Norwalk Hospital Sued By Woman Who Was Sexually Assaulted By Patient

NORWALK, CT — A Fairfield woman, who is being identified as "Jane Doe," has filed a civil lawsuit against Norwalk Hospital and parent company Nuvance Health in connection with a sexual assault she suffered while she was a patient under sedation at the facility.

A suspect was arrested not long after the August 2020 attack, which police said took place in a treatment room at the hospital.

Stamford resident Rodney Daniels, 47, was charged with first-degree sexual assault and providing a false statement; he remains in custody, on bail of $500,000, as he awaits trial.

"At around 3:30 a.m. [on Aug. 29, 2020] Daniels entered the treatment room of a female patient who was given a sedative by hospital staff during treatment," Norwalk police said in a statement at the time. "Daniels sexually assaulted the victim in the treatment room and was found by hospital staff lying next to the victim."

Doe had been given the sedative Ativan, which the lawsuit says is "known to impair memory, judgment and coordination." Daniels, who has an extensive criminal history and was on parole at the time, was accused of using PCP before ending up at the hospital that night.

"This case arises from the brutal sexual assault of a female patient of Norwalk Hospital while she was both heavily sedated and unmonitored by hospital personnel," the lawsuit reads. "What happened was nothing short of a nightmare: the victim — and plaintiff in this lawsuit — was rendered unable to defend herself by her level of hospital-administered sedation. At the same time, a man in the room next door (who was wearing an ankle monitor and posed an obvious safety threat) scouted the hallway for many minutes to ensure there were no hospital or security personnel either monitoring the area or the video from the cameras above.

"Realizing this remarkable setting had delivered him a defenseless victim in a time and place where he could operate with impunity, the man walked into plaintiff’s room and raped her.

"Throughout the entire time that the perpetrator was scouting the hallway and raping plaintiff, representatives of the security firm retained by Norwalk Hospital (or one of its affiliates) to maintain a safe environment in the Emergency Department negligently failed to see or interrupt the man’s predatory conduct, which was easily observable and recorded on surveillance video."

The lawsuit also says that the plaintiff's father was with her at the hospital at the time, but the hospital did not permit him to stay with her overnight.

Additionally, the lawsuit says that Daniels was known to hospital staff from previous encounters, was "suspected to be mentally ill," but was placed in the room next door to the plaintiff.

The plaintiff, who "has suffered, and will in the future suffer, physical and mental pain and anguish," as a result of the attack, is seeking an undisclosed amount in damages.

Patch reached out to Norwalk Hospital for comment, but did not immediately receive a reply.

Additionally, Patch reached out to Doe's attorney, Angelo Ziotas, for comment, but he did not return the message.

In addition to the hospital and parent company, also named in the lawsuit is Universal Protection Service, LLC, D/B/A Allied Universal Security Services.