Family Files Suit Against Rainier School for Rape of Autistic Woman | Press Release
TACOMA, WA – The family of an autistic woman today filed a lawsuit in Pierce County Superior Court against the state-run Rainier School for the rape of their sister Maryann Stallone.
“We are appalled that a school charged with the care of vulnerable adults allowed this to happen,” said Catherine McIvor, Stallone’s sister. “This is my sister’s home and it’s supposed to be a safe haven, but it became a hell.” Stallone, 58, has the mental development of an eight-year-old child.
The Rainier School in Buckley provides 24-hour supervision to people with developmental disabilities. It is operated by the state’s Department of Health and Social Services. The school has a history of negligent care.
A Rainier School employee walked in on her supervisor Terry Wayne Shepard as he raped Stallone in her bed on Nov. 13, 2016. Police were called to the school and arrested Shepard who awaits trial on second-degree rape charges. Preliminary investigations show Shepard, 60, is suspected of sexually assaulting Stallone and other residents at the school prior to the Nov. 13 rape of Stallone.
“This employee was in a position of power and a rapist. He leveraged his power to prey on vulnerable residents at Rainier School,” said, an attorney with Evergreen Personal Injury Counsel, a top law firm representing clients across Washington. “We will hold them accountable for that.”
For more information and details on the Stallone case, please review the EPIC Case Profile.