The lawsuit, filed by former jail employee, Danielle Wolfe, makes numerous allegations. Under the lawsuit, Knight faces three counts, a violation of the Kentucky Whistleblower Act, wrongful termination, and discrimination in violation of the Kentucky Civil Rights Act.
Wolfe, who was a mental health nurse at the jail, and the only Registered Nurse at the facility, claims that initially she was required to meet with inmates in the attorney meeting room where other inmates and attorneys were present, with no privacy for her patients. An inmate reportedly filed a grievance alleging a violation of the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. After this, Melanie Tynes, an LPN in charge of the medical department, reportedly told deputy jailers that taking inmates to see Wolfe should be their last priority.
Wolfe claims that in the fall of 2018 she noticed what the lawsuit calls "improper, illegal, unethical, and unsafe practices" in the medical department, and the inhumane treatment of inmates on suicide watch.
According to Wolfe, she noticed an LPN falsify vital signs for inmates and reported it to Tynes. Tynes reportedly acknowledged the problem but chose to ignore the issue.
Wolfe also reportedly saw LPNs place loose pills in white envelopes with only an inmate's name on it, which other medical staff members would then pass out to inmates, an illegal practice that reportedly led to inmates receiving the wrong medications or wrong dosages.
Wolfe allegedly complained to Tynes once more, however Tynes reportedly scolded Wolfe, telling her "You're mental health; not medical."
She also claims that the medical department is staffed entirely by LPNs, who are handling sick call requests from inmates, evaluating conditions, and determining which medications to prescribe, although an LPN is not permitted to perform patient assessments without the presence of a Registered Nurse or a Nurse Practitioner for verification. Wolfe says they did have an off site medical director and Nurse Practitioner, but Tynes reportedly forbade staff from contacting them, instead having the LPNs perform sick calls.
Furthermore, she claims that medical department staff and deputy jailers were destroying inmate grievances regarding treatment.
Wolfe says she had tried to resolve the issues by discussing the problems with Tynes, without involving Knight, because beginning in January of 2019, Knight had reportedly began making unwanted sexual advances. She claims Knight frequently spoke about sexual matters, sending her sexual messages which became increasingly dirty, including nude videos and inappropriate photos.
According to Wolfe, she would frequently recommend that a patient see the Nurse Practitioner for medication. Tynes then reportedly told Wolfe that she should not schedule inmates to see the Nurse Practitioner, and instead she needed to make a recommendation to Tynes, who would then decide which inmates could see the Nurse Practitioner, although overruling an RN is beyond the scope of the LPN practice.
Up to this point, Wolfe claims that she had an agreement when she took the job, that she would work a part-time schedule with flexible hours in order to care for her children. However, on February 10, she claims that Tynes gave her a warning for tardiness, although she had reportedly arrived at an agreed upon time under her flexible schedule.
Tynes then reportedly told Wolfe that if she wanted to keep her job, she would have to agree to a new schedule that Tynes had designed, which included working on a day that Tynes reportedly knew Wolfe would not be able to work.
Wolfe says that on February 24 and 25 she spoke with an Emergency Medical Technician and a Medical Assistant and allegedly learned that they had been required to perform acts, such as injecting insulin, which the lawsuit says should not have been performed without supervision from a nurse.
On February 27, allegedly after months of getting no-where by speaking with Tynes, she decided she would speak with Knight. On February 27, reportedly after arriving to work, Knight called her into his office and reportedly terminated her for alleged HIPAA violations.
In the lawsuit, Wolfe requests the following resolutions:
1) A jury of twelve to try the case.
2) That Knight be required to respond.
3) Payment for damages.
4) Front pay.
5) Additional compensatory damages for emotional stress, pain, suffering, embarrassment, and humiliation.
6) All costs be placed on the defendant.
7) The defendant be ordered to pay punitive damages.
8) the costs and attorney's fees be assessed against the defendant.
9) Necessary remedies to eliminate all alleged violations.
10) Any other relief the court finds appropriate.
You can see the full text of the lawsuit at the link below.
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Lawsuit
