On May 8, 2021, Benjermen Valladares was arrested on sexual battery charges in Hillsborough County, Florida. Benjermen Valladares is a nurse and the arrest was made in connection with a report that was made by one of his female patients in the emergency room at Tampa General Hospital, located at 1 Tampa General Cir, Tampa, FL 33606. Benjermen Darlon Valladares, age 41, has been a registered nurse in Florida since 2006 and resides in Seffner, Florida.
According to the Complaint, the sexual assault occurred after a female patient at Tampa General went to the ER mid-afternoon on May 8, 2021, for what she thought were COVID symptoms. Valladares was assigned to her case and reportedly told the patient that he needed to examine her in private. According to the report, Valladares took her into the bathroom, put on gloves with lubricant, and began sexually assaulting the patient. He allegedly got down on his knees, stuck his fingers inside of her vagina, and rubbed her chest. The patient asked Valladares what he was doing and immediately told him to stop. She left the bathroom and reported the incident to another nurse on staff. That nurse then called the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, who then made the arrest. Valladares was released on a $25,000 bond on May 11.
On February 17, 2022, the Florida Department of Health issued a Final Order against Benjermen Valladares and accepted the surrender of his license as discipline and resolution of its administrative case against him. Valladares agreed never to reapply for licensure as a registered nurse in Florida.
It is unacceptable, immoral, and unlawful for any hospital employee to touch a patient in a sexual manner.
Horowitz Law has filed numerous sexual misconduct claims against nurses and doctors on behalf of clients who were sexually assaulted at hospitals, private practices, and rehab centers. If you have been a victim of sexual assault or sexual battery under the care of a healthcare provider, or if you know someone who has, please contact our law firm at 888-283-9922 or send an e-mail to sexual abuse lawyer Adam Horowitz at [email protected] for a free consultation.