Douglas Kennedy, who was caught on camera kicking and pushing two Northern Westchester Hospital nurses, was acquitted by a Mount Kisco judge Tuesday, November 20. Nurses say this decision sends the wrong message to the public.
Under state law, it is a felony to assault a nurse while on duty in New York State – and the video in this case speaks for itself.
The nurses, who were following hospital protocol, tried to stop Kennedy from leaving the maternity unit with his two-day old son when he tried to take the child outside in January. In response, Kennedy can be seen on tape kicking one nurse and pushing the other to the ground.
A powerful person who should be going to jail for harming nurses is being let off without so much as a reprimand.
The New York State Nurses Association has stood with the two nurse victims case since the case went to court in the spring and has repeatedly dogged Kennedy with rallies outside the courtroom.
We did not succeed in sending Kennedy to jail. We did succeed in educating thousands of New Yorkers about this law. And we will keep standing up for an end to workplace violence.
The New York State Nurses Association is the voice for nursing in the Empire State. With more than 37,000 members, it is New York’s largest professional association and union for registered nurses. The association represents registered nurses, and some all-professional bargaining units, in New York and New Jersey. It supports nurses and nursing practice through education, research, legislative advocacy, and collective bargaining.