A King County doctor pleaded guilty to assaulting a minor. He may be allowed to practice medicine again

Content warning: This story contains references to the sexual abuse of a minor and references suicide.

A Bellevue doctor found guilty last year of molesting a minor could be eligible to practice medicine again in the future, a judge has ruled.

That's despite state officials' recommendation that his license be revoked permanently.

Lu Gao's medical license has been suspended since December 2022, after state officials with the Department of Health learned about allegations that he had sexually assault a minor over the course of four years.

Gao pleaded guilty to assault "with sexual motivation" in February 2024.

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During a hearing before a health law judge on Feb. 12 this year, Gao requested that his license be suspended rather than revoked, giving him an opportunity to apply for reinstatement in the future. According to documents in the case, he argued "his criminal matters are entirely separate from his professional conduct as a physician, and he has never received a complaint from a patient." Gao asked for an opportunity to "reflect, rehabilitate, and demonstrate his commitment to personal and professional growth."

And he'll have that opportunity.

Health Law Judge Susan Kavanaugh, who heard arguments in a sanctions hearing for the doctor, ordered Gao's license suspended for another eight years, at which point he may apply for reinstatement.

"There is insufficient evidence to find that [Gao] can never be rehabilitated or can never regain the ability to practice safely," Kavanaugh wrote in her order.

In 2022, another health law judge, Matthew F. Wareham, seemed to disagree.

"[Gao] repeatedly violated the trust of the minor who relied on his protection by engaging in sexual conduct with her to her detriment," Wareham wrote. "His conduct shows that he is unable to control his deviant sexual desires."

Wareham determined state officials had brought enough evidence to summarily suspend Gao's medical license. A "summary suspension" is an emergency action that keeps a doctor from practicing pending the final outcome of an investigation.

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Though Kavanaugh determined Gao could be rehabilitated when she heard the case in February, she did find "the totality of the evidence combined with the aggravating factors warrant a lengthy suspension followed by a significant period of probation with conditions to ensure public safety."

To that end, Kavanaugh set several conditions Gao must meet before applying for reinstatement, including but not limited to the following:

• He must undergo a psycho-sexual within 90 days of his request to be reinstated.
• He must attend and pass an ethics programs through the Center for Personalized Education for Physicians.
• If his license is reinstated, he will be placed on probation for at least five years.
• During that probationary period, Gao will be required to disclose the judge's order to every patient before or at their first appointment with him. Patients will have to sign off on this disclosure to prove they gave informed consent.
• And if his license is reinstated, Gao will be prohibited from treating minors until he is approved to do so.

Gao's attorney declined to comment on the judge's order or the case more broadly.

In deciding Gao could eventually apply to practice again, Kavanaugh noted the doctor had no prior history of misconduct.

In her order, Kavanaugh also wrote, "When asked what he has done since his conviction to rehabilitate himself, [Gao] testified that he has read a lot of literature and done searches on what programs he should attend and what community service he should participate in. [Gao] further testified that he was on house arrest for approximately one and a half years. Notably, [Gao] did not dispute any allegations in the Victim's impact statement."

Kavanaugh noted Gao "expressed deep regret for his actions." But in her order, she wrote that the victim, referred to as Party A, said Gao "has not shown remorse for his actions."

Gao was confronted about assaulting Party A prior to being charged. The Bellevue Police Department obtained messages between Gao and the person who confronted him, in which Gao wrote, "What happened in the past can't be changed." He also wrote, "The more we bring it up the more people will get involved," and "I'm very respectful to her now."

In her impact statement, Party A said she attempted suicide multiple times throughout her teen years, when the abuse occurred.

And like state officials who investigated the case, Party A recommended that Gao lose his license to practice.

A spokesperson for the Department of Health told KUOW they respect the judge's decision: "The Health Law Judge reviewed the facts and made a legal determination that a period of suspension was the appropriate sanction. ... Following the period of suspension, there are steps for Gao to follow to request reinstatement."

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Read the statement of charges against Gao here:

Correction notice, Tuesday, 6/10/2025 at 3:23 p.m.: A previous version of this story included a statement from the Department of Health that said the Washington Medical Commission would review any request for reinstatement from Gao. On Tuesday, a representative from the WMC and another DOH representative said that was incorrect; the Department of Health would handle a request for reinstatement in this case.