(WHAS11)-The latest lawsuit against Friendship Health and Rehab Center in Oldham County alleges sexual abuse to a senior citizen who was living at the care facility.
“It started when Richard Coleman yelled down the hall that he was going to kill her, and then it proceeded as physical, could be construed as sexual abuse,” said attorney John Phillips, who represents the family of the woman allegedly abused.
The lawsuit claims former employee Richard Coleman violated the resident using a washrag.
“The family was shocked when they found out what happened to their mother,” he said.
The resident has since passed away, unrelated to the claims, but her son, the Executor of the Estate, is suing the nursing home.
The lawsuit said employees who witnessed the abuse reported the incident, but the files disappeared and are considering actions by Friendship Health to be negligent.
“Nothing was ever done about it,” Phillips said. “There was no investigation, the family was never notified, the state and federal agencies were not notified the way that they should've been, and Richard Coleman continued to work there.”
Coleman has been at the center of controversy before. In the last year, nine coworkers have come forward accusing him of sexual groping and assault.
“They would hope that this lawsuit would inform the public and the center itself that they had done things wrong, and hopefully make a change for the future so that this doesn't happen to other people,” Phillips said in reference to the most recent suit filed.
Coleman was fired in 2018 and charged with sexually abusing a coworker on several occasions.
WHAS 11 reached out to the attorneys for Friendship Health who declined to comment on the most recent lawsuit, only to say "Friendship Health and Rehab takes great pride in serving the community as a corporate resident of Oldham County, and it is fully committed to the health, welfare, and safety of its residents and employees," and the facility "looks forward to continuing its mission to serve and enrich the quality of life of all its residents and employees."
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