Family sues state, group home operator after developmentally disabled woman raped, gave birth

Baltimore City police are investigating the rape of a developmentally disabled woman, which was not discovered until just weeks before she gave birth in December 2024.

The victim's family is suing the state along with the operator of the group home where the victim lived at the time. 

The victim could not give consent. 

She is blind and non-verbal and has the cognitive ability of a toddler, according to the lawsuit, which was first reported by The Washington Post. 

The lawsuit 

The allegations in the lawsuit are shocking: a developmentally disabled woman who received around-the-clock care was raped, and it was not discovered until she was taken to Sinai Hospital in Northwest Baltimore in the fall of 2024 with abdominal swelling and pain. 

Doctors there confirmed she was pregnant and contacted Baltimore police. 

A police spokesman told WJZ Investigates, "This investigation remains actively open, and we still can't comment any further."

No arrests have been made.

The victim later gave birth to a healthy child.

Jessica Gallatin of Cecil County cares for her own developmentally disabled sister and read the family's detailed account when it was first published in The Washington Post this week.

"I instantly just thought of my sister, and then I cried. It took me a second to get my composure…" said Gallatin, who is a member of the advocacy group Concerned Citizens of Self-Direction Maryland. "It was devastating to hear. It's definitely a worst fear situation." 

Compounding her fears are state budget cuts that she said are pushing more vulnerable people into group home settings. 

"Everyone feels exposed, and this story just kind of validated everyone's concerns," Gallatin said. 

She still has many questions.

"Wasn't somebody else around? How did that even happen? I'm just trying to picture it. I don't know. I was at a loss for words trying to think of how something like that can happen," Gallatin told WJZ. 

Group home, state responds

Elliott Petty, a lawyer representing Dominion Resource Center, the operator of the home where the victim lived at the time, told WJZ, "Dominion Resource Center denies wrongdoing as to [the victim] but expresses its love and support of [the victim] and her family in this difficult circumstance. DRC has worked and will continue to work and cooperate with Baltimore City Police in their investigation."

A Dominion executive told The Washington Post that six of her staff members have been cleared of wrongdoing, and the company's legal representative noted the state did not recommend any corrective action after the incident. 

The lawsuit also names state agencies, including the Maryland Department of Health, which told WJZ it "…cannot comment on ongoing litigation."

But the agency stated, "Investigations of complaints regarding services for Marylanders who participate in DDA waiver programs have been and continue to be a priority for the Moore-Miller Administration. The Maryland Department of Health's goal is to provide a sustainable, accessible, and effective program of meaningful services for Marylanders with disabilities."

Continuing fears

According to the family's lawsuit, the fact that the pregnancy was not discovered for months, "…is not only outrageous but inconceivable given [the victim's] evident vulnerabilities and the comprehensive care she was supposed to receive. This claim seeks to hold the Defendants accountable for their inexcusable failure to protect [the victim], resulting in her profound suffering and the birth of her child under traumatic circumstances."

The family's lawyer said they are concerned other vulnerable people could be at risk with the rape suspect or suspects at large. 

Gallatin shares those fears. 

"It's just unthinkable [to] me that someone is capable of doing that," she said. "The fact that he's still out there I think, is really concerning."