Parents in Wisconsin are claiming that a nanny they hired to watch their child, who was just 3 months old, actually killed the baby while it was in her care. Moreover, they say that the woman was drunk on the job when the incident occurred. They say that this is in keeping with a past history that the woman has of both violence and abuse of alcohol.
That nanny is now behind bars, and the parents have taken legal action. They are suing both the nanny herself and the service that recommended that they hire her, run through a website called Care.com. They said that it was a failure by this service that led to the child’s death.
The parents went to Care.com, which they needed to pay a fee to use. After that first fee, they paid more money for a “Premier Background Check,” a service that the site offers. The site is then supposed to screen each of the candidates carefully before recommending them to the parents. When the site suggested the nanny, an electronic contract was signed to hire her on.
Considering what transpired, the parents are claiming negligence on the part of Care.com. The death of their child occurred back in 2012, on July 26, and they are laying that blame on the screening process. They say the company missed police matters regarding battery and felonies, and that they also missed multiple DUI charges.
Negligence can lead to a wrongful death in the same way that a direct action can, and parents must know their legal avenues to if they believe that this has happened to them.
Source: Courthouse News Service, “Nanny-Screener Failed Miserably, Parents Say” Jul. 31, 2014
