MISSOULA — Tyler Hurst, a former Missoula emergency room doctor accused of sexually assaulting multiple patients, appeared in District Court on Thursday. At the status conference, the prosecution and defense gave an update on the case as they prepare for trial, set tentatively for next February.

Hurst faces charges of four counts of felony sexual intercourse without consent and three counts of sexual assault. He previously pled not guilty to all charges.

He was charged after multiple women came forward, saying that Hurst raped or sexually assaulted them while they were patients at Community Medical Center. Hurst is accused of sexually assaulting at least 15 patients in the emergency room, where he was a contracted physician, between 2017 and late 2023.

At Thursday’s hearing, the court talked about defense plans to request information about potential witnesses and alleged victims. Judge Shane Vannatta approved defense plans for subpoenas and agreed with a prosecution request to keep some of the accusers’ sensitive information, like addresses, away from Hurst himself.

Hurst appeared via zoom with his camera off. Judge Vannatta previously granted this request from the defense to keep his face hidden because the case has received a lot of attention.

The string of alleged assaults appeared earlier this year in an U.S. Senate report. The investigation looked into the impacts of private equity-backed hospitals on the U.S. healthcare system and on patient care. The report mentions the alleged sexual assaults by Hurst at Community Medical Center and a separate set of allegations against a care provider at a hospital in Iowa, co-owned by the same group.

MTN will continue to follow this case as it develops.