A former Children’s Hospital pediatrician accused Monday of molesting an 8-year-old patient in the 1980s has stopped seeing patients at the University Of North Carolina School Of Medicine, where he has taught for more than 20 years, UNC officials said Thursday.

According to a civil lawsuit filed in Suffolk Superior Court by Boston attorney Carmen Durso, Dr. Melvin D. Levine, “sexually assaulted, battered and abused” the plaintiff, identified in court papers as John Doe No. 5, during psychotherapy sessions at the hospital from 1980 and 1985, starting when the boy was 8.

"Levine, during his treatment sessions, under the guise of performing repeated but unnecessary physical examinations, sexually assaulted John No. 5, including numerous acts of genital fondling, masturbation, and other attempted and threatened acts of assault," the lawsuit said.

The lawsuit also accuses Levine of having the same attitude towards six more boys who came to him for treatment in the 80s.

Following these accusations, “Dr. Levine has volunteered to stop seeing patients at UNC, at least until the lawsuits are resolved,” Tom Hughes, a representative for the University of North Carolina School of Medicine said quoted by the Boston Globe.

Levine denied the accusations. His lawyer, Edward Mahoney previously said his client “has provided pediatric care to more than 15,000 children over 40 years and categorically denies that he has ever been abusive in any way toward any patient. He adamantly denies these claims. Dr. Levine is distressed about the distorted or misinterpreted memories from decades past and questions the motivations.”

Also, Children’s Hospital issued a statement saying it had never “had any complaint from any patient or parent of any patient suggesting inappropriate conduct of any nature by Dr. Levine.

Dr. Levine, now 68, is the author of at least six books, including “A Mind At A Time,” a New York Bestseller, for which, he appeared on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.” He also helped found All Kinds of Minds, a nonprofit institute that studies learning.