Woman sues hospital for giving suspected rapist her information

ATCHISON, Kan. — A woman in Kansas who says she was sexually assaulted is suing the hospital where she went for help.

The reason? She says the hospital leaked her personal information to her alleged rapist and then she says the same man assaulted her again.

When a Missouri woman was sexually assaulted in May of 2017, she went to Atchison Hospital for an evaluation and to have a rape kit processed. She told them who attacked her, but was adamant hospital staff not tell anyone.

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According to a lawsuit filed against Atchison Hospital and one of its former employees, an X-ray tech at the hospital contacted the woman's assailant to tell him she had accused him of sexual assault. The woman says that led to him relentlessly harassing her through text messages, social media and phone calls, as well stalking her in public and at her house.

Even worse, the lawsuit says the X-ray tech harassed and hounded her as well.

The situation allegedly then escalated to violence, with the man sexually assaulting her a second time.

The hospital's CEO wrote a letter to the patient apologizing for any concern or difficulty the incident caused her.

The suit blames Atchison Hospital for not securing patient medical information. Though the hospital fired the X-ray tech, the suit says Atchison gave her positive reviews, so she could quickly get a new job at Saint Luke's Cushing Hospital in Leavenworth, where she's worked since 2017.

Saint Luke's says it was unaware of the reason for the employee's termination at Atchison before the lawsuit was filed. She's since been put on administrative leave pending an internal investigation.

Atchison Hospital says it's implementing immediate changes to how patient information is accessed.

CNN/WDAF