Catholic Assisted Living Facility Going To Trial For Allowing Sex Abuse Of Resident With Severe Dementia, Announced by Folawn Alterman & Richardson LLP

PORTLAND, Ore., July 29, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- St. Anthony Village, an assisted living facility located in southeast Portland and affiliated with the Roman Catholic Church, is going to trial next month in a multi-million dollar lawsuit alleging that the facility and its top two administrators knew that one of its vulnerable dementia patients was being sexually abused by a male resident and did nothing to stop it for over a year.  The estate for Jacqueline Marré is seeking over $1,000,000 in compensatory damages and $3,000,000 in punitive damages from St. Anthony Village Associates Limited Partnership, St. Anthony Management, LLC, Village Enterprises, Services for All Generations Enterprises, Inc., Karen Marshall (Administrator), and Jason Schaefer (Resident Services Coordinator).  The lawsuit contends that defendants committed statutory elder abuse and were negligent for failing to take measures to protect vulnerable residents from a sexually aggressive male resident despite previous documented incidents in which the male resident sexually molested Marré and other women.

According to the complaint filed by Portland attorneys Bonnie Richardson and Courtney Dippel with Folawn Alterman & Richardson LLP, Ms. Marré was an eighty-two year old woman with severe dementia who didn't know her children, day of the week or where she was at the time she came to live at St. Anthony.  After an investigation completed by Department of Human Services, Adult Protective Services in March 2011, APS determined that the male resident was a "sexual predator" who other female residents and staff members had complained about to St. Anthony's administration and who had been acting out sexually for years.  APS found that St. Anthony's administration had talked to the male resident and informed him to stay away from Ms. Marré, but did nothing to keep them separated.  APS further found that St. Anthony's administration knew that the male resident was forcing himself sexually on Ms. Marré, but never informed Ms. Marré's family of the incidents and that the facility administration tried to hide the sexual nature of the relationship from Ms. Marré's family.  APS further found that despite numerous inappropriate sexual incidents witnessed by staff members between Ms. Marré and the male resident, St. Anthony's did not complete the appropriate incident reports because St. Anthony's intended to cover up and hide the sexual nature of the relationship. 

APS found that St. Anthony failed to protect Ms. Marré and keep her safe.

Trial is scheduled to begin August 18, 2014 in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

Media Contacts:
Bonnie Richardson
(503) 227-2022
Courtney Dippel
(503) 546-4630

SOURCE Folawn Alterman & Richardson LLP