A Maryland woman who was sexually abused as a child by her mother's boyfriend suffered for years because her doctors failed to report signs of abuse to authorities, her attorney alleged today in a civil malpractice trial.

The woman, Christine Ann Bentley, 22, is seeking monetary damages from a prominent Emmitsburg, Md., physician and the estate of his deceased partner, alleging that the symptoms she displayed, which led them to test her for gonorrhea when she was 4, should have prompted them to notify social workers and law enforcement officials.

Bentley's mother and boyfriend were convicted in 1991 on charges stemming from the sexual abuse. Although The Washington Post has a general policy of not identifying victims of sexual abuse, Bentley said she does not object to the use of her name.