Danielle Husband
Earlier this month, parents of two unrelated teen girls reportedly filed a lawsuit describing details of their daughters’ alleged rape while they received treatment as patients at Kingwood Pines Hospital.
Videos by Rare
Universal Health Services, the hospital’s parent company, is also named in the suit, records show.
Both teens, ages 13 and 16 at the time, reportedly received care as roommates at the hospital’s psychiatric facility, located at 2001 Ladbrook Drive, with the alleged assault occurring on October 26, 2015.
RELATED: Activist claims Houston is home to “more brothels than Starbucks”
While checked in, the two teen girls said two older male patients entered their room, then assaulting them.
According to one teens’ father, the facility performed a rape kit on his 13-year-old daughter, but did not pursue charges.
He said his daughter, who suffered from depression and suicidal tendencies, showed a noticeable difference in behavior when he first saw her after the rape.
When she would not explain herself, he spoke to a nurse:
“[The nurse] pulled him aside and told him in a low tone she had alleged she was raped by two patients,” one of the parents, who each requested anonymity for their daughters, said in an interview Eyewitness News.
Among other charges, the parents further claim employees at the hospital acted negligently in protecting their daughters from other patients, resulting in rapes with lasting impacts.
In the complaint, the Plaintiffs are seeking between $200,000 and $1 million in damages and requested a jury trial.
They also said they want to make sure this never happens again.
RELATED: Police say homeless man sleeping outside bar stopped burglary
In response to the lawsuit, Kingwood Pines Hospital released the following statement:
Kingwood Pines Hospital denies the allegations of negligence and intends to defend this case vigorously. Due to the pendency of litigation and patient confidentiality requirements, we cannot comment further at this time but look forward to defending this case in court.
Like all behavioral health facilities, Kingwood is highly regulated. Federal and state agencies and independent accreditors regularly conduct unannounced onsite inspections to ensure compliance with applicable laws and regulations. We fully cooperate and view all oversight activities as an opportunity to enhance our operations. The vast majority of Kingwood inspections result in findings of substantial compliance with all conditions of participation and licensure requirements. When regulators identify deficiencies, no matter how minor, we respond quickly to make the proper adjustments with the goal of sustained compliance. Kingwood is proud of our record of collaboration with all relevant regulatory authorities to ensure that patients receive the high quality care they deserve.
Over the course of many years, Kingwood’s dedicated and compassionate clinicians have successfully provided care to tens of thousands of patients, enabling them to live happier, healthier and more productive lives. Our most sacred responsibility is and always will be the well-being of our patients. We are committed to our mission of providing high quality treatment programs and services to patients with serious and complex mental health needs who often come to Kingwood during some of the most difficult periods of their lives.
2 minors sexually assaulted at Kingwood Pines Hospital during psychiatric evaluation, lawsuit says https://t.co/EoKk5aLrbA #kprc2 pic.twitter.com/SMuTUzT2yw
— KPRC 2 Houston (@KPRC2) January 19, 2018
