Hospitalization has to be one of the most traumatic experiences a person has to go through. Imagine undergoing all the all the stress of being sick and having to fend off sexual predators right inside the hospital.

This is what happened at the Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs, California where a female patient named Kathryn Peulicke claims she was sexually assaulted by a male member of the nursing staff, Paul Crumal.

Peulicke has now filed a lawsuit against the hospital saying the management knew about previous such cases of assault by the nurse, but continued to retain his services, exposing patients to the dangers of having a sexual predator in such close proximity to them. According to The Press-Enterprise, Peulicke’s lawsuits allege dependant adult abuse, negligence, battery and damage to her relationship with her husband.

She is seeking unspecified damages from the hospital, for her pain and suffering.

Her lawsuit alleges that Crumal had been accused of assaulting another patient in 1999, and claims that hospital management was aware of this. Despite this they continued to retain his services. Not only this, they also seem to have taken no disciplinary action against Crumal. No allegation was reported to the California Department of Public Health, and he was not charged with any crime. He was allowed to continue working in close proximity with female patients. Peulicke says she was heavily sedated when she was assaulted. One wonders how many more sedated and disoriented women Crumal managed to prey on while hospital authorities were turning a blind eye to his peccadilloes.

Hospital reps claim they were completely in the dark about the assault, and found out about it only when Peulicke told her husband, who then contacted an attorney and the police. Last week, Crumal was sentenced to 180 days in jail in the assault case.

If you have been the victim of any type of abuse or attack, you need the help of an experienced California personal injury attorney. Contact a lawyer at The Reeves Law Group for a free consultation.