NOW.
NOW. >>>
NOW. >>> GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE.
THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US.
UP FIRST, BREAKING NEWS IN THE
HACIENDA HEALTHCARE RAPE CASE.
RIGHT NOW THE 12 NEWS I-TEAM IS
TRACKING EXPLOSIVE NEW
ALLEGATIONS FROM THE FAMILY OF
AN INCAPACITATED WOMAN WHO WAS
IMPREGNATED WHILE SHE WAS A
PATIENT AT HACIENDA HEALTHCARE.
>> IN A STORY YOU'LL ONLY SEE
HERE ON 12 NEWS, THE FAMILY IS
CLAIMING IN A PRECURSOR TO A
LAWSUIT THAT THEIR DAUGHTER WAS
REPEATEDLY RAPED BEFORE SHE GAVE
BIRTH LAST DECEMBER AND SHE MAY
HAVE BEEN PREGNANT BEFORE.
TEAM 12'S JOE DANA JOINS US LIVE
FROM THE ALERT CENTER WITH A
FIRST LOOK AT THESE REALLY
SICKENING ALLEGATIONS.
SICKENING ALLEGATIONS. >> YOU SAID IT, THIS IS A
60-PAGE COMPLAINT.
60-PAGE COMPLAINT. THE NEWS HAS DEVASTATED THIS
FAMILY.
FAMILY.
FAMILY. I
FAMILY. I SPOKE WITH THE ATTORNEY, JOHN
MICHAELS TODAY WHO TOLD ME THIS
MEDICAL REPORT SUGGESTING THAT
THEIR DAUGHTER GAVE BIRTH BEFORE
CAME AS JUST A COMPLETE SURPRISE
TO THEM.
TO THEM.
TO THEM. THEY REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT TO
MAKE OF IT.
THEY BELIEVE AT A MINIMUM SHE
WAS SEVERELY ABUSED OVER MANY
YEARS.
YEARS.
YEARS. NOW WE OBTAINED THAT NOTICE OF
CLAIM AND AMONG THE MANY
DISTURBING ALLEGATIONS, THERE
APPEAR TO HAVE BEEN MISSED
OPPORTUNITIES TO DISCOVER THE
ABUSE IN THE WOMAN'S PREGNANCY.
>> Reporter: THE NOTICE OF
CLAIM STATES THE VICTIM WAS
VIOLENTLY AND REPEATEDLY RAPED.
A MEDICAL EXAM SUGGESTS SHE
COULD HAVE GIVEN BIRTH BEFORE,
CITING PREVIOUS SCARRING.
THE NOTICE OF CLAIM SAYS
HACIENDA DOCUMENTED AT LEAST 83
CHANCES TO DIAGNOSE HER
PREGNANCY.
PREGNANCY. IT ALSO CONCLUDED THE VICTIM
MISSED MENSTRUAL PERIODS.
A DOCTOR SAW HER 10 TIMES IN HER
THIRD TRIMESTER.
THIRD TRIMESTER. STAFF NOTED A LARGE AND HARD
MASS IN HER ABDOMEN THREE TIMES
AND THAT HER ABDOMEN WAS
STICKING OUT 24 TIMES.
NOTED WEIGHT GAMES EIGHT TIMES.
THE NOTICE ALSO CLAIMS THE
VICTIM'S MOTHER REQUESTED
FEMALE-ONLY STAFF BEGINNING IN
2002, AND THAT HACIENDA ASSURED
HER THAT DIRECTIVE WAS BEING
CARRIED OUT.
CARRIED OUT. NONETHELESS, THE NOTICE CLAIMS
SUTHERLAND WORKED WITH THE
VICTIM A THOUSAND TIMES,
INCLUDING 800 TIMES OVERNIGHT
WHEN FEWER PEOPLE WERE WORKING.
>> THE VICTIM AND THE FAMILY
WANT TO HOLD THE STATE
RESPONSIBLE.
RESPONSIBLE. THEY'RE CLAIMING THE STATE OF
ARIZONA FINANCED AND CONDONED
HACIENDA'S OPERATIONS BECAUSE IT
WAS AN EXCLUSIVE CONTRACTOR WITH
THE STATE AND IT IS IN THE WORDS
OF THE CLAIM CLASSIC AIDING AND
ABETTING.
ABETTING.
ABETTING. SO A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE TALKING
ABOUT ACCOUNTABILITY FOR
HACIENDA BUT THIS CLAIM IS
SAYING NO, THIS IS A BIGGER
PROBLEM THE STATE HAS AS WELL.
>> JOE, A LOT OF QUESTIONS
ABOUT IT'S THE AND WE DON'T HAVE
TIME FOR EVERY QUESTION, BUT YOU
WONDER ABOUT THE POSSIBILITY
THAT SHE'D BEEN PREGNANT BEFORE.
WHEN WAS SHE -- DO WE KNOW WHEN
THIS YOUNG WOMAN WAS
INCAPACITATED?
