In the Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County, Florida, a lawsuit has been filed by Heather Blake against Suncoast Center under case number 24-001548-CI on April 5, 2024. The lawsuit involves an alleged sexual assault on an intellectually disabled adult at a nursing home in St. Petersburg, Florida.
Heather Blake, acting as mother and health care proxy for the victim, engaged legal counsel on April 4, 2024 to investigate and pursue the alleged perpetrators of the assault that is believed to have occurred between April 1 and April 2, 2024. The victim was reportedly assaulted by multiple individuals while residing at Bay Pointe Nursing Pavilion.
The St. Petersburg Police Department is actively investigating this matter while the victim remains a patient at Bayfront Hospital. Despite having consent from Ms. Blake to perform a Sexual Assault Victim Exam (SAVE) on her daughter, Suncoast Center has refused to do so citing lack of guardianship or Power of Attorney paperwork.
Ms. Blake is seeking an order from the court recognizing her as the appropriate proxy for her daughter and directing Suncoast Center to immediately perform the SAVE exam. She argues that their refusal compromises her ability to investigate this matter and infringes upon the rights of her daughter.