Suncoast Woman Files Lawsuit Against Nursing Home After Her Mother Is Sexually Abused
A Suncoast woman has filed a personal injury lawsuit on behalf of her mother, who suffers from dementia after she says that the 85-year-old woman was sexually assaulted at a local nursing home. The woman has been working with state legislators to secure the right for families to put cameras in their loved one’s rooms. According to the civil lawsuit filed against the Bradenton healthcare facility, the plaintiff alleges that while her mother was staging there, she suffered multiple unwitnessed and unexplained injuries that were suggestive of sexual assault.
The lawsuit alleges that the nursing home attempted to explain away the bruises as a self-reported fall. The lawsuit also alleges that the nursing home delayed giving the proper care to the 85-year-old resident which resulted in the loss of evidence surrounding the alleged assault. Further, because the mother suffers from dementia, she didn’t remember the assault.
According to the plaintiff, she lobbied the nursing home to allow her to install cameras in her mother’s room but the nursing home refused to allow it. She is joining a push to allow loved ones to place cameras in their loved one’s rooms to prevent potential sexual assaults from occurring.
Allegations against the nursing home in the lawsuit
The lawsuit claims that the nursing home owed the 85-year-old victim a duty of care to properly hire, train, and supervise their staff. The lawsuit says that the defendant failed to act after it became apparent that the plaintiff was sexually assaulted. The lawsuit makes reference to “multiple unwitnessed and unexplained injuries.” Those injuries include:
- Severe bruising to the perineum and mons pubis
- Internal trauma found during a pelvic exam
- Bruising, swelling, and hematomas to her right temple, right forearm, right ring finger, left thumb, right knee, right inner groin area, and right labia
The lawsuit alleges that these injuries were a direct result of the defendant’s failure to maintain a safe environment and provide adequate supervision over the staff.
The injuries certainly are indicative of sexual trauma. A fall wouldn’t necessarily explain why there was so much trauma to the genital areas of the patient.
Sexual abuse lawsuits
The nursing home is liable when one of its staff members (or another patient) attacks and sexually assaults a resident. Companies are vicariously liable for the conduct of their employees, so when an employee commits a sexual assault, the nursing home is automatically liable.
When it comes to another patient, however, the plaintiff would need to establish that the threat to other patients was foreseeable and that the nursing home failed to do its job adequately supervising the patients.
Talk to a Jacksonville, FL Nursing Home Abuse Attorney Today
Gillette Law represents the interests of patients and their loved ones who are filing nursing home abuse lawsuits against negligent nursing homes. Call our Jacksonville personal injury lawyers today to schedule an appointment, and we can begin preparing your lawsuit right away.
Source:
mysuncoast.com/2024/01/30/lawsuit-filed-against-suncoast-nursing-home/
