It is not only the patients in nursing homes who can be vulnerable. In some situations, the accusations of abuse are reversed, with nurses claiming that they suffered from abuse that patients directed at them. In one instance, a New Jersey nursing home is facing a lawsuit from a former nurse, as NJ.com reports.
A former nurse at the Majestic Rehabilitation and Nursing Center is suing the facility, saying they knowingly harbored a sexual predator and put employee and residents in danger.
The unnamed plaintiff alleges that in mid-January, she entered the room of Michael Boxley, a 58-year-old resident of the facility. Boxley has HIV and Hepatitis-C according to the lawsuit.
After the nurse had completed a blood sugar test by pricking Boxley’s finger, the patient then grabbed her crotch area, which caused blood to seep through her paper-thin scrubs.
The nurse later returned to Boxley’s room to administer an insulin shot and found him with his pants unzipped and his pubic area exposed. When the nurse tried to leave, he grabbed her arm and forced her hand to his exposed pubic area.
The nurse reported Boxley’s behavior to another nurse and the facility’s director of social services, who said that the incident could only be noted on Boxley’s record. She then reported the incident to a friend in the police department.
Boxley had been involved in similar incidents for over a year prior to the incident involving the plaintiff.
When police arrived, they arrested Boxley. Last month, he was indicted on charges of sexual contact and sexual assault.
Majestic released Boxley to the streets after receiving a letter from the attorney who filed the lawsuit.
Have you or a member of your family been abused or neglected while in the care of a nursing facility? Contact the law offices of Schenk Smith and let our experienced attorneys fight for you. Call us today.
