Former security guard who was strangled at Ypsilanti Township apartment complex files lawsuit
A Milan woman who was strangled and raped in August while working as a security guard at an Ypsilanti Township apartment complex is suing her former employer, alleging the company failed to properly train her.
The 29-year-old woman, who worked for S.I.A. Protective Services & Investigations LLC, is suing her former company, former owner Amany Tabb, and Security Operation Services LLC, which bought the company in October.
The suit was filed Thursday in Washtenaw County Circuit Court and seeks an unspecified amount of money. Tabb could not be reached for comment.
Among the allegations is that S.I.A. promised to pay the woman’s medical bills, which totaled more than $12,000, but didn't follow through.
The woman made $8.50 an hour, the suit says, but was not given health benefits and didn't have insurance on her own.
She was attacked the night of Aug. 10, shortly after she told three men to leave a playground at Maplewood Apartments, a 271-unit apartment complex on Chestnut Street.
She was strangled with a television cord until she was unconscious, and a rape kit showed she had been sexually assaulted, the suit says. She told AnnArbor.com in August that she scared off her attackers after spraying them with pepper spray when she regained consciousness.
According to the suit, the woman returned to work four days after the attack, but S.I.A. refused to place her with another security guard, indicating that staffing levels are up to each client. She also wasn't provided any additional training, the suit alleges, and wasn't able to return to work because she feared for her safety.
The suit says the woman repeatedly sought reimbursement of her medical bills, but her calls were ignored, and Tabb sold the business in October to an employee, who is running it under the name SOS.
So far, no arrests have been made in connection with the attack, Washtenaw County Sheriff's Department spokesman Derrick Jackson said today.
Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and e-mail at leehiggins@annarbor.com.
Comments
Shannon
Thu, Dec 16, 2010 : 11:08 p.m.
Also, S O S is not part of S I A and nor do they have any affiliation.
Shannon
Thu, Dec 16, 2010 : 11:04 p.m.
How you praise a company for the best treatment and being treated like family and then try to drag a company and an innocent previous owner and new owner through the mud is beyond me! Lets remember that right after the attack she begged to go back to work, but they didn't train her properly? I am a previous female employee of the company and every employee is given much more training than any other security company around. You and your supervisor decide when you are trained enough to confidently and safely work in the field. S I A has been around for over 10 years and there has never had anything like this happen before, so this must speak for something! Amany was a great owner and cared VERY much about her employees and their safety! All command staff (supervisors)take the training and safety of the employees very seriously! I seriously hope that everyone realizes that anyone can make accusations although they are not always true or justified.
breadman
Wed, Dec 15, 2010 : 6:29 a.m.
Suing will not take the memory away for whay happen. She was young, alone, dark. Just a reminder she was doing her best to support a family. So now what will happen? No health insurance, I would seek for the company to pay my bills. Hope her recovery came to a happy ending!!!!!
Daniel White
Tue, Dec 14, 2010 : 12:57 p.m.
Seeing as my comment was censored for unsubstantiated claims, I am curious as to whether the Ann Arbor News might do some further investigation into this security company and find out if they did in fact have insurance, both general liability and workman's comp. If they did why was it not used to pay for the injuries this woman sustained on the job? To address rebba's comment, I believe the property owner would be responsible for the injuries if they occurred from some kind of negligence on their part, but this was a job related incident, an assault is a inherent risk in the duties of a security guard.
Michigan Reader
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 6:45 p.m.
The person responsible for the crime doesn't have money to pay a judgement, I'm sure.
Macabre Sunset
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 2:20 p.m.
It's a shame she can't sue the person responsible for the crime. But that's our litigious society for you.
Soothslayer
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 12:38 p.m.
How or why did the headline leave off the other important crime that apparently happend: "strangled AND raped"
itsasecret
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : noon
old owner is amany tabb new owner was an employee named jimmy collins. He's worked there for several years and is a good guy who bought the company in the hopes of changing it for the best. It's a shame his name and company's name is gonna get a bad rep because of the actions of the previous owner.
Townie
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 11:52 a.m.
NEW owners that is. Who are they and are they just going forward with the name and forgetting the past?
Townie
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 11:42 a.m.
Thanks Joan, nice distinction. I'm sure the victim will appreciate your clarification. This appears to be a company no one would reasonably want to work for. Nice the way they considered her injuries and responded. Perhaps AA.com could identify the owners. (Doubt this will happen).
Joan Lowenstein
Mon, Dec 13, 2010 : 11:35 a.m.
Word usage note: "Strangled" means "choked to death" according to almost all dictionaries. Someone who was strangled would not survive to sue, so this victim was choked with a cord, not strangled.