Women sue Wexford Health Resources, physician for sexual abuse, harassment

WAYNE -- Twenty women who were incarcerated at Lakin Correction Center are claiming they were sexually harassed and abused by a physician employed by Wexford Health Resources during their incarcerations.

Stacy Lambert, Christa Robbins, Amanda Parker, Tabitha Stevens, Sonya Rice, Kim Foley, Sabrina DeHaven, Jasmine Queen, Wanda Cook, Kayla Durham, Sonya Peck, Angela Tyndell, Beverly Carson, Candy Daniels, Jayne Amorese, Christina King, Anna Myers, Wilma Riffle, Sheila Toland and Stacey Ratcliff separately filed suits against Wexford, Dr. John Pellegrini and John Doe, according to 20 complaints filed July 14 in Wayne Circuit Court.

The plaintiffs claim while Pellegrini was treating them, he sexually harassed and sexually abused them and that Wexford negligently allowed the conduct to occur.

Wexford knew or should have known that Pellegrini had failed to comply with the ethical standards required of a medical provider, according to the suits.

The plaintiffs claim Pellegrini's conduct was "atrocious, intolerable and so extreme and outrageous as to exceed the bounds of decency and so outrageous as to offend community notions of acceptable behavior..."

As a result of the defendants' conduct, the plaintiffs have suffered anxiety; humiliation; annoyance and inconvenience; invasion of privacy; emotional distress; pain and suffering; mental anguish; loss of their ability to enjoy life; future medical expenses; and other damages, according to the suits.

The women are seeking an order certifying this case as a class action and compensatory and punitive damages with pre-judgment interest. They are being represented by Kerry A. Nessel.

Lambert, Parker, Rice, DeHaven, Cook, Peck, Carson, Amorese, Myers and Toland's cases have been assigned to Circuit Judge James H. Young Jr. Robbins, Stevens, Foley, Queen, Dunham, Tyndell, Daniels, King, Riffle and Ratcliff's cases were assigned to Circuit Judge Darrell Pratt.

Wayne Circuit Court case numbers: 10-C-139, 10-C-140, 10-C-141, 10-C-142, 10-C-143, 10-C-144, 10-C-145, 10-C-146, 10-C-147, 10-C-148, 10-C-149, 10-C-150, 10-C-151, 10-C-152, 10-C-153, 10-C-154, 10-C-155, 10-C-156, 10-C-157, 10-C-158