Olympia Personal Injury Lawyer - Assault Injuries

State Pays $2.5 Million for Rape of Mentally-Ill Woman

Chelsea Gilbert — Wed, 19 Sep 2007 08:00:23 GMT

A $2.5 million dollar settlement was reached on Tuesday to settle the claims of a mentally-ill woman who was raped while she was a patient at Eastern State Hospital in 2004.

$1.5 million of that settlement will go towards the victim's future care, an amount declared "reasonable" by Jerry Cartwright, the assistant attorney general who represented the state, considering the amount of care the woman requires.

The remaining $1 million will be split between her two attorneys.

The mentally-ill woman was raped by former employee of Eastern State Hospital, Guy M. Johnston, while she was a patient there. Johnston has since been convicted of the rape and is serving time in prison.

The conviction made challenging the victim's claims in court a potentially costly choice, said Jerry Cartwright.
"The risk of a large jury verdict against the state and the department is pretty apparent. The settlement and the amount, after all was said and done, seems to be a reasonable amount given what (the victim's) future care is going to be," he said.

Jim Stevenson, a spokesperson from the Department of Social and Health Services, the agency that runs the Eastern State Hospital, said "It was a regrettable incident...We don't want it to happen again, and we certainly hope we'll be able to prevent it from happening again."

However, when asked, Stevenson declined to say whether any of the hospital's policies had been changed or any new policies implemented as a result of the incident in question.

$45 Million Claim Filed Against State by Abused Foster Children

Ryan Nute — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 08:50:48 GMT

Enrique Fabregas had a criminal record and a list of unresolved sexual abuse complaints against him. Nevertheless, the State of Washington placed foster children in his home. The foster children have filed suit against the State for $45 million, arguing that Mr. Fabregas should not have been licensed.

The claimants allege Mr. Fabregas (currently in jail) subjected them to severe abuse. One of the documents filed by the claimants includes a document showing a number of allegations against Mr. Fabregas which were left blank. Mr. Fabregas received a license even though he reported he had never been convicted of a crime and the state determined he had a history of drug abuse and criminal activity.

Assault Injuries on the Rise

Staff Writer — Mon, 23 Oct 2006 10:51:42 GMT

The Seattle Police Department and other Washington law enforcement offices have recently reported a rise in crime and assaults. One only need to scan the headlines to discover the many disturbing reports of violence and assault that plague the news. The incident described below is a horrifying thought for anyone, much less a young mother with an infant child.

On September 30 an AP newswire reported the beating of a young Washington mother who was pulled from her car by teens and beaten as her 10 month old baby sat in the back seat. The victim was 23 years old and reportedly honked at a group of teens who were blocking the entrance of the apartment complex where her mother lived. Several of the teens pulled her from the car and beat her severely. She was later treated for multiple assault injuries at a local hospital.

Another headline out of Komo reports a road rage shooting by a carnival ride operator. The shooter pleaded "not guilty" in court. He is being charged with two counts of first-degree assault and two counts of drive-by shooting. Two victims received assault injuries in the shooting.

It's important to hold the perpetrators of these crimes accountable. If you've been seriously injured due to violence or an assault, please contact an attorney and inquire of your rights.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Staff Writer