State of Connecticut settles lawsuit over convict's killing of visiting nurse for $2 million

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HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut officials have agreed to a $2.25 million settlement of a lawsuit over a sex offender's killing of visiting nurse Joyce Grayson at a halfway house in 2023 — a case that reignited calls for better protections for home health care workers across the country.

A state judge in Hartford approved the settlement on Thursday in the wrongful death lawsuit filed by Grayson's husband. Meanwhile, settlement talks with other defendants in the lawsuit, including Grayson's employer, are continuing, said Kelly Reardon, a lawyer for Grayson's family.

Grayson, a 63-year-old mother of six and a nurse for 36 years, had gone to the halfway house in Willimantic on Oct. 28, 2023, to administer medication to Michael Reese, who was living there while on probation and after serving prison time for stabbing and sexually assaulting another woman in 2006.

Police found Grayson dead in the basement of the home later the same day. The medical examiner’s office said she died of compression of the neck and had blunt force injuries. Reese pleaded guilty to murder and was sentenced last month to 50 years in prison.

The lawsuit alleged state officials failed to properly supervise Reese during his probation, failed to ensure the public was protected from him, failed to detain him when he violated his probation, failed to provide him adequate mental health and drug programs and allowed him to be alone with visiting nurses despite his violent past. The lawsuit blamed the Department of Correction and probation oversight run by the Judicial Branch.

“The family hopes that this settlement demonstrates that the state is taking its involvement with the perpetrator of this horrific crime against Joyce Grayson seriously," Reardon said. “Along those lines, as part of the settlement, family members will be meeting with representatives of some of the involved state agencies to discuss ways that these types of crimes can be prevented in the future.”

The Connecticut attorney general's office, which represented the state in the lawsuit, referred Tuesday to the settlement agreement filed in court and declined to comment further. In the agreement, the state does not admit to any wrongdoing.

Grayson's husband, Ronald Grayson, also sued his wife's employer, Dallas, Texas-based Elara Caring, and affiliated companies, alleging they repeatedly ignored workers' safety concerns about treating dangerous patients.

Elara Caring has called the allegations “unwarranted” and said Connecticut officials were responsible for monitoring and managing Reese's activities after determining he was not a danger to the community and releasing him to a halfway house. An Elara spokesperson referred to the company's previous statements and declined further comment Tuesday.

Grayson's death spurred Connecticut legislators last year to approve a new law aimed at improving safety for home health care workers, including providing grants to employers to fund emergency alert buttons, buddy escort systems, tracking devices and safety training.

The killing also drew comments and social media posts from industry and worker groups across the country, expressing shock and sadness and calling for greater protections for health care workers from increasing violence.

In a national survey of nearly 1,000 nurses released last year by the National Nurses United, the largest union of registered nurses in the U.S., more than 80% responded that they had experienced at least one type of workplace violence in 2023. Nearly half of them reported an increase in workplace violence over the previous year.