A New Jersey woman has filed a lawsuit against a home care company and its employee who she says badly beat and burned her last year.
The home health aide, Christopher Iwaniuk, reportedly broke 11 of Joan Hughes-Slackter’s ribs when he punched her and kicked her during a routine visit for her husband, according to a complaint filed Aug. 17 in Essex County Superior Court. Iwaniuk, 48, of Lakewood, New Jersey, also poured boiling water on her head two separate times during the May 2014 attack, leaving her with severe burns, a concussion and chipped teeth, according to the lawsuit.
The complaint states that Hughes-Slakter contacted Zoe International Homecare in 2013 to have someone come to her Manhattan residence to care for her bed-bound husband. Iwaniuk, a certfiied health aide, was sent to live with the couple four days a week, according to the report.
On the day in question, Iwaniuk allegedly verbally confronted Hughes-Slakter before beginning to attack her. The beating ensued until her husband’s massage therapist entered the apartment through an unlocked door, the lawsuit states.
Zoe International Homecare deems itself a premier caregiving service for clients ranging from celebrities to top executives, according to the company’s website.
Iwaniuk is currently serving a five-year sentence in New York for attempted murder and assault convictions, according to Courthouse News Service.
The lawsuit seeks punitive damages for assault and battery, negligence and other claims. Defendants named in the suit are Zoe International Homecare, its parent company Celebrities Group, Inc. and Iwaniuk. Representatives for the parties involved could not be reached for comment by Courthouse News Service.
Written by Kourtney Liepelt
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