NEWARK, NJ – A federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by former inmate David Edmond, who alleges he was sexually abused for nearly four years by a correctional officer at the Ann Klein Forensic Center, a state-run psychiatric facility in Trenton.
U.S. District Judge Susan D. Wigenton issued the ruling on January 26, denying a motion by the State of New Jersey, Ann Klein Forensic Center, and officer Dominique Maldonado to throw out the case. The decision allows Edmond’s claims of negligence and emotional distress to proceed to discovery.
According to court filings, Edmond was transferred to the forensic center in January 2020 for a mental health evaluation when Maldonado, a correctional officer, began communicating with him through explicit notes. Within weeks, the correspondence escalated to near-daily phone calls and, by March 2020, a sexual relationship.
The complaint alleges Maldonado smuggled contraband into the facility and grew increasingly controlling and violent, threatening Edmond when he tried to end the relationship. She allegedly continued to contact him after his transfer back to prison, sending nude photos and coercing him into sexual acts. Edmond says the prolonged abuse caused him both physical and psychological harm, including lasting trauma and erectile dysfunction.
Edmond’s eight-count complaint accuses Maldonado of assault, battery, and intentional infliction of emotional distress, and the State of New Jersey and the forensic hospital of negligent hiring, supervision, and failure to protect him. He voluntarily dismissed his federal civil rights claims against Maldonado in her official capacity earlier in the proceedings, leaving only state law tort claims for the court to consider.
Judge Wigenton found that Edmond’s allegations, if proven, could support claims of negligence and institutional liability, rejecting the state’s argument that it was immune from responsibility. The court will now allow the case to move forward into discovery, where attorneys will examine internal policies, personnel records, and potential oversight failures at the facility.
- Judge denies motion to dismiss sexual abuse lawsuit against New Jersey and Ann Klein Forensic Center
- Plaintiff alleges years-long abuse by correctional officer Dominique Maldonado
- Case proceeds to discovery on negligence and emotional distress claims
