Keith Ablow, a prominent Boston-area psychiatrist, best-selling self-help author and former Fox News contributor, has been accused of sexually exploiting three patients, according to a report Thursday from the Boston Globe.
The Globe cited lawsuits filed by three separate women over the span of one year. According to the women’s suits, Ablow abused his position while treating them for depression by engaging in physically harmful and manipulative sexual relationships.
Ablow denied the allegations of the three women in a tweet posted Thursday afternoon. “Categorically, completely deny the allegations lodged against me. I look forward to the court proceedings and will continue to offer excellent care to any patient who needs my help,” he wrote.
“He began to hit me when we engaged in sexual activities,” one plaintiff wrote in a sworn affidavit filed with her lawsuit. “He would have me on my knees and begin to beat me with his hands on my breasts, occasionally saying, ‘I own you,’ or ‘You are my slave.'”
According to The Globe, Albow used a controversial treatment for depression on the women which relied heavily on infusions of Ketamine, an anesthetic that can induce a trance-like state, memory loss and hallucinations.
The Globe cited one expert who said it appeared Ablow was using Ketamine in conjunction with talk therapy to gain control over a third patient, a woman from Ohio. “The patient appears to have become very dependent on this medication and dependent on Dr. Ablow to supply it,” wrote chairman of the psychiatry department at Columbia University’s Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons Jeffrey Lieberman in an expert testimony filed with the lawsuits.
Lexington psychoanalyst, Andrea Celenza, who was hired by the plaintiffs as an expert witness, said that Ablow’s behavior in the case of one of the women “was sadomasochistic, anti-therapeutic, and constitutes a perverse use of his status and power,” she wrote in a letter filed with the lawsuits.
Persuaded by Albow, each of the three women moved away from their home state to be closer to the doctor’s office. The Ohio woman, in her affidavit, said he offered discounts for the Ketamine infusions and promised to arrange job interviews if she agreed to relocate.
Three women who worked for Albow also wrote affidavits that were included in the lawsuits. The affidavits said that Ablow often came off as threatening and would display his handgun or give subtle hints that he would take action if they provided anyone with negative information about his practice.
“Dr. Ablow has been a respected and highly regarded psychiatrist who has for decades helped countless patients,” Ablow’s attorney A. Bernard Guekguezian told The Globe. “He denies any and all allegations of improper behavior or substandard care in their entirety.”
17 Pop Stars Who Transitioned Into Movies, From Cher to Lady Gaga (Photos)
Scroll through for TheWrap's look at pop stars who have made the leap to film.
Frank Sinatra
Sinatra became an icon for his music, but his career was far from limited to singing. He won an Oscar for his performance in "From Here to Eternity" and has dozens more film acting credits.
MGM
David Bowie
David Bowie was undoubtedly one of the world's biggest rock stars, but he also had a wide-ranging acting career. From eclectic films like "The Man Who Fell to Earth" to more serious movies like the World War II drama "Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence," Bowie showed his acting chops. He had a strange and unforgettable cameo in David Lynch's "Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me" and also starred in Jim Henson's 1986 family fantasy "Labyrinth."
Universal
Cher
The pop icon started her music career as half of Sonny and Cher in the 1960s. The two starred in "The Sonny and Cher Comedy Hour" in the '70s, and then Cher broke into a solo music career before pursuing acting in the '80s. It was a good career move. She was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her work in "Silkwood" and won the award for Best Actress for her role in "Moonstruck."
MGM
Madonna
The pop icon acted in several movies throughout the '80s, '90s and '00s, and even moved into directing. She was quite good in "A League of Their Own," but she also starred in "Swept Away," which won Madonna and the picture Worst Actress of the Decade and Worst Movie of the Decade at the 2010 Razzie Awards. Another stinker that helped land her low on our list: the widely panned 1993 psycho-sexual thriller "Body of Evidence."
Columbia Pictures
Will Smith
Smith started his hip-hop career as part of the duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince. He starred on the sitcom "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" for six seasons before becoming a box office titan in titles like "Men in Black" and "I Am Legend." And -- oh, yeah -- he's been nominated for two Oscars.
Getty
Mark Wahlberg
Marky Mark ditched that moniker after his TV movie debut in "The Substitute" in 1993, which helped him pivot onto the big screen with roles in films ranging from the iconic "Boogie Nights" to "Transformers: The Last Knight." And yes, he's got two Oscar nods under his belt to boot.
Paramount Pictures
Jennifer Lopez
Jenny from the block has made herself known as a triple threat. She starred as the late iconic Tejano singer in "Selena" in 1997, and since has gathered several movie and TV credits, including for the critical hit "Out of Sight," opposite George Clooney.
Born Dana Elaine Owens, Queen Latifah broke onto the music scene in 1988 with her single "Wrath of My Madness." Later, her single "U.N.I.T.Y." earned her her first Grammy. Latifah broke into acting in the 1990s, and her performance in 2002's "Chicago" snagged her an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
Miramax
Britney Spears
The princess of pop's foray into acting was short lived -- for good reason. Her 2002 movie "Crossroads" won her Worst Actress at the Razzie Awards. It was enough to take her off any path to silver screen success.
The former NSync singer has continued his solo music career in tandem with several movie projects. Timberlake was recently nominated for best original song at the Oscars for "Can't Stop the Feeling" in "Trolls" -- for which he also voiced a lead character. He's done comedy -- as in "Friends With Benefits" with Mila Kunis -- and drama, as in "Inside Llewyn Davis." But his best film role is arguably as Silicon Valley bad boy Sean Parker in 2010's Oscar winning biopic "The Social Network."
Sony Pictures
Mandy Moore
Moore's breakout movie might be "A Walk to Remember," but she's also starred in rom-coms like "Chasing Liberty" and "Because I Said So." She is the voice of Rapunzel in Disney's "Tangled," and has been nominated for Golden Globe and Teen Choice awards. She currently stars on NBC's "This Is Us."
Warner Bros.
Jennifer Hudson
Hudson starred in her very first film with Beyonce Knowles in "Dreamgirls" as Effie White. The performance landed the "American Idol" alum an Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, launching her multi-hyphenate acting and singing career.
Kravitz has several acting credits, from comedies like "Zoolander" to dramas like "Precious" and "The Butler" -- to pop culture sensations like "The Hunger Games."
Lionsgate
Beyoncé Knowles
In spite of the fact that she largely sticks to music, Queen Bey's transition from the recording studio to the movie studio hasn't been too shabby: She made her movie debut in "Austin Powers Goldmember" as Foxxy Cleopatra. In 2006, she starred as Deena Jones in "Dreamgirls," for which she nominated for Best Original Song at the Golden Globes.
Paramount
Ludacris
Chris Bridges, a.k.a. Ludacris, joined the "Fast and Furious" franchise in 2003 as Tej Parker after already establishing himself as one of the most popular hip-hop artists of the early 2000s.
Universal
Harry Styles
The former One Direction band member is one of the desperate British troops stuck on "the mole" in Christopher Nolan's new World War II movie "Dunkirk," an Oscar nominee for Best Picture. Styles does a great job, but one movie makes it hard to judge his future acting success.
WB
Lady Gaga
The pop singer (born Stefani Germanotta) made a splash with her film debut, Bradley Cooper's remake of "A Star Is Born," earning an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. But was it really such a stretch to play a rising-star singer?
1 of 18
These singers have moved from music to movies with varied levels of success
Scroll through for TheWrap's look at pop stars who have made the leap to film.