Austin Day Care Faces Second Lawsuit Over Child Abuse Allegations
AUSTIN, Texas — A day care center, The Children’s Courtyard, is facing serious allegations after a second lawsuit was filed against it by the Milivojevic family. This claim comes after a troubling incident involving their nearly 2-year-old daughter. The family asserts that on their daughter’s second day at the day care in May 2023, she was “aggressively handled and inappropriately disciplined.”
Immediate Action Taken by the Family
After witnessing the incident through a live feed video, the Milivojevics decided to immediately pull their daughter out of the facility. They reported the incident to the day care’s director, hoping for a resolution. However, the family claims that their concerns were not adequately addressed, leading them to escalate the situation by reporting it to state authorities.
Connection to Previous Allegations
This new lawsuit was influenced by an earlier lawsuit reported in July, which had highlighted similar issues at The Children’s Courtyard. Attorney Russell Button, who represents the Milivojevic family, mentioned that while reviewing the live feed video, they discovered a second disturbing incident. This incident involved the son of the Dominguez family, who allegedly faced similar mistreatment by the same caregiver just two months before the Milivojevic’s experience.
Details of the Allegations
According to Button, the video shows the Dominguez family’s son being yanked and thrown onto his nap mat by the caregiver in the same classroom as the Milivojevic’s daughter. This alarming video prompted the Dominguez family to update their original complaint and amend their earlier lawsuit. Button emphasized the goal of both families is to hold The Children’s Courtyard accountable for what he describes as a culture of neglect in supervision and care.
Response from The Children’s Courtyard
Attorneys representing The Children’s Courtyard responded to the new lawsuit with a denial of any wrongdoing. Despite these denials, prior statements from day care staff indicated that the employee involved in the allegations was no longer working at the facility. The situation continues to unfold as the day care faces increasing scrutiny and demands for accountability.
State Involvement and Regulation
Following these incidents, KVUE reached out to Texas Health and Human Services (HHS), the regulatory body for child care providers in the state. A spokesperson for HHS stated they are looking into the matter, although further details were not immediately available.
Next Steps for the Families Involved
As the legal process moves forward, attorney Button remains hopeful that the courts will recognize the serious nature of these allegations. He noted that this situation reflects a deeper pattern, indicating that the day care had a “systematic system in place that was just setting up for these children to be abused and for these caregivers to go unsupervised.”
The Milivojevic and Dominguez families now look to ensure that no other child experiences similar mistreatment. They are determined to seek justice and corrective actions from The Children’s Courtyard.
The developments in this situation emphasize the importance of safe environments for young children in day care settings, helping to raise awareness among parents and caregivers alike.
