Wrongful Death Suit Filed After CT Nurse Strangled By Patient: Report

CONNECTICUT — More than six months after a Connecticut visiting nurse was killed during an appointment with a convicted rapist, her husband has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, The Associated Press reported Monday.

Joyce Grayson, 63, was found strangled and beaten to death in the basement of a Willimantic halfway house on Oct. 28 after she had arrived to administer medication to Michael Reese, who was on probation after serving 14 years in prison for a previous stabbing and sexual assault in New Haven, according to the outlet.

By then, Ronald Grayson alleges in the lawsuit, her employer Elara Caring had already been made aware on several occasions of safety concerns regarding nurses and their patients, the outlet reported.

Now, Ronald Grayson is suing the company along with its affiliated companies, and others, over claims that for years "employees of Elara Caring affiliates experienced multiple, repeated instances in which they were verbally, physically, and sexually harassed" by "mentally unstable and/or violent patients of Elara Caring."

The company has dismissed these claims as "unwarranted," according to The Associated Press.

Kelly Reardon, a lawyer for Grayson's family, told NBC Connecticut that “Joyce Grayson’s death was entirely preventable and those who failed to protect her from a violent offender should be held accountable."

The Grayson family is also seeking the authority to sue the state's Judicial Branch for $25 million, NBC Connecticut reported. Connecticut lawmakers are considering enacting additional safety measures for healthcare workers.

According to her obituary posted on the Tillinghast Funeral Homes website, "Joyce was a beautiful soul, who dedicated her life to caring for others. She loved her job as a mental health nurse, and it was truly what she was put on this earth to do. She passed away doing what she loved. She leaves behind a large family, whom she raised with her large heart to be just like her."

Read the full report in The Associated Press.

Read more at NBC CT.

Patch editor Brian McCready contributed to this story.