Stemming from several allegations of sexual abuse, two former female inmates have filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against a jail psychiatrist, as reported by The Gainesville Sun.
The doctor, J.A.Y.R., 54, was the treating psychiatrist at Hernando County jail. Both the psychiatrist and the Corrections Corporation of America, are named in the lawsuit.
The lawsuit was filed on May 25 in Hernando County. The two former inmates, not named in the complaint, alleged that J.A.Y.R. repeatedly sexually molested them from 2009 to 2010, concurrent with their incarcerations.
Samuel Rogatinsky, the Fort Lauderdale-based attorney representing both women said, “
They want to make sure this does not happen to anybody else.”
In March an investigation made by the state Department of Health declared that J.A.Y.R. told female inmates that he would trade drugs for sex with them. He also touched them and asked them to expose themselves.
J.A.Y.R.’s medical license has been placed under emergency restrictions by the state surgeon general – he is currently banned from treating female patients and, when treating men, must be supervised.
J.A.Y.R. has denied all allegations of misconduct and his attorney, for the licensing matter only, Gainesville-based Jesse Smith, said that he is in negotiations with the Department of Health to allow J.A.Y.R. to resume his practice.
Smith said, “We hope to guarantee his ability to continue to practice.”
J.A.Y.R. has a private practice in Gainesville additional to his government work with inmates. He has worked with the Suwannee Correctional Institutions and – through an appointment with the University of Florida – at the North Florida Evaluation and Treatment Center.
The Department of Corrections fired him once his medical license was restricted and the university also terminated his appointment.
The surgeon general has filed an administrative complaint that accuses J.A.Y.R. of medical malpractice, among other violations. J.A.Y.R. will be facing the Board of Medicine in penalties that may include a fine – and the suspension, or revocation, of his license.
The lawsuit maintains that the Corrections Corporation of America was negligent in J.A.Y.R.’s hiring, training and supervision.
The suit is seeking over $15,000 in damages.
Steve Owen, the spokesman for the company, via written statement said, “We want to emphasize that we take the safety and fair treatment of all of our inmates very seriously. We will file responses to the lawsuits once they have been reviewed.”
One of the two women alleged that J.A.Y.R. preyed on them as they were from low-income backgrounds and suffered from symptoms of depression. He used a windowless room that was once a medication closet, to threaten the withholding of their medication if they didn’t acquiesce to his demands, and to offer them cash if they did.
Rogatinsky said, “They were already at their lowest point ... and he took them to an even lower place.”
If you suspect your physician of medical malpractice, you don’t have to suffer. Contact a medical malpractice attorney to file a lawsuit. Monetary compensation is often times awarded for your pain and suffering.