LOS ANGELES — A family whose daughter has autism was assaulted by a behavioral therapist in an attack caught on camera has sued both the therapist and California Pediatric & Family Services, better known as CAL-PEDS.
The family’s attorney, Robert Glassman, identified the child as 16-year-old Marcela Verdugo, whom he characterized to KTLA as “on the severe end of the autism spectrum.”
The video shows behavioral therapist Kevin Yuen, who worked for CAL-PEDS, striking the teen in the face, then appearing to check for visible damage, the TV station reported.
Yuen, who was frequently in the family’s home, had worked with the girl for 18 months at the time of the incident, The Sacramento Bee reported.
“When I first saw the video, I was absolutely shocked, and I was angry. I was angry at what I was seeing,” Glassman told KTLA.
According to the TV station, Verdugo’s mother installed a hidden camera, which captured the abuse, after she noticed bruises on her daughter and Yuen’s “aggressive demeanor.”
Although Yuen was arrested in June on felony child endangerment and assault charges linked to the attack, he ultimately pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor child endangerment charge and was sentenced to four years of probation, was required to complete a one-year child abuse treatment program and has been barred from working with children during his probation, according to The Sacramento Bee.
In turn, the lawsuit was filed Jan. 31 against Yuen and his former employer.
“We need to make sure that companies like this, these providers of therapy, don’t hire men like Kevin Yuen ever again,” Glassman told KTLA.
CAL-PEDS stated in an emailed statement obtained by KTLA that they “have never had an incident like this in our nearly 40 years in business,” and that their “hearts go out” to the Verdugo family.
“We were shocked and appalled when we saw the video. The employee in question, who had passed background checks, was terminated immediately, and we reported the incident to the appropriate authorities,” the statement continued.