Custodial dad files malpractice suit against hospital for death of 9-year-old daughter; step charged with murder (Gadsden, Alabama)

See our earlier post here. Custodial dad ROBERT LEE HARDIN has a hell of a lot of nerve trying to blame his daughter's murder on the hospital. As we learned before, this guy is a total creep. He stripped the mother of custody under suspicious circumstances, then denied her all visitation.

Here's what we learned before:

Dad initially got joint custody--which is what abuser daddies usually get these days, since the safety of mothers and children is not a priority. (Nothing is said here about domestic violence in this relationship, but given that wife number #2 reports domestic violence, I consider it highly likely that wife number #1 experienced it as well.)

Like many abusers, Daddy then ups the ante. Not enough control for him, ya know? He accuses Mom of "mistreating" the girl or living under "hazardous conditions." The State of Florida can't document any of this mistreatment--which on one level isn't surprising, as the State of Florida seems incapable of documenting anything. Yet the mother LOST CUSTODY DESPITE NO EVIDENCE OF ABUSE much less "mistreatment." WHY?

Daddy gets custody in 2009 and promptly moves out of Florida to Alabama. No indication here as to why or how he was allowed to do so given that custodial mothers are routinely denied moveaway rights. Friends in the right places?

Next abuser move: Daddy effectively denies the mother visitation. This is nearly standard in every case involving a custodial father and a child's death.

Next piece of evidence that's suspicious: Daddy dumps the kid on the new gal pal/step and MOVES OUT OF THE COUNTRY. He's not even interested in raising this child himself! As long as her mother isn't allowed to! This is also frequently seen with abusers. It's all about hurting/punishing the mother; it's not about wanting to nurture children or making sure the kids grow up in a loving and safe environment.

More evidence that something is amiss: Even though the presumably "mistreating" mother lost custody way back in 2009 and apparently has had little to no contact since then, this girl is in "counseling." And this doesn't suggest that there are still ongoing problems? And that Mom's not to blame? Also neatly ignored. We've seen this before too. Where Mom continues to be treated as the boogie man even though the kids have lost all contact with her.

Meanwhile, as we see so often, the step and Daddy's own mom are going to take all the heat for this girl's murder while Daddy plays the wide-eyed innocent. Whenever a mother stays in a home with a father or boyfriend that she knows to be abusive (remember that Daddy HIMSELF accused the step of being alcoholic and bipolar, whether true or not), she's charged with child endangerment or worse. Moms are charged with endangerment or child abuse even when their own life has been threatened or they've been battered. Moms are EXPECTED to intervene and save the child regardless of what options are truly open to them.

Not this dude. He can comfortably live his life outside the country, collect his salary from what is no doubt a well-paying job with the State Department, and ride this out above the fray.

Assuming that Daddy knowingly abandoned this child with a mentally ill and alcoholic step, why isn't he being charged? THIS IS AN OUTRAGE. And the fact that HE was allowed to pull the plug is especially sickening. It shouldn't have been his call to make.

And now he BLAMES THE HOSPITAL??? What an arrogant turd.

http://www.gadsdentimes.com/article/20140220/NEWS/140229992?p=1&tc=pg

Savannah Hardin’s father files malpractice suit against hospital

By John Davidson
Times Staff Writer

Published: Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 5:33 p.m.
Last Modified: Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 5:36 p.m.

Robert Lee Hardin, the father of Savannah Hardin, has filed a medical malpractice lawsuit against Gadsden Regional Medical Center alleging the hospital’s treatment of the child contributed to her death.

Hardin’s grandmother, Joyce Garrard, has been charged with capital murder for allegedly forcing the 9-year-old to run for about three hours in February 2012 as punishment for a lie.

It is not known what effect the civil suit will have on the criminal case against Garrard or vice versa because of a gag order by Circuit Judge Billy Ogletree, which prevents both the District Attorney’s Office and Garrard’s attorneys from speaking about the case.

The suit alleges that a doctor and a nurse acted negligently or recklessly in their assessment, investigation, diagnosis and treatment of the child for hyponatremia, a medical emergency in which sodium levels in the blood have dropped very low.

The suit said Savannah arrived in the emergency room at GRMC about 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 17, 2012. She was assessed and a history was taken. Blood and urine samples were taken about 8:20 p.m. and about 9:12 p.m., the doctor and nurse received the results saying the child’s sodium level was dangerously low.

According to the suit, Savannah was noted to be lethargic, difficult to arouse, vomiting and suffering from seizures between 9:25 p.m. and 12:05 a.m. on Feb. 18. More blood was drawn at 12:05 a.m. and her sodium levels were still very low. At 12:28 a.m., the family was told Savannah was suffering from hyponatremia and she had been given a 3 percent saline solution for the first time.

Hardin was taken to Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham later that morning, where she eventually died.

The suit said the doctor and the nurse failed to assess Hardin’s condition properly, or prepare and invoke a treatment plan. It said they failed to treat her hyponatremia by administering sodium and IV solutions to improve her sodium levels and failed to act quickly, both in initiating the treatment plan and in transferring her to a hospital specifically for children.

Garrard and Robert Hardin’s wife, Jessica Mae Hardin, were indicted on charges of capital murder and felony murder, respectively, on March 9, 2012. Garrard allegedly made Savannah run as punishment for lying about eating candy bars.

Savannah apparently got the chocolate candy bars from someone on a school bus, ate them while on the bus and then lied to her grandmother, Sheriff Todd Entrekin said in 2012.

Garrard allegedly made the girl run outside their home near Mountainboro after she arrived home from school. During a bond reduction hearing March 1, 2012, for the women, Deputy District Attorney Marcus Reid said the girl also was forced to carry firewood weighing up to 15 pounds while running.

Garrard filed a motion to dismiss the charges against her, and Ogletree is scheduled to hear that motion at 8:30 a.m. Friday. Her trial is set for June 23.

She is being held without bond in the Etowah County Detention Center on no bond. Jessica Hardin was released Jan. 7, 2013, on $150,000 bond. Both women have pleaded not guilty to the charges.