Lawsuit filed against CenterPointe Hospital alleges patient was sexually assaulted by another patient
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
A lawsuit filed in Boone County on Tuesday alleges that a patient at CenterPointe Hospital in Columbia was sexually assaulted by another patient last year.
The plaintiff, listed as a Jane Doe, sued CenterPoint Hospital in Columbia and its parent company Acadia Healthcare. The petition accuses the healthcare company of multiple counts of negligence, including supervision and failing to warn and protect the victim in the case.
The lawsuit alleges that the assaulting patient had prior sexual misconduct issues before they assaulted the victim on Aug. 14, 2024. The assaulting patient wasn’t named court documents because of a possible pending criminal case and possible additional identifying information for the victim could be revealed, court documents say.
The victim was transferred to University Hospital a day later for a sexual assault exam and MU Health Care providers allegedly asked why the victim wasn’t brought to the hospital on the day it occurred, the petition says.
Court documents allege that Acadia “should have known, based on prior reports of assault or abuse at its facilities, that guests, like Plaintiff, were at risk for harm when not properly supervised and/or if security was inadequate.” Documents cite a New York Times article detailing alleged assaults at other Acadia facilities.
ABC 17 News reached out to CenterPointe.
A filing from Acadia to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in September shows the federal prosecutor's office in Missouri requested information on the company's billing practices and patient stays.
