A central Arkansas man has filed a wrongful-death lawsuit against the mental health services provider that treated his 20-year-old daughter, along with its parent company and a former nurse, according to a complaint filed Wednesday.
Andy Clements accuses Benton-based Rivendell Behavioral Health Services, Universal Health Services Inc. and a former employee of negligence. The suit was filed by Potts Law Firm LLP of Houston in Pulaski County circuit court.
Joely Clements was found dead in the nurse's Little Rock apartment the evening of April 8, the suit states.
She had gone on a date with the employee on April 5, the day after she was discharged from Rivendell, where she had been checked in due to her drug addiction, according to the filing.
The next morning, he left for a fishing trip at Lake Erling, leaving the 20-year-old in his apartment. The suit states that the nurse became aware that Joely Clements had relapsed while staying at his home but didn't return until April 8.
When he arrived, he found the woman unconscious and called the Little Rock Police Department. Joely Clements was declared dead due to a heroin overdose, according to the complaint.
In the suit, Andy Clements asserts that the Little Rock man “provided [his daughter] with heroin or, at minimum, a habitat that allowed her to obtain heroin easily,” which caused her death.
His employer and its parent company were negligent, the document states, because when he was hired, he was on probation with the Arkansas Nursing Board for taking medications from patients.
Andy Clements, a Benton resident, is seeking a jury trial at which a monetary amount can be set.