvic area.”
In December 2024, the complaint said, Sorial pointed out an area of scar tissue on Patient 3’s breast, an area she didn’t think could be seen under her clothes. She told Sorial she wanted corrective breast surgery. Sorial told her he knew about plastic surgery.
“[Sorial] said he was having difficulty seeing the scar tissue,” the complaint said. “Based on [Sorial’s] stated knowledge of plastic surgery, Patient 3 removed her top and bra so he could see her breasts. [Sorial] then asked Patient 3 while she was topless, to move to better lighting, and she did. [Sorial] then instructed Patient 3 to squeeze her breasts together and turn in different directions, purportedly so that he could better see the scar tissue.”
Patient 3 had breast implant revision surgery at least once between April and August 2025.
“[Sorial] observed Patient 3’s surgical progress by evaluating her bare breasts, frequently asking her to move around her home, while she was completely topless, to find better lighting,” the complaint said.
Had Sorial followed the “prevailing standard of care,” the complaint said, any weight tracking would have used a home scale or information from a primary care physician; would not use “visual observations of a patient’s breasts to track weight” or requests of a patient to “disrobe or wear less clothing during a session.”
‘There was a supplement to make her breasts grow’
Another complaint said Patient 4 was seen for “medication management” after being diagnosed with major depression and ADHD. Patient 4’s lawsuit accused Sorial with intentional infliction of emotional distress and breach of fiduciary duty and Boca Raton Psychiatry of negligent supervision and vicarious liability.
The lawsuit said, on May 31, 2024, Sorial requested Patient 4 “send him sexually suggestive, revealing, and/or promiscuous pictures of herself wearing minimal clothing, such as a bathing suit.”
She sent photos wearing “revealing workout clothing” on June 3, pictures the lawsuit says that Boca Raton Psychiatry “received and acknowledged.”
Patient 4 continued virtual sessions with Sorial every three months, the lawsuit said. When she asked Sorial for supplement suggestions, the lawsuit said, “He commented that there was a supplement to make her breasts grow.
“At no time prior to this remark had she discussed any issues or concerns relating to her breasts with Sorial.”
The administrative complaint said Sorial used Patient 4’s weight as a reason “outside the scope of practice” behavior.
“[Sorial] visually assessed Patient 4’s body to monitor her weight,” the complaint said. “[Sorial] instructed Patient 4 to wear a bathing suit during the sessions so he could better see her body. He instructed her to weigh herself and take measurements of her arm, waist and leg during the sessions.
“During one session, [Sorial] commented that he noticed more weight loss in her breast area,” the complaint continued. “[Sorial] also asked Patient 4 whether she had breast implants.”
This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 8:16 AM.
