Surveillance footage from 2022 of Christelle Bobich throwing a toddler to the floor at Sunshine House in Loganville, Ga. (via WSB).
A day care center in Georgia might face legal proceedings after a disturbing incident where one of its employees was filmed throwing a toddler they were supposed to care for.
Legal representatives for Loganville’s Sunshine House day care found themselves in a courtroom in Gwinnett County on Tuesday, dealing with allegations from a lawyer representing the toddler’s family. In January 2022, Mallory and Matt Stevens entrusted their 15-month-old son to the care of Sunshine House, where employee Christelle Bobich was assigned to watch over him and several other toddlers.
In surveillance camera footage that was shown in court, Bobich was seen picking the boy up and slamming him to the floor.
Local news station WSB reported that Bobich admitted to criminal charges regarding the incident and no longer works at the facility. The Stevens family has now initiated a lawsuit against Sunshine House, asserting the organization is responsible for the incident.
James Hankins, who represents Sunshine House, informed the judge that the day care center adhered to all legal requirements when recruiting Bobich. According to WSB, Hankins stated, “She was authorized by the state of Georgia [Department of Early Care and Learning] for her role and successfully completed the necessary criminal background check.”
Regarding the incident, Hankins attributed sole responsibility to Bobich, stating, “Her testimony indicated she had lost control, which the objective video evidence seems to confirm.”
Nonetheless, Peter Ross, the attorney for the Stevens family, argued that Bobich’s inexperience should have been a concern. Ross told the court, “Ms. Bobich only possessed four months of experience from a previous job. She mentioned she wasn’t even applying for a lead teacher position.”
Ross further stated, “We’ve shown negligence and punitive damage, especially on these egregious facts [that] are in play.”
Tuesday’s hearing was held to decide whether the lawsuit should move forward to a trial. WSB reported that a decision has not been made yet.
