Kansas City nonprofit failed to protect disabled client from sexual assault, suit says
The guardian of an Independence woman with developmental disabilities is suing a Kansas City day program after she was allegedly sexually assaulted by another client at the facility.
The lawsuit, filed in Jackson County Circuit Court this week, alleges that staff at the Center for the Developmentally Disabled failed to protect the woman — referred to as Jane Doe in court documents — even after she asked them to keep the male client away from her. The center is described in court documents as “CDD” and does business as PALS 3.
“Members of defendant CDD’s staff, through their inattention, neglect and recklessness, allowed plaintiff to be sexually assaulted at defendant CDD’s facility by another male client in the women’s restroom,” the suit said. “This misconduct was foreseeable to defendant CDD.
“ … Before plaintiff’s sexual assault, the individual who sexually assaulted her was described by defendant CDD staff as ‘frisky,’” the suit alleges.
Sarah Mudd, president and chief executive officer of the center, did not immediately return a call for comment. Neither did Nick Hillyard, an attorney for Jane Doe and her guardian, Jackie Doe.
The suit alleges that the staff knew that the accused individual has several diagnoses, including schizoaffective disorder and borderline intellectual dysfunction and has the mental capacity of a 7- to 8-year-old. He had been terminated from his employment because of sexual misconduct, the lawsuit said.
“Before plaintiff’s sexual assault, the individual who sexually assaulted her was described by defendant CDD staff as ‘frisky,’” the suit said. “ … As a direct and proximate result of defendant CDD’s negligence and carelessness, plaintiff has and will, in the future, incur medical and psychiatric treatment expenses, the exact amount of which cannot be determined at this time.”
The alleged assault
Jane Done was left under the care and supervision of the center, at 9150 E. 41st Terrace, on March 10, 2025. The facility operates and manages a day program for developmentally disabled adults.
“While plaintiff was using the women’s restroom at the facility, another developmentally disabled adult male client entered the women’s restroom and sexually assaulted her,” the suit said.
Jackie Doe reported the assault to the Kansas City Police Department.
Two weeks before the alleged assault, “plaintiff had made a request to CDD staff to keep the individual who sexually assaulted plaintiff away from her.”
And earlier on the day of the alleged assault, the suit said the man accused had made a staff member at the facility “uncomfortable,” after he asked her for a hug because “it felt like he was groping her.”
‘Situation dangerous to plaintiff’
The suit accuses the nonprofit of not providing staff enough training or having the needed supervision at the facility.
“Defendant CDD had the ability and opportunity to control the behavior of its staff members at the facility, but maintained a situation dangerous to plaintiff and other developmentally disabled individuals attending defendant’s facility,” the suit said. It also accused the nonprofit of failing to prevent the alleged assault by not adequately training staff.
The failure to “properly train and supervise the members of its staff and its negligent retention of them proximately caused plaintiff injury at the hands of another CDD client,” the lawsuit alleges.
“Defendant CDD owed plaintiff a duty to use reasonable and ordinary care in protecting plaintiff against unreasonable risk of harm while under defendant’s care and supervision,” it said. “Defendant CDD’s conduct toward plaintiff … was negligent and careless.”
Through their attorneys, Jane and Jackie Doe request a jury trial.
