Three years ago a developmentally disabled teenager was allegedly abused at a Schenectady facility. As a result of the abuse, the child’s family filed a lawsuit against the Northeast Parent & Child Society, an organization whose parent company is the Northern Rivers Family of Services. Fortunately for the family, the lawsuit recently settled for $450,000. According to the settlement agreement, “$250,000 will be placed in a trust for the boy, while the remaining $150,000 will go toward attorney and medical fees.”
Three years ago a developmentally disabled teenager was allegedly abused at a Schenectady facility. As a result of the abuse, the child’s family filed a lawsuit against the Northeast Parent & Child Society, an organization whose parent company is the Northern Rivers Family of Services. Fortunately for the family, the lawsuit recently settled for $450,000. According to the settlement agreement, “$250,000 will be placed in a trust for the boy, while the remaining $150,000 will go toward attorney and medical fees.”
So what happened? What type of abuse did the teen endure? Well, according to the lawsuit, certain staff members at the Northeast Parent & Child Society “brutally assaulted the boy over several days starting on June 15, 2014.” Throughout the lawsuit, the boy is referred to as R.W. The lawsuit stated that:
“R.W. was one of four siblings brought by their mother, identified as A.W., to Parsons Child and Family Center in 2012 as she sought to gain stability in her life and the ability to once again provide a home for her children…In 2014, R.W. was transferred to a Northeast Parent & Child facility in Schenectady.”
Once transferred, R.W. was struck by Tajeer Uln, according to the lawsuit. In addition, Uln also allegedly “mocked and threatened to kill him.” Throughout the ordeal, R.W. was able to secretly record the “threat on video with a hand-held gaming device” that was later shown to police. While police were called, they didn’t make an arrest, though the boy’s “video was publicized on local television as well as YouTube.”
In one of R.W.’s videos that was posted on YouTube, courtesy of the Disability Rights Project, “an advocacy group critical of the safety net for protecting the disabled from caregiver abuse,” even showed the boy’s swollen right eye in a camera closeup and recorded him saying: “Mom, this is what it looks like – you see this? My eye? He slammed me.”
In addition to the swollen eye and death threats, the lawsuit also alleged that Uln and many others choked him with his PlayStation’s cord. Additionally, he never received “immediate medical care after the assault,” according to the lawsuit. However, he was later “hospitalized and transferred to a disability center in the Hudson Valley.”
While 20 other unnamed individuals are mentioned in the lawsuit, Uln was the only one mentioned by name.
When commenting on the matter, William Gettman, the CEO of Northern Rivers Family of Services said:
“The organization launched an investigation of the allegations and complied with the results of an investigation by the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs…Employees involved in this situation were removed from duty during the investigation and terminated thereafter. Additionally, all employees receive additional training and guidance when procedures are updated.”
When commenting on how his client’s felt about the recent settlement, attorney Aaron Ross said, “They were very happy with the resolution and they’re prepared to now provide him with the stability he needs.”
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