Opinion ID: 223425
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: LaFond

Text: Here, the primary evidence that supports LaFond's liability is (1) that she knew that Grant had been previously investigated for sexual abuse of a female patient yet she allowed Grant to continue working in a cottage housing female patients without taking steps to ensure that he was not given repeated opportunities to be alone with one or more of these patients; and (2) that she took no action in spite of increasing and documented evidence of the inappropriate relationship between Ammons and Grant. First, as to the prior accusation made against Grant, the record reflects that Resident A repeatedly stated that Grant had touched her inappropriately, but later recanted her allegations when speaking to Dr. Bacon. At no point, however, did Resident A recant her testimony to outside investigators. That she recanted to Dr. Bacon in a moment when she was admittedly upset about losing contact with Grant, at the very least, raises doubts as to CPS's conclusion that the accusations were unfounded. Despite these facts, of which LaFond was aware, LaFond permitted Grant to continue working unsupervised with the female patients in their residential cottages, at times in one-on-one situations. [12] LaFond declared that it was her general practice, when an accusation of staff abuse was determined unfounded, to instruct the supervisors to watch the staff member more closely and to counsel him or her about any high risk behavior. In neither her declarations nor her deposition testimony, however, does LaFond state that, after Resident A's accusation, LaFond instructed Grant's supervisors to watch him more closely or provided Grant with counseling about any high risk behavior. Second, the facility that LaFond was charged with overseeing contained overwhelming information and signals that Grant was pursuing improper relationships with female patients and with Ammons specifically. Ammons flirted with Grant so regularly and extensively that CSTC staff frequently commented on it, both in her files and to Ammons herself. In fact, Ammons's file contained 188 references to her improper interactions with male staff, as well as documentation about her feelings toward Grant in particular. Ammons and Ramsey exchanged love letters with Grant, made posters for Grant, and received pictures of Grant, which they plastered on entire sections on the walls of [their] rooms where they were highly visible to any staff member. Notably, Ammons's foster mother repeatedly voiced her concerns about the relationship between Ammons and Grant to CSTC, and specifically asked that Grant not be permitted to be alone with Ammons. Ammons points out that CSTC is a small community, and that LaFond had every opportunity to become aware of the escalating impropriety between Grant and Ammons, and to take action accordingly. LaFond apparently failed to take affirmative steps to inform herself of the situation at CSTC, even after Rutherford had explicitly warned her about the staff's failure to respond appropriately to reports of sexual impropriety. We hold that, under these facts, a fact-finder could determine LaFond's actions demonstrate a substantial departure from reasonable professional judgment. LaFond was aware that Grant was previously accused of sexually molesting a minor female patient. The investigation concluded that the accusations were unfounded only because the accuser unreliably recanted. Under Neely, a jury could find that a reasonable administrator, exercising professional judgment with respect to providing safe conditions, would have taken Resident A's allegation into account when assigning and supervising staff members in cottages where female patients resided. While LaFond had no cause to discipline Grant, because he had been exonerated of the molestation charge, she certainly had reason, in light of her duties with respect to the safety of her patients, to manage and monitor his duties more carefully. Instead, LaFond allowed Grant to gain unfettered and unmonitored access to the female residents, and to spend time with them on a one-on-one basis. [13] Even more compellingly, LaFond and the rest of the CSTC staff were practically inundated with signs and indications that Ammons and Grant were engaged in an inappropriate relationship. Ammons's lack of boundaries with male staff, and her preoccupation with Grant in particular, were well documented in her files. Her particular relationship with Grant was evidenced by her behavior and the display on the wall of her room, so much so that her crush was apparent to other patients and staff members. LaFond had every reason to monitor the relationship between Grant and Ammons in light of Rutherford's warnings and Tienhaara's repeatedly voiced concerns. Regardless of whether LaFond was subjectively aware of these signals, a jury could conclude that a reasonable hospital administrator in LaFond's position of authority, knowing of the previous accusations against Grant and of Rutherford's warning, would have taken steps to become aware of what was happening through a basic review of Ammons's file or by simply walking through the facility. A jury could additionally find that a reasonable hospital administrator, exercising professional judgment, would have taken steps to ensure that the staff who worked closely with Grant appreciated the seriousness of the situation and brought these signs to the administrator's attention so that she could take the necessary steps to prevent Grant from abusing his position. LaFond should have at least taken steps to ensure that she was informed of specific concerns voiced by parents such as Tienhaara so that she could look into the matter further. [14] LaFond bears the responsibility for taking adequate steps to ensure that [her] subordinates maintain the safety of the patients pursuant to her orders and instructions because, as the head of CSTC, LaFond is the one who is ultimately accountable for the safety of the patients. Neely, 50 F.3d at 1510. Instead of taking steps to ensure that her subordinates adequately monitored the relationships between staff and patients, LaFond took literally no action whatsoever to prevent Grant from engaging in an abusive relationship with Ammons. Whether because of ignorance or a failure to fully appreciate the seriousness of the situation, LaFond allowed this relationship to go on for months, unchecked and unmonitored, and it was not until Ammons returned to her foster family and continued to have contact with Grant that any action was taken. We hold that, under the facts alleged and produced, LaFond's apparent inaction and poor supervision with respect to the safety of Ammons and the other female patients support a finding that she failed to exercise professional judgment, [15] and thereby violated the Fourteenth Amendment. [16] Indeed, we note the similarity between the evidence here and that in Neely. Like superintendent Feinstein in Neely, LaFond was aware that allegations of sexual abuse had been brought against one of the hospital staff. And as in Neely, these allegations triggered an investigation of the staff member that determined that the allegations were not credible. In both cases, the harm to the plaintiff resulted from the hospital administrator's failure to take meaningful steps to prevent the formerly accused staff member from interacting one-on-one with female patients. In Neely, we found these facts sufficient to support a reasonable jury's determination that Feinstein failed to exercise professional judgment. The record in this case presents even more evidence of such a failure on the part of LaFond, as it additionally supports a claim that LaFond remained unreasonably ignorant of or ignored the overwhelming evidence that Grant continued to flagrantly abuse his position. [17] Whereas Feinstein reprimanded Terry for poor judgment and Hosley placed restrictions on Terry's duties, LaFond made no changes with respect to managing Grant. As a final matter, we note that Youngberg articulated the professional judgment standard as the proper instruction for the jury; our opinion merely recognizes that the ultimate decision in this case should likewise go to a jury. Our holding does not impose liability upon LaFond; nor does it, as the dissent suggests, conclusively prescribe any particular administrative conduct. [18] We hold only that, supposing Ammons's allegations are true, a reasonable jury could conclude that LaFond, like Feinstein, demonstrated a substantial departure from accepted professional judgment that amounts to a violation of Ammons's clearly established Fourteenth Amendment right to safety during her involuntary commitment to a state hospital. We must conclude, therefore, that LaFond is not entitled to qualified immunity.