Elder Law

Nursing Home Lawsuit Alleges Sexual Abuse at Chateau Village

By Levin & Perconti

A nursing home abuse lawsuit has been filed in Cook County Circuit Court against a Willowbrook nursing home. According to The Doings Weekly the lawsuit alleges that the nursing home had failed to protect one of their residents from being sexually assaulted by another resident last May. The nursing home lawsuit is seeking more than $50,000 actual damages and $1 million in punitive damages for the nursing home negligence.

The lawsuit was filed by the victim?s mother and states that the victim was sexually assaulted by a fellow resident of Chateau Village Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in the town of Willowbrook. The resident aggressor was admitted into the nursing home despite an objection from staff. One staff member believed that the nursing home could not properly care for the aggressor due to his history of propositioning people for sexual favors. Even though this appears to be a valid concern, the man was admitted into the hospital in May of 2009. The lawsuit claims that Chateau Village is guilty of ?neglect and willful and wanton conduct.?

The nursing home is also facing a lawsuit from the employee who warned about the aggressor?s behavior. She has filed a lawsuit stating that she was fired after she told authorities that the man accused of the sexual assault was admitted to Chateau Village even after she had determined he was not a suitable resident. The woman died a few months after the sexual assault. Sexual assaults by fellow residents are becoming all too commonplace at nursing homes in Illinois. Staff members have a duty to protect residents from this type of nursing home abuse. To read more about the specific nursing home lawsuit, please click the link.

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on April 06, 2010 (boomark / email).