Doctor accused of raping drunk woman pleads guilty to battery in exchange for non-prison penalty
WEST PALM BEACH — A Palm Beach Gardens podiatrist accused of raping a drunk woman and taking nude photos of her pleaded guilty to two counts of felony battery Tuesday. He will serve no time in prison.
Circuit Judge Cymonie Rowe sentenced Scott Strolla, 57, to one year in jail and seven years of probation in accordance with the plea deal. Assistant State Attorney Kristen Grimes agreed to drop one count of video voyeurism in exchange for his guilty plea.
While on probation, Strolla must undergo a psychosexual evaluation and treatment and adhere to a 10 p.m. curfew. He also is forbidden from traversing any nongovernmental buildings on Clematis Street in downtown West Palm Beach.
That's where prosecutors say he met a 23-year-old drunk woman on April 3, 2016, drove her to his home in suburban Palm Beach Gardens and had sex with her while she lay motionless in his bed.
The woman told jurors she eventually left Strolla's home under the guise of having called an Uber. She hid behind bushes in his gated community and sobbed as she told the 911 dispatcher she had been raped.
Strolla's conviction comes four years after a mistrial, admissions of juror misconduct and an overturned conviction thwarted prosecutors' first attempt to convict him of the charges.
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Misconduct, divided jury complicated outcome of doctor's 2019 trial
Strolla initially denied having sex with the woman or photographing her naked body but walked back the statements during his 2019 trial, contending that both the sex and photos were consensual. Cory Strolla, his brother and one-time defense attorney, argued the encounter was consensual and the woman made the assault up, fearing her boyfriend would find out.
“I wish I was videotaping so we would not be here,” the doctor testified.
The woman testified that she threw up at a Clematis Street bar on April 3, 2016, and couldn’t remember much until she woke up in Strolla’s bedroom. She said she felt immobilized as she watched Strolla take photos of her and assault her in his bed.
The woman told investigators she thought she was drugged because she felt “incapacitated,” though a toxicology report revealed there were no drugs in her system. Strolla said she did not tell him to stop or reject his advances at any point during their encounter.
Jurors convicted him of video voyeurism at the conclusion of the trial but could not agree on whether he was guilty of the two remaining sexual battery charges. Circuit Judge Daliah Weiss declared a mistrial, paving the way for a retrial on the two remaining charges.
An appellate court later overturned the video voyeurism conviction after a juror confessed to prosecutors that she had broken the rules and conducted independent research on fetal alcohol syndrome, a condition Strolla's victim suffered, during the trial.
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A different woman accused Strolla of sexually assaulting her in 2008, according to a Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office report. The woman said Strolla gave her a pill he said would prevent a hangover after an evening of drinking.
She told investigators that the next thing she remembered was waking up in "some state of paralysis," and Strolla taking photos of her naked body and assaulting her. When she questioned him, he said they did not have sex.
No criminal charges were filed. Prosecutors said there was not enough evidence.
Doctor's medical license unaffected by charge thus far
The podiatrist still had an active medical license and no disciplinary actions on his record as of Tuesday, according to the Florida Department of Health. He continued to see patients at his West Palm Beach-based office after his arrest and, according to a member of his staff, intends to continue treating patients once he completes his time in jail.
Marsha Hochman, a regulatory specialist with the health department, said Strolla must report the conviction to the Florida Board of Podiatric Medicine’s board within 30 days to comply with the board’s licensing requirements. If neither he nor anyone else reports the conviction, Hochman said it may never be looked into.
“If he’s smart, he’ll report it before anybody else does,” she said.
The two felony battery convictions would not trigger any immediate disciplinary action, Hochman said. Instead, investigators would look into the incident and decide what penalty it warrants, if any.
Strolla's defense attorneys Douglas Duncan and Tama Kudman declined to comment.
Here's who to contact if you need help
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, here are ways to seek help at the Palm Beach County Victim Services and Rape Crisis Center.
Helpline: 561-833-7273.
Toll-free: 866-891-7273.
What they do: Provide emergency services 24 hours a day/seven days a week. Advocates respond to the Butterfly House, hospitals and to law enforcement offices to assist victims of sexual assault.
Hannah Phillips is a journalist covering public safety and criminal justice at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at hphillips@pbpost.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Podiatrist accused of raping drunk woman convicted of felony battery
