Lawsuit claims disabled woman was raped and impregnated at healthcare facility

FERRY PASS, Florida -- A new lawsuit claims a woman who is immobile and nonverbal was raped at a Florida healthcare facility where she was staying.

The lawsuit that was filed by her family says the woman became pregnant after the incident that started in 2018.

This lawsuit obtained by WEAR-TV reveals a then-22-year-old woman on a feeding tube was raped and impregnated.

Documents say the woman's only time away from Pensacola Cluster was weekday visits at Escambia Westgate School, an education center for people with disabilities.

Court documents said the staff at Westgate reported a change in the woman's behavior and discovered bruising on her hip at least three times before any action was taken by Pensacola Cluster. The woman was taken for an examination that revealed a broken hip, bruising, and also showed that she had been raped and was pregnant.

After she allegedly lost the baby due to a miscarriage, the investigation was closed without arrests. When asked why, authorities gave the following statement:

"Every available investigative technique was utilized to capture evidence from the pregnancy, which could be analyzed, to link to a suspect, but it all returned negative for foreign DNA. The results of the sexual assault kit were negative for foreign DNA. After an extensive review and consultation with the state attorney and DCF we are confident that all investigative leads have been exhausted."

The executive director of Pensacola Cluster's parent company, Florida Mentor, issued the following statement:

"We regularly review our protocols with the goal of enhancing the quality of our services and minimizing any risk to the health and safety of the individuals we support. We have fully cooperated with all external parties investigating this matter and will continue to do so."

The lawsuit is asking for more than $15,000 in damages from the facility.