A wrongful death lawsuit was recently filed against a Mobile care home after an autistic man was stomped to death. The suit was filed in Mobile Circuit Court by the family of the man, Matthew Cox, who was only 21-years-old at the time of the fatal incident. According to the suit, Cox was living in the group home “when he was allegedly attacked Oct. 27 by Trent Yates, 27, an ex-convict with a history of violence and domestic abuse.” Two days after the incident, Yates was charged with murder, though that hasn’t stopped the Cox family from seeking justice.
A wrongful death lawsuit was recently filed against a Mobile care home after an autistic man was stomped to death. The suit was filed in Mobile Circuit Court by the family of the man, Matthew Cox, who was only 21-years-old at the time of the fatal incident. According to the suit, Cox was living in the group home “when he was allegedly attacked Oct. 27 by Trent Yates, 27, an ex-convict with a history of violence and domestic abuse.” Two days after the incident, Yates was charged with murder, though that hasn’t stopped the Cox family from seeking justice.
The suit argues that four companies are to blame for wantonness and negligence and mentions 26 different allegations. Among the allegations are claims that the accused companies “negligently hired Trent Yates, negligently failed to train, supervise and monitor him, and negligently allowed him to supervise special needs individuals.” Prior to the incident that claimed the life of Cox, Yates was found guilty for the “assault in the 3rd degree of a man in Mobile on Oct. 2014.” For that incident, he was “sentenced to one year in prison suspended with two years of probation.” Additionally, he also “had multiple domestic violence charges from municipal court in Prichard and Mobile.”
Yates was hired by the group home care company, New Way Out Corporation, while he was “still paying court fees associated with his assault charge.” New Way Out Corporation, along with Altapointe Health Systems, Inc., Altapointe Healthcare Management, LLC, and French Residential Facilities, Inc. are all named as defendants in the suit.
During an October 30th hearing, a prosecutor detailed out just how violently Cox had been attacked. According to the prosecutor, Cox, “who had the approximate intelligence of a 4-year-old, was stomped so hard that his internal organs had been severely damaged.” He also added that his “head and brain were also damaged in the attack.”
While speaking on behalf of the family and their lawsuit, Robert L. Mitchell of Cunningham Bounds, LLC said:
“Matthew’s entire family trusted these companies to nurture Matthew and to keep him safe. They were promised that the group home would be a positive environment where Matthew could build on the life skills he learned while a student at Augusta Evans School. But instead of help and care, he was violently mistreated and eventually killed. These companies completely failed Matthew and let him down at every level. Hopefully, the outcome of this case will increase awareness and lead to some meaningful improvements in the care provided to those with special needs.”
Sources:
Wrongful death lawsuit filed in killing of autistic man at Mobile care home
Reaction to lawsuit by family of dead autistic man in Mobile
Join the conversation!