Eight years after being falsely accused of assaulting an infant in her care, a former University of Illinois at Chicago Medical Center nurse has been vindicated in court. A federal jury awarded Crispiniana Domingo nearly $3.9 million for the wrongful accusations she faced back in 2016. As detailed by the Chicago Tribune, the compensatory damages total $3.67 million, with an additional $220,000 in punitive damages against the UIC officer responsible for the false charge of aggravated battery to an infant.
Charged with the crime in 2016, Domingo was subjected to a week in Cook County Jail and a two-year suspension from work during the criminal proceedings that ensued. After a customer service representative hired by the hospital alleged seeing her slap an 8-month-old boy's head, Domingo's personal and professional life were abruptly disrupted. Despite the allegations, which also included the infant's arm being broken in 2016, as reported by the Chicago Tribune, Domingo maintained her innocence throughout. She was found not guilty in February 2018.
“Domingo had a really good, productive life and this is a classic example of how malicious prosecution can destroy someone’s life,” her attorney Richard Dvorak conveyed, as per the Chicago Tribune. The jury's decision serves as a strong statement against the injustice she suffered. The damages awarded reflect the gravity of the situation she was forced into, despite clear medical evidence that eventually helped to clear her name.
Domingo's case also brings to light the horrific impact of wrongful prosecution on individuals, with her attorney emphasizing the verdict as a "huge message to police and detectives that they can’t just ignore all of this medical evidence and prosecute people for crimes they didn’t commit." Since the accusations in 2016, Domingo has not returned to her work in nursing, hinting at the deep scars left by the ordeal.
