San Francisco will pay $2.2 million to 11 patients to settle a patient abuse scandal lawsuit at Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center, the San Francisco Chronicle reported June 13.
In October 2020, the San Francisco Department of Public Health confirmed that 130 patients had experienced some form of abuse at the city-run hospital between 2016 and 2019. The patient who filed the lawsuit, listed as John Doe, claims a staff member took an explicit photo of his genital and anal areas without his consent while he was receiving an enema. The staff member allegedly texted the photo to other employees "for the purpose of making inappropriate and sexualized jokes," the lawsuit states.
The settlement amount was agreed to June 1 by the Board of Supervisors' Government Audit and Oversight Committee and was approved by the full board and mayor June 13.
"We believe this is an appropriate resolution given all of the circumstances," Jen Kwart, spokesperson for the city attorney's office, told KQED. "Laguna Honda Hospital is committed to providing excellent care and treating all residents with dignity."