Witnesses testify in case involving the alleged abuse of patients at Enid facility
OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — About half a dozen witnesses testified Wednesday afternoon in an alleged abuse case out of the Robert M. Greer Center.
A Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order was filed last Friday in an attempt to stop the "shredding" of confidential documents.
The Motion included three exhibits, including a sworn oath from a former Greer Center employee who resigned from the facility on Jan. 2.
The former employee alleges both current and suspended employees were instructed to destroy Greer Center documents.
“[The previously suspended employees] have returned to work and have been designated to shred documents and confidential information,” court records read.
The former employee also noted that a Greer Center Human Resources representative is involved in “shredding documents."
“Liberty of Oklahoma Corporation takes its legal obligation to preserve records very seriously and we strongly deny any allegations of wrongdoing as it relates to maintaining records. We look forward to presenting the facts in court, where this matter can appropriately be resolved with the seriousness it deserves.”
Sue Nayda, Chief Operating Officer of Liberty of Oklahoma Corporation
“Based on internal investigation, it appears there was no effort to communicate to Defendants’ counsel that Plaintiff would approach the court to request a [Temporary Restraining Order],” read court records filed by the attorneys for Liberty of Oklahoma Corporation.
Additionally, the response pointed to KFOR’s coverage, more specifically News 4 Reporter, Kaylee Olivas’ social media from Jan. 5.
The Defendants’ attorneys claims the Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order had not been shared with them prior to it being broadcasted on social media.
The claims are “largely false and inflammatory,” reads the Response.
The Defendants’ attorneys say they were only provided with a copy of the motion after News 4 aired it. The documents did not become publicly available until Sunday, according to court records.
Court records go on to discredit the former employee who claimed there was “shredding” of documents.
The Defendants’ Response claims that former employee lacks first hand knowledge and only expresses hearsay.
“Defendants do not deny that they have been actively shredding documents. Instead, they do what any criminal does when it is caught red-handed. They try and deflect attention to something else entirely to take the heat off themselves,” the Plaintiff's Reply to Liberty of Oklahoma Corporation reads.
A hearing was scheduled for Wednesday afternoon, where an Oklahoma County judge would decide to either dismiss the Motion for a Temporary Restraining Order or enforce it.
Although the hearing began as public, the judge stated there would be "confidential information" shared during the hearing, so he instructed everyone other than the attorneys to leave the courtroom.
The hearing was closed to the public for more than four hours.
It appears about half a dozen witnesses testified during the hearing.
One of the Defendants and former Greer Center Intake Coordinator, Anthony Huhman, was summoned to appear at the hearing, according to court records.
It doesn't appear the other two former Greer Center employees who are listed as Defendants in the lawsuit were summoned to appear during the Wednesday hearing, according to OSCN.
News 4 was unable to get a hold of Liberty of Oklahoma Corporation nor the Plaintiff's attorneys following the hearing on Wednesday. It's unknown if a ruling in the hearing was made.
There are also no public records indicating a ruling as of Wednesday night.