A DeKalb County woman filed a lawsuit against a Georgia child welfare employee and the state, accusing the man of attempting to rape her and forcibly performing oral sex on her while conducting a home visit.
In the lawsuit, filed earlier this month, a woman identified only as D.S. alleges that Jose Sandoval, a Division of Family and Children Services caseworker, sexually assaulted her while visiting her home in November. The woman is suing Sandoval, DFCS and the Department of Human Services, which oversees DFCS.
A lawyer for the woman said she filed a police report in DeKalb County about the alleged incident.
Sandoval, who was hired in January 2019, is no longer employed by DFCS. He was placed on desk duty — having no contact with the public — in December and dismissed in January.
DFCS officials declined to comment on the lawsuit. Sandoval could not be reached.
According to the lawsuit, Sandoval went to the woman’s house on the afternoon of Nov. 12 to pick up clothes for the woman’s child, who was preparing to attend a court hearing. The woman’s two other children were in the home at the time.
While there, Sandoval is accused of first sharing with her a sexually explicit dream about her and then kissing her without her consent and asking her to touch his genitals. She says she refused his advances.
Sandoval is then accused of following the woman into the bathroom, closing the door and forcing her to stay in the room when he is said to have cornered her, removed her panties, forcibly performed oral sex on her and attempted to have sexual intercourse with her.
The lawsuit lists DFCS and DHS as defendants because they are accused of not thoroughly checking his background before hiring him. The lawsuit did not say what, if anything, was in his background that would have prevented him from working for DFCS.
The woman is seeking an undetermined amount for pain and suffering and any legal fees.
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