Nurse with ‘concerning history’ repeatedly sexually abused patient, MI suit says
.png "A former Sinai-Grace Hospital employee is accused of sexually assaulting a patient repeatedly.")
A Michigan woman was sexually assaulted by a hospital nurse with a “concerning history” of abuse, she says in a lawsuit.
The woman is suing Tenet Healthcare Inc.; its subsidiaries, VHS of Michigan and VHS Sinai-Grace Hospital; and several individuals.
The lawsuit filed Sept. 30 says the woman was assaulted at Sinai-Grace Hospital in Detroit by a nurse who attorneys say has multiple previous allegations of sexual assault.
The woman, who has a history of mental health challenges and substance abuse, arrived at the hospital intoxicated on Aug. 18, the civil complaint said. At about 4:50 p.m., she was admitted for further care.
At 8:05 p.m., a doctor ordered for the woman to be discharged, but an unknown employee “discontinued” the order in the electronic system, the complaint said.
The woman remained at the hospital, and in the middle of the night, nurse Wilfredo Figueroa-Berrios went into her room and began making “lewd and inappropriate sexual comments” to her, according to the lawsuit.
Figueroa-Berrios then sexually assaulted the woman, the lawsuit said.
Throughout the night, Figueroa-Berrios went into the woman’s room at least four times and sexually assaulted her, the complaint said. At no point did he document any medical reason for entering her room, according to the lawsuit.
The woman was released the next morning, but two days later, she was brought back to the hospital after falling at a local store.
During this hospital visit, the woman said she reported the sexual assaults to two female nurses. However, no action was taken, and one nurse replied saying, “oh well, I guess you were having consensual sex then, weren’t you?” the lawsuit said.
As she was leaving, a third female nurse was overheard saying, “If I was his wife I would find her (expletive) on the street,” the complaint said.
The lawsuit also said while the woman was at the hospital during her second visit, staff retaliated against her by denying her food and access to a patient advocate, withholding her personal belongings and telling her to leave in her hospital gown and socks.
Sinai-Grace Hospital told McClatchy News in an email that it “prioritizes the safety of our patients” and does not condone “any type of abuse.”
McClatchy News reached out to Tenet Healthcare and an attorney for Figueroa-Berrios for comment on Oct. 1 but did not immediately hear back.
‘Concerning history’ of abuse
Between 2020 and 2021, Figueroa-Berrios was employed at a medical facility in Livonia, according to the complaint. While there, Figueroa-Berrios was accused of sexually assaulting at least five patients and an investigation is on-going, the lawsuit said.
Some time after this, Figueroa-Berrios was hired at Sinai-Grace Hospital, despite his “concerning history,” the complaint said.
In May, while employed at the hospital, Figueroa-Berrios was accused of forcing himself into a porta potty at a park and assaulting a woman.
Despite these allegations, the hospital hired and continued to employ Figueroa-Berrios, allowed him in “high-risk settings and permitted him to treat patients who were particularly susceptible to exploitation or harm,” the lawsuit said.
“The hospital has rigorous processes in place to screen applicants prior to employment. There was no indication of a concern during that process. We also have processes to identify and address patient safety issues and take appropriate action. Upon becoming aware of these allegations, Sinai-Grace proactively initiated contact with and notified law enforcement and suspended the employee, who has since been terminated,” the statement from Sinai-Grace Hospital said.
Arrest of Figueroa-Berrios
On Aug. 25, a Detroit police officer was called to Sinai-Grace Hospital and reviewed camera footage, which showed Figueroa-Berrios repeatedly entering into the woman’s room throughout the night she was there, the complaint said.
Figueroa-Berrios was arrested the next day, and on Aug. 27, he was charged with three counts of criminal sexual conduct, court records show.
He was also charged with criminal sexual conduct in two other cases, one filed Aug. 30 and one filed Sept. 25. Online court records do not specify the allegations behind the charges.
However, in a Sept. 8 news release, the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office said Figueroa-Berrios faces sexual assault charges in connection with the alleged May 9 assault of a 41-year-old woman in a porta potty.
During a Sept. 4 arraignment, Assistant Prosecuting Attorney Grace Broughton said she wanted the court to be aware that the prosecutor’s office had at least four more pending cases against Figueroa-Berrios, the complaint said.
It is unclear “how many patients were violated” while Figueroa-Berrios was working at the hospital, the lawsuit said.
In one case, he is being held on a $100,000 bond, and in another, his bond was set at $50,000.
This story was originally published October 1, 2025 at 4:07 PM with the headline "Nurse with ‘concerning history’ repeatedly sexually abused patient, MI suit says."
