Suit: 16-year-old boy sexually assaulted at Riveredge Hospital

A 16-year-old boy who was receiving treatment at a Forest Park hospital was sexually assaulted by another patient in 2015, according to a lawsuit filed Thursday by the boy’s family.

The boy, identified only as “V.R. Doe” in the suit, and his family claim Riveredge Hospital, a behavioral and mental health treatment facility, was negligent in the supervision of patients when the minor was “violently sexually assaulted” by another patient on March 11, 2015, according to the suit filed in Cook County Circuit Court.

The suit alleges that the hospital did not properly screen or supervise the patient assigned to share a secured room with the boy. It also alleges the hospital did not inform the family of the patient’s history of violent behavior and failed to care for the boy after becoming aware of the violent sexual assault.

The two-count suit charges the hospital with negligence and family expense recovery and seeks more than $500,000 in damages.

A spokesperson of Riveredge Hosptial could not be reached for comment Thursday night.