Dayton Law Firm Files Suit Against Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Former Doctor Following Federal Child Pornography Charges

Dyer, Garofalo, Mann & Schultz filed a civil lawsuit Monday against Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center and former physician Dr. Howard Saal on behalf of 79 plaintiffs, including former patients who were minors when they were treated by Saal and their parents.
The lawsuit, filed in Hamilton County, alleges that Saal sexually abused patients under the guise of providing medical care and that Cincinnati Children’s failed in its obligations to protect patients under its care. The complaint asserts claims including child sexual abuse, invasion of privacy, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent hiring, negligent supervision, and failure to report child abuse.
The filing is the second civil lawsuit brought by Dyer, Garofalo, Mann & Schultz against Cincinnati Children’s and Saal. The firm previously filed suit on behalf of another former patient.
Saal worked at Cincinnati Children’s for more than 30 years as a geneticist and dysmorphologist.
In August 2025, federal authorities charged Saal with transporting and possessing child pornography. According to federal charging documents, the investigation began after a Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office detective assigned to the FBI’s Child Exploitation Task Force investigated a cyber tip concerning activity originating from Saal’s IP address.
Federal investigators subsequently reported identifying more than 153,000 images and 470 videos of child sexual abuse material on Saal’s electronic devices, including material depicting children as young as newborns.

The allegations made by the plaintiffs concerning Saal’s conduct toward his patients are separate from the federal criminal charges and are set forth in the civil complaint.
“These families placed an extraordinary degree of trust in Dr. Saal and Cincinnati Children’s during some of the most vulnerable moments of their children’s lives,” said Alex Mann, an attorney with Dyer, Garofalo, Mann & Schultz. “Our clients are seeking accountability for what they allege occurred and answers about how this conduct was permitted to happen.”
For additional information regarding the lawsuit, please contact Dyer, Garofalo, Mann & Schultz at the contact information above.