Woman Sues Kaiser Over Her Son’s Stabbing Death

LOS ANGELES (CN) - A Kaiser hospital janitor stabbed a man 11 times with a pocket knife, killing him, the man's mother claims in court.

Before the stabbing the janitor, who worked for the maintenance and housekeeping service Xanitos, went to the hospital security office, run by Securitas, and announced that "things were going to get rowdy," or words to that effect, but Securitas let him leave, according to the Superior Court complaint.

Patricia Vizkelety, mother of the late Michael Vizkelety, sued the janitor, Solomon Washington; Xanitos, Inc.; Securitas Security Services USA,; Kaiser Foundation Hospitals; and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, alleging wrongful death, battery and negligence.

She claims that her son and Washington had had "a verbal exchange" at the Woodland Hills Kaiser hospital, just before Washington walked into the Securitas dispatcher's office at about 2:40 a.m. on March 19, 2012. Washington "pointed to an area where the prior verbal exchange with plaintiff's decedent had taken place," while talking to Securitas employee Teresa Olmos, according to the lawsuit.

"Teresa Olmos negligently failed to have defendant Washington remain in the Securitas dispatcher's office, negligently failed to dispatch other Securitas officers ... and failed to call 911," according to the complaint.

Vizkelety claims that Washington then "stabbed plaintiff's decedent with a pocket knife eleven times, inflicting approximately three fatal wounds." Michael Vizkelety died that day.

His mother says the stabbing "was malicious, oppressive and constitutes a savage attack on plaintiff's decedent without justification so as to justify an award of exemplary or punitive damages against defendant Washington."

The Los Angeles Times reported a different story.

The Times reported on March 27, 2012: Vizkelety was a transient, staying in and around the Kaiser Permanente Woodland Hills Medical Center at the time of his death. Washington went outside and was confronted by Vizkelety, and after an "exchange," Washington went to alert security, went back outside and had an additional disagreement with the victim. Vizkelety punched Washington and a fight ensued, in which Washington stabbed Vizkelety, according to the Times report.

CBS reported on March 19, 2012, that before Washington was struck, he had told Vizkelety to leave the property.

Washington was acquitted of voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter May 21, 2013, according to City News Service.

In her lawsuit, Vizkelety's mother claims that both Kaiser and Securitas had a policy prohibiting workers from bringing pocket knives or other weapons onto the premises, but did not enforce their policies.

She claims that Kaiser managers and Securitas workers "knew, or with the exercise of reasonable care should have known, that defendant Washington brought a pocket knife to work on a daily basis ... to disassemble over two hundred boxes per day."

Xanitos managers knew it as well, the mother says.

She seeks damages and costs.

She is represented by Jack D. Hull with Goldsmith & Hull, of Northridge.

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