MADISON COUNTY, Ky. (LEX 18) — A lawsuit has been filed against employees of a Richmond daycare following a child abuse investigation, a court document obtained by LEX 18 reports.
Jessica Houk, Brooklyn Houk, Theodrick Hersey, Elizabeth Thomas, Amanda Spears and Trinity Huff, as well as A Step Ahead Child Care LLC doing business as Kids Club of Richmond, are all named as defendants in the suit.
All six are facing criminal charges in connection to the investigation, and according to the document, were employed at the Kids Club of Richmond at the time of the complaint.
The suit alleges that these employees "jointly and severally performed their duties by causing harm to Plaintiff’s minor children...and failing to exercise proper care, supervision, control, education, and custody over said minor children."
Further, the suit argues that, from March 10 to April 18, defendants subjected the plantiff's three children to "unlawful acts perpetrated by defendants," including:
- Grabbing the plaintiff's children by the arms and pulling them through the room.
- Spitting on, yelling in the faces of, bruising, and punching the plaintiff's children.
- Withholding food and drink from the plaintiff's children.
- Placing the plaintiff's children in situations that may cause them physical injury, as well as subjecting them to the "unjustified, unauthorized, and cruel use of corporal punishment."
- Interfering with and obstructing the police investigation related to criminal abuse allegations.
According to the document, Jessica Houk, owner of the Kids Club of Richmond, was allegedly made aware of the abuse allegations through surveillance footage and parent complaints and failed to "take the appropriate action to prevent and abate further unlawful acts for the protection" of the plaintiff's children.
The lawsuit alleges counts of negligence, unjust enrichment, and breach of contract against the Kids Club of Richmond. The daycare's employees face a violation of Restatement (Second) of Torts §314A special relationship, negligence, criminal abuse, and assault and battery charges.
All defendants have been charged in the lawsuit with the violation of KRS 620.030, outrage, the negligent infliction of emotional distress, punitive damages.
According to the document, the plaintiff is seeking out a trial by jury of the case and "all damages set forth in this Complaint including, but not limited to, actual, foreseeable, incidental, compensatory, and punitive damages as well as costs and attorneys’ fees."
