A nurse practitioner who treated YouTube star Stevie Ryan before she killed herself has been accused of having a sexual relationship with her and telling her not to go to the hospital when she was suicidal.
Ryan, an actress and comedian who gained fame on YouTube with impersonations of celebrities, committed suicide in her Los Angeles home back in 2017 at the age of 33.
New details have now emerged about Ryan’s final few months due to legal proceedings being brought against the nursing practitioner, Gerald Baltz, that seek to revoke or suspend his licenses.
The California Board of Registered Nursing is behind the legal action against Baltz after accusing him of misconduct, gross negligence and incompetence in relation to his treatment of Ryan.
The nursing board filing, obtained by the LA Times, accuses Baltz of engaging in an improper relationship with Ryan while she was his patient for two years.
He has also been accused of engaging in a sexual relationship with her three months before her suicide when she was being treated by someone else but at the same facility where he worked.
Stevie Ryan committed suicide in her Los Angeles home back in 2017 at the age of 33. Gerald Baltz, a nurse practitioner who treated the YouTube star, has been accused of having a sexual relationship with her
Ryan had started seeing Baltz for treatment back in 2015 about a year after her sketch comedy TV show on VH1, ‘Stevie TV,’ was abruptly canceled.
In the two years that Baltz treated Ryan, he prescribed her a range of medications for depression, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, according to the filing.
During that time, he is accused of failing to get supervision for Ryan despite her being suicidal.
The filing includes texts that Ryan had sent her friends about Baltz, included one message where she said Baltz had told her not to go to the hospital.
‘Saw my doc. He said DO NOT go to the hospital,’ Ryan texted a friend.
‘He’s putting me on new meds AGAIN… But he is so hot… like FINE… I think I’m dating my doctor now.’
The filing suggests Baltz ended their practitioner-patient relationship after two years so they could start a relationship. According to text messages, that relationship appeared to last a few weeks.
Ryan had sent a text to a friend in April 2017 saying she had asked her ‘doc’ out and that he had agreed but he couldn’t treat her anymore.
He referred her to another doctor at the facility, Insight Choices, where he worked as a contractor, according to the filing.
In texts allegedly exchanged between the pair about the ethics of the relationship, Baltz wrote: ‘I’m a healer, it would be unethical for me… not you… I took an oath!!’
Another text read: ‘If I did anything to harm you it would not only be a d**k move but cause 10 years of school and work to disappear for me.’
Ryan, an actress and comedian who gained fame on YouTube with impersonations of celebrities, committed suicide in her Los Angeles home back in 2017 at the age of 33.
The California Board of Registered Nursing is behind the legal action against Baltz after accusing him of misconduct, gross negligence and incompetence in relation to his treatment of Ryan
Baltz denied sending the messages when questioned by a nursing board investigator. He also allegedly told Ryan to delete some of their exchanges.
As the relationship began to deteriorate in late April, Baltz allegedly texted Ryan: ‘I made a horrible error in judgement. You needed help and I worsened the situation.’
In a breakup text exchange that Ryan allegedly had with Baltz, of which she shared screenshots with a friend, he told her: ‘So you don’t want to date anymore? It’s okay I figured you might not be thinking clearly. That sucks I like you but if that’s what you’re saying I’ll leave you alone.’
A few days later, he allegedly wrote to her: ‘Listen I feel terrible about this whole thing. Most important thing is your mental health. This is exactly why I’m an idiot.’
Ryan continued undergoing treatment at the facility but eventually stopped because Baltz worked there, the filing says.
In an interview with the nursing board investigator after her death, Baltz acknowledged that he knew Ryan had been having suicidal thoughts.
The claims made in the filing are similar to ones made in a wrongful-death lawsuit that Ryan’s parents brought against Baltz in 2018.
That lawsuit included allegations they had engaged in a sexual relationship.
He settled the lawsuit for $200,000.
Baltz has four active nursing licenses in California, which permit him to provide psychiatric-mental health care. As a nursing practitioner, he is allowed to prescribe medicine.
He has multiple nursing degrees from Saint Louis University.
Baltz is still working as a psychiatric nursing practitioner, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Ryan had gained fame on YouTube – under the character name Little Loca – with impersonations of celebrities. Ryan went on to have a sketch comedy show on VH1 Stevie TV, which was later canceled, and co-hosted a relationship talk show with Brody Jenner (above)
Ryan’s father, Steve Ryan, said he wasn’t aware of his daughter’s relationship with Baltz prior to her suicide.
He said he is pushing for Baltz to be held accountable over the allegations given he is still treating others.
‘We know that she was vulnerable… and [Baltz] took an oath … to help and not harm. And I don’t think he helped at all,’ he said.
‘I don’t want to ruin somebody’s life. But … at least he’s got a life to ruin.’
Ryan had gained fame on YouTube – under the character name Little Loca – with impersonations of celebrities, including Justin Bieber, Kim Kardashian and Amy Winehouse.
She was quickly scooped up by Hollywood bosses.
Ryan went on to have a sketch comedy show on VH1 Stevie TV, which was later canceled, and co-hosted a relationship talk show with Brody Jenner.
In a previous interview discussing the responses she received for her videos, she said: ‘No matter who you are… You can be the most talented person in the world and you put anything on the Internet and all you’re going to get is hateful responses.
‘I didn’t know that at the time. I don’t think anyone knew that yet. I was like, ‘Oh hell no they didn’t! These b***hes do not know what they just asked for!’
‘So then I created Little Loca thinking, ‘I’m going to hand YouTube its a** right now.’ I created Little Loca and thought I’d just do it and freak people out.’