INCAPACITATED? COULD IT HAVE BEEN BEFORE SHE
WENT INTO LONG-TERM HEALTHCARE?
>> SHE WAS INCAPACITATED AT 2
OR 3 YEARS OLD.
SHE HAD A SEIZURE DISORDER.
SHE'S BEEN IN THE CARE OF
HACIENDA.
HACIENDA.
HACIENDA. AS WE KNOW SHE'S QUADRIPLEGIC.
SHOWS VERY FEW SIGNS OF LIFE, SO
TO SPEAK, BUT WE DO KNOW SHE HAS
SENSES.
SENSES.
SENSES. SHE CAN SMELL.
SHE CAN SENSE MUSIC.
AND ALSO CAN FEEL PAIN.
>> GOD.
>> GOD.
>> GOD. IT'S JUST TERRIBLE.
AS IF THIS STORY WASN'T BAD
ENOUGH BEFORE.
ENOUGH BEFORE. >> REALLY.
>> REALLY. AND THERE IS A LOT OF ANGER
RIGHT NOW AT HOW INSULATED AND
HOW POSSIBLY SECRETIVE THIS MAY
HAVE BEEN GOING ON.
>> IT'S BEEN SEVERAL MONTHS NOW
THAT THE VICTIM'S FAMILY HAS HAD
THE BABY IN THEIR CARE.
HOW ARE THEY DOING?
>> THE SUIT SAYS THEY'RE DOING
OKAY.
OKAY.
OKAY. THE
OKAY. THE FATHER, AS ANY FATHER MIGHT
BE, IS GOING THROUGH A LOT OF
GUILT AND JUST ANGUISH.
AND THE MOM IS DEVASTATED.
THEY'RE GRAPPLING WITH THE IDEA
THAT THEIR DAUGHTER WAS
TRAUMATIZED IN A WAY THEY CAN'T
FULLY ADDRESS BECAUSE OF HER
STATE BUT THE MEDICAL EXAM NOTES
THAT SHE WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
SENSE WHEN SOMEONE WAS IN THIS
ROOM WITH HER.
AND WOULD HAVE BEEN ABLE TO FEEL
SENSES AND GO THROUGH A LOT OF
THE PAIN THAT YOU WOULD IN A
LABOR.
LABOR.
LABOR. SO
LABOR. SO THEY STILL HAVE A LOT OF
QUESTIONS HERE.
QUESTIONS HERE. >> SURE.
>> SURE.
>> SURE. BUT THERE ARE TWO HUGE STORIES
HERE.
HERE.
HERE. THE
HERE. THE FIRST IS THAT SHE WAS RAPED
WHILE INCAPACITATED AND PREGNANT
THE FIRST TIME BECAUSE SHE HAD A
STORY.
STORY.
STORY. BUT THE OTHER STORY, THE SUBTEXT
HERE IS THAT THERE MIGHT HAVE
BEEN A HUGE COVERUP BECAUSE
SOMEONE HAD TO KNOW IF SHE WAS
PREGNANT BEFORE.
PREGNANT BEFORE. AND THE FAMILY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT
IT.
IT.
IT. >>
IT. >> THE ATTORNEY SAYS THEY DON'T
KNOW.
KNOW.
KNOW. MAYBE SHE COULD HAVE BEEN
PREGNANT FOR A SHORTER AMOUNT OF
TIME.
TIME.
TIME. THE
TIME. THE FACT NO ONE NOTICED NINE
MONTHS THIS TIME AROUND.
YOU SENSE THAT THEY'RE NOT
NECESSARILY FEELING THEY'LL GET
THOSE ANSWERS.
THOSE ANSWERS. THEY JUST WANT JUSTICE MOVING
FORWARD.
FORWARD.
FORWARD. WE'VE NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE
FROM THE STATE ABOUT THIS.
SINCE 2002 THE MOM IN WRITING
SAID I WANT A FEMALE-ONLY
CARETAKER FOR MY DAUGHTER AND
SHE HAD THE RIGHT TO ASK THAT.
>> AND IT NEVER HAPPENED.
>> AND YES THIS MAN WHO IS THE
SUSPECT WAS WITH HER HUNDREDS OF
TIMES.
TIMES.
TIMES. MANY TIMES OVERNIGHT AND ALONE
WITH HER.
WITH HER.
WITH HER. >> WE DON'T KNOW IF THERE ARE
OTHERS INVOLVED OBVIOUSLY WITH
THE FIRST PREGNANCY.
THERE COULD BE MANY OTHER PEOPLE
INVOLVED.
INVOLVED.
INVOLVED. >> IF THERE WAS.
RIGHT.
RIGHT.
RIGHT. >>
RIGHT. >> THERE COULD BE MANY OTHER
PEOPLE INVOLVED.
PEOPLE INVOLVED. JOE, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR THESE
BREAKING DETAILS ON THIS STORY.
IF YOU HAVE ANY TIPS ABOUT THIS
STORY, YOU CAN REACH THE 12 NEWS
I-TEAM VIA