RESEDA : Dentist to Be Tried in Sexual Assault

A Reseda dentist charged with five sexual assault counts was ordered to stand trial after one woman testified Friday that the doctor put his hand under her shirt and in her pants.

Following a preliminary hearing, Municipal Judge Michael E. Knight ordered Dr. Kamal Matian, 46, to appear in Superior Court for arraignment April 30. Until then, Matian will remain free on $60,000 bail.

The woman testified that she went to Matian’s office in the 18700 block of Sherman Way in February, 1992, for treatment of a severe toothache. She said Matian brought her to an examination room without having her complete any paperwork or medical history.

After telling her that she needed a root canal, Matian made several “suggestive” comments about her looks before pressing up against her body, she testified.

Matian touched her breast and then placed one hand underneath her pants while his other arm held her down in the examination chair, she said.

A Los Angeles police detective testified that a female employee was attacked in a similar fashion Sept. 11.

Matian’s attorney, James Blatt, questioned the credibility of the woman who testified, noting that she contacted police nearly one year after the alleged attack and only after being treated at the home of another dentist involved in a financial dispute with Matian.