Following an NBC Nightly News investigation into alleged abuse and neglect at the National Deaf Academy (NDA) in Mount Dora, Florida, many media outlets have written about the story, including Terrell • Hogan attorney, Bruce Maxwell’s filing of three civil lawsuits in Duval County on behalf of affected families with children who once lived at the facility.
The lawsuits allege three children were abused or neglected at the NDA. The lawsuits were the subject of stories reported by a variety of media outlets, including: the Orlando Sentinel, the Florida Times-Union and WFTV-TV, the ABC-affiliate in Orlando, whose reporter asked why the school is still open after all the investigations and complaints.
Allegations from the three recently-filed lawsuits include: Physical abuse – being thrown to the ground as punishment, being punched by a staff member during a Skype conversation with a family member, improper feeding and hydration – one boy lost 25 pounds after being at the facility for a few months, scabies, inappropriate touching, exposure to pornography and being overly medicated to the point that one child was a ‘zombie,” according to Maxwell.
Attorney Maxwell raised a disabled daughter who passed away a few years ago. He has a soft spot for special needs children, especially those who have been mistreated or abused. “These are helpless children who do not have a voice. Many cannot communicate or have difficulty communicating and only sign. It makes them easy targets,” he said. “Our investigation into NDA is showing this egregious behavior is not relegated to a few isolated incidents,” Maxwell said. “I anticipate more victims of neglect or abuse to come forward.”
According to the NBC news investigation, The Florida Department of Children and Families investigated the NDA 99 times during the past decade for alleged child abuse and the FBI has now opened an investigation.
At Terrell • Hogan, we represent the injured as they seek justice. If you or a loved one has been abused or neglected at a care facility, we invite you to consider having Terrell • Hogan represent you. To reach attorney Bruce Maxwell, call 904 722-2228.