SEBASTIAN COUNTY - The father of a teenage girl who was allegedly assaulted by two male employees at Mansfield Juvenile Treatment Center for Males and Females has filed a lawsuit against the center and the two men.

Little Rock attorney Melody Piazza, with Wilkes & McHugh, P.A., filed the lawsuit on Oct. 19, 2010, in Sebastian County on behalf of Steven Hawkins, whose daughter, Taylor, was severely injured at the center last year. The defendants include: Arkansas Youth Services Inc., which operated and managed Mansfield Juvenile Treatment Center for Males and Females; American Landmark Insurance Co., the insurance carrier for Arkansas Youth Services Inc.; and employees Monroe White and Jerami Hodgson.

The lawsuit alleges that on April 11, 2009, Monroe White claimed he was trying to restrain Ms. Hawkins when he grabbed her by the back of the neck, picked her up and slammed her to the ground face first. Her head hit the concrete floor; she was knocked unconscious and began to have a seizure. The facility failed to seek immediate medical treatment for the 15 year old, according to the lawsuit. Monroe White was charged with battery as a result of the incident.

The lawsuit also alleges that on July 16, 2009, Jerami Hodgson and other employees of Arkansas Youth Services Inc. denied Taylor Hawkins' requests to use the restroom and as a result of the altercation that followed between Hawkins and staff members, Ms. Hawkins stretched her arm out to break her fall and subsequently fractured her wrist.

Ms. Hawkins has suffered and/or continues to suffer pain and other related injuries, according to the lawsuit. The lawsuit alleges counts of negligence and battery against South Arkansas Youth Services for negligent hiring, negligent supervision, failure to protect against foreseeable criminal attacks; and failure to seek and provide medical treatment. The lawsuit also includes one count each of battery against both Monroe White and Jerami Hodgson.

The suit seeks damages to compensate Taylor and Steven Hawkins for the injuries, past and future medical expenses, for loss of services, and punitive damages sufficient to "punish defendants for their egregious and malicious misconduct in reckless disregard and conscious indifference to the consequences to Taylor Hawkins and her parents and to deter Defendants and others from repeating such atrocities."