Aurora Vista del Mar to Pay $13 Million to Rape Victims

A jury verdict found Aurora Vista Del Mar hospital and its parent company, Signature Health, guilty on August 13 of allowing the rape of three patients, the Los Angeles Times reported. The Ventura hospital had hired Juan Valencia as a mental-health worker in 2011, though he had an existing rape conviction. He pled guilty to rape and sex crimes in the Aurora cases in 2013 and is serving six years. The women, two from Santa Barbara, had been deemed delusional or incompetent when admitted, and the jury awarded them a total of about $13 million and $50,000 each in punitive damages. The hospital said it planned to appeal.