Austin attorney, Kristina Baehr, sued the Navy for abuse and the case was highlighted in an article for Newsweek by Jasmine Law.
In this poignant case highlighting negligence and poor oversight, the parents of a young child have filed a lawsuit against Ford Island Child Development Center at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Hawaii.
The parents, Jeremy and Kaitlin Kuykendall, accuse the Navy daycare center of failing to protect their toddler, Bella, from abuse by daycare workers, according to the lawsuit documents shared with Newsweek.
The incident dates back to August 2022, when Bella was just 15 months old. Her parents noticed unexplained bruises on her legs, red marks on her face, and significant changes in her demeanor. Concerned, they reported these observations to the daycare center’s management, who reviewed video footage and initiated an investigation. As a result, two daycare employees were terminated, as confirmed by an anonymous Navy official.
Dissatisfied with the initial response and feeling that the matter was not adequately addressed, Jeremy Kuykendall, an Army captain, utilized the Freedom of Information Act to obtain the daycare’s video footage. After meticulously reviewing the footage for hours, he discovered alarming evidence of abuse, including pinching, slapping, yanking, squeezing, shoving, shaking, throwing, and smothering. He subsequently reported these findings to the Honolulu Police Department. In May 2023, charges were filed against the two daycare workers, resulting in jail sentences of eight and 30 days, respectively.
Medical documentation from Kapiolani Medical Center for Women and Children corroborated Bella’s injuries, detailing bruises, scrapes, and red marks on her face. Despite the time elapsed since the incident, Bella, who turned three in May, continues to suffer from headaches, balance issues, and fear of strangers. Jeremy Kuykendall testified in court that Bella experiences psychiatric trauma, characterized by violent reactions when scared or prolonged periods of withdrawal. He also expressed his own ongoing struggle with the aftermath of the situation and his intent to advocate for stronger child safety laws.
Kaitlin Kuykendall voiced her deep distress, stating, "Throughout this ordeal, our terrified daughter was not only betrayed by individuals entrusted with her care but also by the very system designed to protect her. The negligence displayed by the Child Development Center has broken our family's trust in the military institutions we sacrificed to serve and relied upon to protect our children."
The Kuykendalls' attorney, Kristina Baehr, founder of Just Well Law in Austin, Texas, emphasized the parents' right to expect safety and adherence to policies by federal employees in daycare settings.
The national trial attorney Kristina Baehr stated, "Parents have the right to expect that their kids will be safe at day care. And they have the right to expect that federal employees will follow their own policies to keep those kids safe. Those rights were violated, and rules were broken. The Kuykendalls now want accountability — and they want to make sure that this does not happen again. And so in filing these claims, the Kuykendalls take a stand for all of us."
Representatives for the Navy declined to comment on the situation when approached by Newsweek.
This tragic case underscores the critical need for stringent oversight and accountability in childcare facilities, especially those operated by military institutions. The Kuykendalls' pursuit of justice not only seeks redress for their daughter's trauma but also aims to prevent such failures from occurring in the future, advocating for the safety and well-being of all children in similar care settings.
This is not the first time attorney Kristina Baehr has fought lawsuits against the Navy for negligence. Baehr recently went to court with many families in the Red Hill case.
Read the full article on Newsweek.com
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