Two more women have come forward to accuse a former nurse at Detroit’s Sinai-Grace Hospital of sexually assaulting them.
Lawyers filed a civil lawsuit on behalf of one of the women, Treja Shines, on Tuesday. They said they also plan to file a similar one on behalf of another woman who accuses Wilfredo Figueroa-Berrios of assaulting her while she was a patient, and urged other potential survivors “to join the chorus of the brave people that have already come forward."
Shines’ story, as outlined in the lawsuit, is highly disturbing. It describes how she went to Sinai-Grace in July seeking treatment for ovarian cysts, and was allegedly assaulted by Figueroa-Berrios under the pretense of performing a gynecological procedure. He then “subjected her to further physical and sexual abuse,” according to the legal complaint.
Shines was sedated during the attack, but was aware enough of what happened to report it to the police, the lawsuit says. She underwent a rape kit examination, which came back positive for sexual contact.
The lawsuit names Figueroa-Berrios, Sinai-Grace, the Detroit Medical Center hospital system, and Tenet Health, the company that owns the DMC. Those same parties are already being sued by two other women who claim they were assaulted in the hospital. Figueroa-Berrios also faces criminal sexual conduct charges in three separate criminal cases, with more still under investigation.
The lawsuits accuse Sinai-Grace and the other defendants of “knowingly hiring Wilfredo Figueroa-Berrios despite a documented history of misconduct,” including a 2019 assault arrest, as well as allegations that he sexually abused patients at another health care facility he worked at previously.
“These red flags were known, or should have been known, by the hospital defendants, who nevertheless placed him in a position of trust with access to vulnerable patients,” Shines’ attorneys said in a statement. “As a result, Figueroa-Berrios allegedly exploited this position to sexually assault and abuse multiple patients, including the plaintiff, while under the hospital's supervision.”
Lawyers for all the plaintiffs suggest that Figueroa-Berrios may have assaulted “hundreds” of patients during his two-year tenure at Sinai-Grace, though they haven’t offered a basis for that estimate.
Sinai-Grace and DMC, in a statement, said the hospital has "rigorous processes in place to screen applicants prior to employment and there was "no indication of a concern during that process" for Figueroa-Berrios. It goes on to say that the hospital notified law enforcement as soon as it became aware of the allegations Figueroa-Berrios, and he has since been terminated.
Tim Holland, one of Shines’ attorneys, said she is a health care provider herself. “She is a licensed practical nurse, and their family has struggled mightily with what has happened to her in this case,” he said.
Holland said he plans to file a second lawsuit on behalf of a currently-unnamed patient before the end of the month, and expects others will come forward. “We are looking for survivors to join the chorus of the brave people that have already come forward, to have their voices heard and their stories told,” he said.
