HARLEM — A "vicious" employee at Harlem Hospital that staff knew was a danger to patients sexually assaulted a female patient after officials failed to act, a new lawsuit claims.
The Bronx woman, who DNAinfo New York is not naming to protect her identity, said she was a patient at the 506 Lenox Ave. hospital from March 8 to March 12, 2016, according to the suit filed Wednesday in state Supreme Court.
On March 12, while under the care of hospital staff, the worker sexually assaulted her, causing physical and emotional injuries, the suit said.
The suit claims the hospital knew the unnamed employee had “vicious propensities” and a “bad disposition” and “permitted” the assault by not firing the employee prior to the assault.
The hospital had "prior notice or knowledge that the employee who committed the sexual assault on the plaintiff was a danger to the plaintiff and other patients in the facility yet failed to timely act to supervise, restrain or control the employee and thereby caused or permitted this sexual assault to occur,” the suit notes.
The hospital, which is part of the city-run NYC Health + Hospitals network, also had “substandard and negligent” supervision and safety protocols, failed to use “reasonable care” and was therefore “negligent and careless,” the suit continues.
The nature of the attack and the employee's job at the hospital were not included in the suit.
The victim suffered psychosocial, physical and emotional injuries, prompting her to pay for a number of treatments, the suit adds.
The victim’s lawyer is seeking an undisclosed monetary judgment.
A lawyer for the victim did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
“We will review the lawsuit once we are served,” said a spokesman for the Law Department, speaking on behalf of the hospital.
