Around 250 patients file lawsuit against Northwell Health over alleged illegal surveillance at Great Neck facilities
The lawsuit claims Northwell Health was negligent and failed to protect the victims, including children.
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Approximately 250 patients have filed a civil lawsuit against Northwell Health, alleging that the organization failed to protect them from years of illegal surveillance by one of its employees.
The lawsuit, filed on Friday, July 25, in Nassau County Supreme Court, alleges Northwell Health was negligent and failed to take proper action when it discovered an employee had set up hidden cameras and was secretly recording people, including children, at STARS Rehabilitation and the Sleep Disorders Center off Community Drive in Great Neck.
Attorneys for the victims said for almost two years, between August 2022 and April 2024, Northwell Health knew or should have known that hidden cameras were installed by one of its employees in bathrooms and changing rooms but did nothing about it.
Former sleep technician Sanjai Syamaprasad pleaded guilty earlier this month to five counts of unlawful surveillance and two counts of tampering with evidence in the case.
So far, prosecutors have only been able to identify five victims from the sleep center. Earlier this month, prosecutors said Syamaprasad also filmed people at the rehab center and that there are likely hundreds of other victims.
Northwell learned about the conduct in April 2024 but waited more than a year to notify its patients, according to the lawsuit.
“This lawsuit seeks three things: compensation for our clients, to make sure Northwell never lets this happen again, and to ensure that any recordings of our clients are identified and deleted," one of the victim's attorneys, Nathan Werksman, said in a statement.
A Northwell Health spokesperson responded to the lawsuit in a statement to News 12: "We were deeply disturbed when we first learned information regarding the conduct of the former employee, who has not worked here for over one year. We promptly reported his conduct to the DA’s Office, immediately revoked his access to the premises, and fully cooperated in the DA’s Office’s investigation and prosecution of him. Safeguarding the privacy of our patients and employees will always remain a high priority for us."
