Legal Analysis By Attorneys
Breaking Legal News
A former employee of MedStar Franklin Square Medical Center in Rossville has been arrested for allegedly sexually abusing a teenage patient at the hospital. 40-year-old Donald Joseph Benson Jr. has been charged with sexually abusing a minor, possession of child pornography, and multiple counts of sex offenses.
These offenses date back to 2016, when Benson was working at MedStar Franklin. He is accused of sexually abusing a 15-year-old patient who was temporarily under his care that year.
Police executed a search warrant and found sexually explicit images of a teenager in Benson’s possession. Police identified the teen as a MedStar Franklin bracelet by a hospital bracelet in the images. The teen also recognized herself in the photos. Charging documents say that the photos appear to have been taken at the hospital.
A hand in the photos had “identifying marks” that were consistent with Benson’s hand, according to the authorities.
Benson worked as a technician in the procedural care unit and told the police that he worked there for 12 years.
The police are continuing to investigate Benson to determine if he abused others while working at MedStar Franklin. Anyone with information regarding this case or conduct by Benson has been asked to call the Baltimore County Police Crimes Against Children Unit at 410-853-3650.
Lawyer for sexual abuse by a doctor and contributor Aaron Blank represents victims of sexual assault in civil lawsuits. Here are some thoughts from Aaron on the legal rights of hospital sex abuse victims and their families:
Hospitals should be safe environments and no one should have to worry about becoming a victim of sexual violence during a hospital stay. We all trust hospital employees to provide us with the medical assistance we need and to treat us with respect, but sadly, this does not always happen. There have been numerous reports of hospital staff members sexually assaulting patients they were trusted to care for.
When a patient is sexually abused by a hospital employee, there are several troubling concerns to address. The employee must be investigated and prosecuted, the victim must be provided with support, and the hospital should also be investigated to determine if the abuse was enabled through negligence.
For example, a hospital could be considered negligent for a sexual assault of a patient if there had been previous complaints of sexual misconduct involving the perpetrator, but those complaints were not addressed. In cases that involve negligence, the victims and their families may have grounds for a lawsuit against the hospital.
You can learn more about your legal rights as a victim of sexual assault in a hospital by calling our experienced sex abuse victims lawyers for a free consultation.
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