A Santa Rosa-based in-home caregiving nonprofit was ordered to pay $6 million in a Sonoma County civil court on Monday after a jury found they violated their own policies and left a developmentally disabled adult vulnerable to sexual assault that allegedly left him traumatized.
Attorneys for the developmentally disabled man alleged the organization, Becoming Independent, violated its own policies around nepotism when they hired caregiver Andrew Martinez and put him under the supervision of his own aunt, who worked at the organization.
As his supervisor, Martinez’ aunt put him in an overnight, in-home care assignment with a vulnerable 53-year-old man who was allegedly victimized multiple times by Martinez, according to the San Jose law firm that represented the victim, Cerri, Boskovich & Allard…