Ex-UPMC Mercy employee accused of inappropriately touching female patients

PITTSBURGH — An older Allegheny County couple has filed a lawsuit against UPMC Mercy Hospital, alleging a sexual assault last month.

According to a press release Monday announcing the lawsuit, filed on behalf of Jane Doe and John Doe, a UPMC Mercy employee sexually assaulted Jane Doe, 85, on July 3 as she received treatment at the hospital and was under the care of UPMC Mercy and its staff.

"They are concerned for their spouse, for their mother, but everyone involved wants to make sure they know how this happened to prevent it from happening to any family in the future,” Robert Peirce III, the victim’s attorney, said.

Channel 11's Aaron Martin learned that the suspect is 32-year-old William Butler.

FREE APPS | NOW | FACEBOOK | TWITTER

• At least 12 overdoses reported throughout Washington County
• WATCH: Man torments sister by lip-syncing through 7-hour road trip
• Cute or scary? Man snaps photo of bear pushing head through cat door
• Steelers' James Harrison wants to return sons' trophies

According to the press release, the lawsuit alleges that Jane Doe was not the first female patient to be sexually assaulted by Butler, who was identified as a patient sitter.

According to UPMC's website, a care attendant, also known as a patient sitter, "provides limited patient care, support and observation services in accordance with established policies and procedures, and may be directed by the nurse or physician to assure that the highest degree of quality patient care is maintained at all times."

https://twitter.com/WPXIAaronMartin/status/633310493827072000

According to the criminal complaint obtained by Channel 11 News, Butler is accused of sexually assaulting several female patients between June 28 and July 5. Each victim told police that Butler touched or attempted to touch their breasts or vagina, the complaint says, adding that Butler told the women that he was performing “medical procedures.”

According to the criminal complaint, Butler was charged with four counts of aggravated indecent assault and five counts of indecent assault.

https://twitter.com/WPXIAaronMartin/status/633309966863069184

According to the press release announcing the lawsuit, UPMC Mercy failed to implement a policy or procedure that required nursing personnel to monitor assigned sitters and ensure the safety and well-being of patients, including Jane Doe.

"We were contacted by our clients to investigate the circumstances of a truly horrific incident involving a sexual assault perpetrated upon Mrs. Doe while she was a patient at UPMC. We intend to continue our investigation so that we can get answers for not only Mrs. Doe and her family, but for all of the victims and their families,” Peirce said. “We are hopeful that as a result of this lawsuit, UPMC will take a look at their policies and procedures to ensure that this does not happen again at any of their facilities."

UPMC sent Channel 11 News the following statement on Monday:

"The care and safety of our patients, including their privacy, is our top priority. UPMC cannot comment on pending litigation.

"We are deeply committed to protecting our patients, who entrust their health and safety to us every day. The behavior reported in this case is abhorrent and violates both the mission of Mercy and the overall values of UPMC. This is unacceptable in society, let alone in any of our hospitals. Once we learned of these allegations, we immediately began a thorough investigation in full cooperation with law enforcement. As a result of that investigation, this individual was terminated.

"UPMC will continue to do everything we can to support the efforts of law enforcement leading to prosecution, and have established our own task force to implement additional measures to further protect our patients at all UPMC locations."

When reached for comment Monday, Butler’s attorney declined to make a statement.

WPXI