Universal Health Services: Woman Files Rape Lawsuit Against UHS Bridgeway Psychiatric Hospital

September 13, 2019

A woman has sued a North Little Rock behavioral health hospital, saying another patient sexually assaulted her while she was receiving treatment there.

In a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Pulaski County Circuit Court, the woman claims that The BridgeWay failed in its duties of care related to patient safety.

Identified only as "Jane Doe," the woman was admitted to the hospital Aug. 13, 2018, for treatment for post-traumatic stress disorder and suicidal ideation related to a previous rape, according to the complaint.

On that day, she alleges in the lawsuit, Daetriaun Malike Jones, who also was receiving treatment at the facility, entered her room while she was sedated, removed her diaper and assaulted her.

Jones, 19, has been charged with rape and has been held in the Pulaski County jail since the date of the alleged offense, jail and court records show.

A hearing in the criminal case is set for Nov. 4.

In the four-page civil complaint filed this week, the woman's attorney, David Couch, wrote that the hospital exhibited "conscious and reckless disregard for the health and safety" of its patient.

As a result, the woman experienced "mental anguish, a loss of personal dignity, humiliation, fright and emotional distress," the filing says.

A spokesman for The BridgeWay said it does not typically comment on litigation.

The BridgeWay offers inpatient and outpatient mental-health services for children, adults and senior citizens, according to information on its website. It's licensed for 127 beds.

The psychiatric center is listed as one of four Arkansas facilities operated by Universal Health Services, a Pennsylvania company with more than 350 properties.

The company's other properties in the state are Springwoods Behavioral Health in Fayetteville, Pinnacle Pointe Hospital in Little Rock and Rivendell Behavioral Health Services in Benton.

A lawsuit filed last year concerned the latter facility, in which a woman died of a drug overdose in the apartment of a Rivendell nurse who had recently treated her.

That case was settled out of court and has been dismissed, according to an Arkansas Business report this week.

Source: “Rape accuser files suit, claims central Arkansas hospital at fault,” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, September 13, 2019. URL: https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2019/sep/13/rape-accuser-files-suit-claims-hospital-1/