A lawsuit has been filed against St. Tammany Parish Coroner Christopher Tape to block him from ending a program that provides specialized care to victims of sexual abuse.
The coroners of Livingston, Tangipahoa, and St. Helena parishes joined the nonprofit Sexual Trauma Awareness and Response (STAR) in filing a lawsuit Thursday against Tape for ending the sexual assault nurse examiner (SANE) program, which is run by the St. Tammany Parish Coroner’s Office.
Late Thursday, Tape announced in press release that he would “reconsider” the program.
“I may have failed to make clear that I think the SANE program is a tremendous asset to the community, and that my concern is the well-being of St. Tammany,” Tape said. “I’m coroner of this parish, after all, not the entire region.”
But as of Thursday, the nurses hired as part of the program had been terminated.
In an email to The Times-Picayune and other media outlets just days before he took office Monday, Tape abruptly announced that he would discontinue the program. Ending the program will throw the treatment of sexual assault victims “into chaos” in the region where it has operated, the lawsuit alleges.
The SANE program employs nurses who provide specialized health care to victims and assist in evidence collection. The program serves a five-parish region that includes the parishes whose coroners are party to the lawsuit.
“The sexual assault nurse examiner program has become the standard of care for examining victims of rape and sexual abuse,” said Dr. Ron Coe, the Livingston Parish coroner. “For the St. Tammany Parish coroner to abruptly end it for our whole region is a disservice for so many, many people, both past and future victims.”
The SANE program is largely funded through state and federal grants, according to former St. Tammany Coroner Charles Preston. In a press conference earlier this week, Tape said that he did not fully understand the finances of the SANE program.
“If it's a budget issue, reach out to the other parties and let’s resolve it,” Coe said, noting that Tape had not consulted with any of his fellow coroners before ending the program. “I know that our parish would step up and do what we needed to do.”
Representatives for the St. Tammany Coroner’s Office said Thursday they had not yet been served the lawsuit and could not immediately comment on it.
Preston indicated that, last year, the program cost St. Tammany's taxpayers a total around $70,000 that wasn't covered by grants or other funds. This year, however, the coroner got additional grant funding and he expects SANE to have a $22,000 surplus.
“It's not about the money,” Preston said. “If you're a ‘businessman,’ you'd want to get the numbers before you make a decision.”
Tape has come under fire from elected officials for ending the SANE program. The northshore delegation of state lawmakers issued a statement on Sunday condemning Tape’s move to end the program, and argued that it may not be legal for him to do so.
“Obviously, it's a result of his irresponsible actions,” Sen. Patrick McMath, R-Covington, said Thursday of the lawsuit. “He’s saying he’s trying to save the parish money by not undertaking things that ‘aren't moneymakers,’ but this lawsuit will cost taxpayer dollars.”
The embattled Tape has also been under fire from other St. Tammany elected officials over media reports that he was indicted on child sex assault charges in New Mexico that were ultimately dropped in 2002. A number of elected officials in St. Tammany have called on him to resign. He told the media Monday he won't step down.
The lawsuit, filed in the 22nd Judicial District Court in Covington, alleges that, under state law, the coroner in St. Tammany is designated as the “lead entity for sexual assault examinations,” and can’t end the SANE program unilaterally. In order to legally do so, the lawsuit argues, Tape would have had to consult with the other parishes and stakeholders to modify a regional plan that currently designates the St. Tammany Parish coroner as the lead.
“Plaintiffs have a credible and reasonable fear that they will be unable to treat sexual assault victims due to the defendant’s unilateral decision” to end the program, the lawsuit states.
Since Tape announced that he was cancelling the program, health care providers “are all in limbo” trying to figure out how to provide care to victims of sexual assault, said Morgan Lamandre, the CEO of STAR. “Nobody knows what to do.”
The plaintiffs are represented by Scott Sternberg, an attorney who also handles some legal matters for The Times-Picayune and Advocate.