Two male nurses in San Diego are being investigated after
security camera footage shows them fondling a 98-year-old stroke victim
and each other in her bedroom.
The footage, taken
between March 3 and March 11, 2011, shows Russel Torralba and Alfredo
Ruiz apparently masturbating and groping each other at the foot of their
patient's bed, XETV reported. A 98-year-old woman lies unable to speak
or move her hands because of a stroke.
In one video, one of the
men appears to be undoing his scrubs and exposing himself. Another shows
the same man kissing the woman.
William Berman, attorney for the woman's family. said he was shocked by the videos.
"I
myself couldn't believe it," Berman told XETV-TV,
adding that it was
the most shocking case of elder abuse he's seen in 15 years of practice
in that specialty.
Torralba and Ruiz have had their nursing
licenses suspended pending a hearing next week and the San Diego
District Attorney's office is considering criminal charges. The
California Department of Consumer Affairs has been conducting an
investigation into their employer, AMS Home Care Solutions, since last
year.
CLICK HERE to watch video. (Warning: Viewer Discretion Is Advised)
“It
appears to show very egregious behavior,” Department spokesman Russ
Heimerich told the San Diego Union-Tribune.“I don’t know if we’ve ever
had a case that has a video like this. We are working to shut them
down.”
AMS Home Care Solutions didn't respond to The Huffington Post's request for comment.
The
current suspension on Ruiz and Torralba bars the men from working for
home health agencies, but allows them to work in hospital settings. A
hearing on the permanent suspension of their licenses is scheduled for
Nov. 14.
The victim's family has sued the two men and their
employer for alleged fraud, elder abuse and negligent supervision and
that trial is set for Jan. 14.
“It’s not about the money," Berman
told the San Diego Union-Tribune, "it’s about dignity and
accountability, to ensure this doesn’t happen to anyone else."
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