Lawsuit: Abusive Staff Called Group Home The 'Bronx Zoo,' Treated Residents Worse Than Animals
ALBANY, N.Y. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Three families are suing staff at a New York City group home, alleging they punched, kicked and spit on disabled residents and that state authorities knew about the abuse and did nothing for weeks.
The federal lawsuit alleges staff at the Union Avenue IRA referred to the facility as the "Bronx zoo'' and also denied residents food and botched their medical care.
"Staff call this place the 'Bronx Zoo,' but animals in the Bronx Zoo are treated much better," the lawsuit read.
Attorney Ilann Maazel told 1010 WINS that residents endured "horrible abuse; things that should never ever happen."
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"When families send their loved ones to a group home they're trusting them to take care of their loved ones and when that trust is violated it's a terrible thing," Maazel said.
The lawsuit claims evidence of abuse goes back a decade, and that the state turned a blind eye to it. It alleges the state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities received an August 2014 staff whistleblower letter but didn't respond for weeks. The agency eventually put some staffers on administrative leave.
Maazel said this case demonstrates the need for top to bottom reform of how the state cares for people with disabilities.
"I think we have inadequate training, I think we have inadequate screening when people are hired, we have inadequate oversights, we have a complete systemic breakdown of everything we need to ensure that people with disabilities are safe," Maazel said.
"We cannot have this sort of abuse, we simply can't have it," Maazel added. "It reflects terribly on who we are as New Yorkers."
The lawsuit seeking unspecified damages was filed Monday in Manhattan. The defendants are six staff, additional unnamed staff, eight supervisors and officials at the state Office for People with Developmental Disabilities.
The state office didn't immediately reply to requests for comment.
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