Patient sues San Francisco over hospital's abuse scandal

A patient filed a lawsuit against the city of San Francisco Jan. 6 over a patient abuse scandal at Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, reports the San Francisco Examiner.

In October, the San Francisco Department of Public Health confirmed that 130 patients had experienced some form of abuse at the city-run hospital between 2016 and 2019.

The patient, listed as John Doe in the suit, claims a staff member took an explicit photo of his genital and anal areas without his consent while he was receiving an enema. The staff member allegedly texted the photo to other employees "for the purpose of making inappropriate and sexualized jokes," the lawsuit states.

The lawsuit marks the first filed against the city over the abuse scandal, which first made headlines last summer. Sara Peters, a lawyer with Walkup, Melodia, Kelly & Schoenberger who is representing the patient, said her firm also plans to file a class-action suit on behalf of other affected patients.

A spokesperson for the city's Department of Public Health declined the San Francisco Examiner's request for comment.

"We'll review the lawsuit once we've been served with it and respond accordingly in court," John Cote, a spokesperson for the city attorney, told the publication.

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