Video shows behavioral therapist assault child with special needs, prompting lawsuit

LOS ANGELES - A lawsuit has been filed in Los Angeles County on behalf of a special needs child who was assaulted last year by a man hired to provide her with behavioral therapy and in-home services.

The lawsuit was filed against Behavioral Therapist Kevin Yuen and his employer, California Pediatric & Family Services (CAL-PEDS). The victim is a non-verbal 16-year-old girl with Dandy Walker Malformation Syndrome, Autism, and a brain shunt who had been receiving in-home behavioral therapy through CAL-PEDS.

On Tuesday, FOX 11 spoke with Robert Glassman of Panish Shea Boyle Ravipudi LLP, the Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer. He says the complaint was filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court Monday. Glassman says Yuen and CAL-PEDS were negligent in their duty to protect their client.

Yuen was arrested on June 24, 2021, following the assault and was criminally charged with one count of felony child endangerment and one count of felony assault by means likely to produce great bodily harm.

The charges were later reduced to one count of misdemeanor child endangerment, to which Yuen entered a plea of no contest. He was sentenced to four years of probation and served with a protective order preventing him from harassing or threatening the use of violence against anyone involved in the case, especially the 16-year-old victim. He must also complete a 52-week child abuse treatment program and refrain from working in childcare for the term of his probation.

In a statement to FOX 11, CAL-PEDS said, "we were shocked and appalled when we saw the video," adding that Yuen was fired, that the incident was reported "to the appropriate authorities," and that the department is "cooperating fully with law enforcement.

At the time of the assault, Yuen had been the victim's behavioral therapist for approximately 18 months. The victim's mother said she noticed bruising on her daughter's neck and back and witnessed Yuen aggressively grab the girl's arms during one of their two-hour behavioral sessions in March 2021. She also began to see behavioral changes in her daughter, such as flinching, covering her face, and hitting herself, anytime Yuen came to their home.

Get your top stories delivered daily! Sign up for FOX 11’s Fast 5 newsletter. And, get breaking news alerts in the FOX 11 News app. Download for iOS or Android.

Out of concern about her daughter's welfare and changed behavior, the victim's mother bought and installed a hidden video camera in their living room to record the interaction between Yuen and her daughter. 

Video recordings from their June 14, 2021, behavioral session captured Yuen on video physically assaulting the girl.

The video shows Yuen and the victim sitting on the couch during a behavioral session when Yuen raises his left fist at the girl's face as if he is going to hit her, stops momentarily, and then punches her in the face. 

"He then seems to be looking at his fist, checking for markings or other signs of evidence that he had punched the young girl, and continues the behavioral session as if nothing happened," attorney's for the victim's family wrote in a press release. "Moments later Yuen proceeds to punch [the girl] on the right side of her face with his left fist and then checks her face for any markings. Again, he continues the session as if nothing had happened before forcefully grabbing [the girl] at the waist and pinching her skin as she recoils from him in fear."

According to the lawsuit, the victim suffered severe and permanent injuries as a result of Yuen's physical abuse and aggressive behavior. They are seeking non-economic damages for past and future pain and suffering; economic damages for past and future hospital, medical, professional, and incidental expenses as well as past and future loss of earnings and loss of opportunity; and punitive damages as to Yuen. 

Tune in to FOX 11 Los Angeles for the latest Southern California news.