Oak Harbor woman traumatized by strip search sues hospital

A proposed class action alleges the Fairfax mental-health hospital may have violated patient rights.

When an Oak Harbor woman was admitted in March 2018 to the Fairfax Behavioral Hospital in Kirkland, she reportedly was told to undress for a mandatory search.

She told staff she had a history of being sexually abused. They reportedly ignored her pleas, and told her again to take off her clothes, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in the U.S. District Court in Seattle.

The door was left open and other staff members could see inside the room, according to court papers. A camera was recording the scene. And the woman was not given a gown or towel to cover up.

After she undressed, staff told her to pull down her underwear and bend over for a cavity search, attorneys wrote. She started shaking and crying, then curled up into a ball on the floor. read more »

Harvard Harassment Case Brings Calls for External Review and Cultural Change

A committee formed by the Harvard government department issued a detailed report about the case of Jorge Domínguez, a former professor accused of sexually harassing students and faculty over decades.

More than a year has passed since the resignation of Jorge Domínguez, a Harvard government professor who was accused of sexually harassing more than a dozen female students and junior faculty members over decades.

But his case has continued to prompt soul-searching and angry questions from students about a university culture that allowed him to stay employed and even get promoted, despite repeated complaints about his behavior. read more »