Medical Kidnapping Allegations: Whistleblower Pediatrician Says University of Minnesota Pushed Child Abuse Diagnoses for Profit
A federal lawsuit filed by a longtime pediatrician is exposing what many families describe as medical kidnapping — cases where disputed medical opinions trigger Child Protective Services (CPS) investigations, child removals, and family separation.
The case raises urgent questions about false allegations of abuse by CPS, hospital-driven referrals, and whether financial incentives influence how child abuse diagnoses are made.
At the center of the lawsuit is University of Minnesota, where pediatrician Dr. Bazak Sharon worked for 17 years before being terminated in 2023.
According to the complaint, Sharon says he was fired not for misconduct, but for refusing to participate in what he describes as a systemic effort to inflate child abuse diagnoses to secure grant funding, institutional prestige, and expanded prosecutorial involvement.
Whistleblower Claims: Inflated Child Abuse Diagnoses and Silenced Medical Dissent
In his federal lawsuit, Sharon alleges that senior officials and child abuse specialists retaliated against him after he questioned whether certain pediatric injuries were being misclassified as abuse instead of medical conditions or accidents.
The complaint outlines policies Sharon says were routinely used, including:
Forced transfers of infants to forensic child abuse pediatricians not trained to treat the child’s underlying condition
Discouraging alternative medical explanations once abuse was suspected
Selective interpretation or manipulation of medical evidence
Removing dissenting physicians from care teams when their opinions conflicted with abuse narratives
In one pivotal case, Sharon says he questioned whether a 3-month-old infant’s head trauma could have non-abusive causes. Instead of engaging in medical debate, he alleges he was removed from the child’s care team altogether.
For families, this moment is critical: once “suspected abuse” enters a medical record, the pathway to CPS intervention and child removal often becomes automatic.
Medical Kidnapping and the Money Trail: Grants Tied to Child Abuse Case Volume
A central allegation in the lawsuit involves a $23 million child abuse grant created in 2015. According to Sharon, portions of the funding distributed to Minnesota counties are tied to the number of open child abuse cases.
Sharon alleges that after a key child abuse specialist joined the university, reported physical abuse cases in Hennepin County increased by more than 200% compared to prior years.
If funding increases with case volume, the incentive structure becomes dangerous:
More abuse diagnoses
More CPS investigations
More removals
More funding
In this model, families — not institutions — bear the consequences when diagnoses are wrong.
How Hospitals Trigger CPS and Medical Kidnapping Cases
Although the lawsuit focuses on university practices, its implications directly affect Child Protective Services cases nationwide.
When a hospital or physician labels an injury as “suspected abuse”:
CPS investigations are often triggered immediately
Children may be removed before parents can challenge the diagnosis
Parents may face criminal charges, dependency court, or both
Alternative medical explanations may be ignored once abuse is documented
Families consistently report that once CPS becomes involved, the initial medical opinion becomes untouchable, even when later evidence contradicts it. Judges and caseworkers often defer to hospital-affiliated specialists, especially those tied to prestigious institutions.
This is how many parents describe medical kidnapping: children removed not by court findings, but by disputed medical determinations treated as fact.
Retaliation Against Whistleblowers: Career Destruction as a Warning
After continuing to raise concerns internally, Sharon says university leadership escalated disciplinary actions and ultimately fired him in June 2023.
He further alleges that false claims of sexual misconduct were later circulated — despite not appearing in his termination letter — allegedly to discredit him and prevent his testimony in related federal cases.
Since his termination, Sharon says he has been unable to secure stable employment in the Twin Cities and has been forced into temporary work across the country.
His attorney describes the outcome bluntly: a physician who challenged institutional practices lost his career.
Why This Case Matters for Families Facing False CPS Abuse Allegations
This lawsuit is not an isolated employment dispute. According to Sharon’s attorney, it is the third federal lawsuit raising similar concerns.
If evidence uncovered through litigation supports these allegations, the implications are severe:
Medical opinions used to justify CPS removals may be financially incentivized
False allegations of abuse by CPS may originate in disputed hospital diagnoses
Parents may lose children based on institutional pressure rather than clear evidence
Doctors who question abuse narratives risk professional exile
For families already navigating CPS investigations, this case validates a painful reality: once labeled, it is extraordinarily difficult to be heard.
A Call for Accountability in Medical and CPS-Driven Child Removals
The University of Minnesota has stated it will review the complaint but declined further comment due to ongoing litigation.
For families affected by questionable abuse allegations, silence is not enough.
This case highlights the urgent need for:
Independent medical review in child abuse allegations
Transparency in grant-driven child welfare funding
Legal protections for whistleblower physicians
Judicial skepticism when medical diagnoses trigger CPS removals
When institutions benefit financially or reputationally from accusations, the risk of wrongful family separation increases — and children and parents pay the price.
