WATSONVILLE, Calif. – A Watsonville Community Hospital emergency room security guard sexually assaulted a 14-year-old patient who had been involuntarily admitted to the hospital, according to a lawsuit filed in federal court Monday.
The lawsuit seeks punitive damages from the security guard, Alberto Martinez Maldonado, the security firm that employed him, Security Code 3 Inc., and the Watsonville Community Hospital, The Raw Story reports.
The plaintiff, referred to as “E.G.” was admitted for a 24-hour hold at Watsonville Community Hospital’s emergency room in May 2013 because of suicidal thoughts. The lawsuit claims that three doctors learned that the girl had a history of psychiatric illness with auditory hallucinations. Additionally, it claims that the physicians were aware that she planned to have sex with an 18-year-old man.
Despite knowing that E.G. was at risk to have sex with male staff members, doctors left E.G. in a room with Maldonado, 23, for an hour and a half. During that time period, the two kissed, which led to the security guard performing oral sex on the teenager without her consent. In the suit, E.G. claims she did not feel she was free to leave the room during the incident, Courthouse News Service reports.
Before going off duty, Maldonado gave the victim his cell phone number. Within the next 15 days, the two exchanged text messages and arranged to meet at the hospital. The two went to his car in the parking lot and engaged in sexual intercourse and oral sex. Maldonado then drove E.G. back to her middle school, according to the complaint.
Maldonado was eventually charged with nine felony counts and pleaded no-contest to three of them, including oral copulation on a person under 16, unlawful sexual intercourse with a person under 16 and meeting a minor for lewd purposes. He is currently serving a three-year prison sentence.
E.G. wants the hospital and the doctor to be held liable for leaving her alone with male members of the staff. Additionally, she believes Security Code 3 did not properly train its security staff to monitor and supervise mental patients.
