FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. – The ‘Hockey Doc’ from Farmington Hills was in court Tuesday as former players testified for the first time.
Zvi Levran, a urologist who worked with various youth hockey organizations, was charged with more than 30 counts of sexual abuse.
During a preliminary exam Tuesday (April 11), three accusers took the stand claiming they went to Levran for medical reasons, resulting in sexual misconduct.
The former players interacted with Levran through different hockey teams in the Metro Detroit area.
All three alleged victims said they met Levran through youth hockey programs but weren’t sexually abused by him until they sought medical treatment from him as an adult.
The witnesses all expressed feelings of shock and betrayal, saying they trusted Levran as a medical professional and hockey mentor.
“I didn’t get confrontational with him,” said one witness. “I trusted him.”
The three accusers that testified Tuesday were all men in their 20s and 30s hailing from the Metro Detroit area.
The men accused Levran of engaging in sexual misconduct; the allegations included unnecessary prostate exams, massaging their genital areas, and watching or touching them while urinating.
One of the men said he attended naked yoga sessions at Levran’s house in 2021. He said the sessions crossed a line when Levran tried engaging in oral sex during a massage at the end of the session.
The witnesses also talked about why they came forward years later.
“I want to make sure people understand my story, and I know it’s the right thing to do,” said another witness.
Another witness said he never imagined it was happening to others until he saw a targeted ad from a Minnesota law firm on Instagram looking for people treated by Levran.
“I saw there was a pattern here and decided I was going to come forward,” the witness said.
An expert witness was called to testify Tuesday afternoon.
Dr. Ganesh Palapattu, the chair of the urology department at the University of Michigan, told the court Levran was giving unnecessary and incorrect rectal exams and was acting unethically in several other ways.
“It’s unethical and unacceptable,” said Palapattu.
Palapattu said he based his opinions on the Farmington Hills police reports taken for the case.
The preliminary examination with more witness testimony will continue Wednesday in 47th District Court.
More: Farmington Hills ‘hockey doc’ license suspended after being charged with 31 counts of sexual abuse
