A mental health clinic in Las Cruces is under fire now that a lawsuit alleges a teen patient was sexually abused while attending court-ordered counseling sessions.
The plaintiff in the case, an unnamed New Mexico resident, was 14 or 15 when the alleged assaults occurred between 2005 and 2006. According to the case, the teen was released from jail on the condition that he receive behavioral health treatment at Mesilla Valley Hospital in Las Cruces.
The therapy counseling reportedly started out “normal,” but the counselor or psychotherapist assigned to provide the sessions soon began making lewd comments that escalated to outright sexual assault. According to the complaint, the counselor told the victim that if he ever exposed the abuse, he would be sent back to jail and his family would be harmed.
The lawsuit doesn’t name the counselor accused of the abuse or specify whether they were an employee or “agent” of the hospital. The plaintiff expects the name to be determined during the legal discovery process.
The lawsuit alleges that inadequate supervision, poor decision-making and unsafe practices at Mesilla Valley allowed the assault to happen. It accuses the hospital of systemic problems in staffing, training and oversight. It also claims that the hospital lacked sufficient policies to prevent harm and failed to monitor employees and ensure patient safety. The plaintiff contends that the hospital breached its duty to provide safe and competent care.
The complaint also includes a claim of corporate negligence, which focuses on the institution’s broader responsibilities for patient safety, such as establishing and enforcing protocols, maintaining adequate staffing levels and ensuring that care meets professional standards.
According to the complaint, Universal Health Services (UHS)—a for-profit corporation out of Pennsylvania that operates hospitals across the U.S.—and its subsidiaries are “no strangers to allegations of sexual abuse.” The lawsuit cites a previous case against the company involving the abuse of more than 100 former patients at a Chicago UHS hospital. That case involved victims as young as 8 years old.
The plaintiffs’ lawyers wrote that the company is known for putting profits above patient safety, claiming that it intentionally understaffs its hospitals and hires unqualified staff to maximize profits. The plaintiff asserts that the harm suffered from the abuse was a direct result of the hospital’s hiring practices and that the resulting emotional and physical injuries have had lasting consequences.
The court will determine whether the defendants are liable for the allegations. If successful, the plaintiff could be awarded financial compensation for injuries and losses. Mesilla Valley and UHS will have the opportunity to respond to the allegations and present their defense as the case proceeds.