Nurse's aide seeks $3M in defamation suit

GALVESTON - Trina Shaw is seeking $3 million from Mason Friendswood OP and one of its administrators, claiming they "acted in actual malice" when they allegedly made false statements about her last July.

A lawsuit filed March 24 in Galveston County District Court accuses the defendants of falsely informing Protouch Staffing that "Friendship Haven Healthcare asked the plaintiff to leave because she was a previous employee that had been terminated for theft."

Protouch employed Shaw as a certified nurse's aide assigned to Vistas Hospice from July 2007 to the present time.

The unnamed administrator also told Protouch that "the plaintiff had been arrested, charged and convicted of the theft from their facility," the original petition says.

Shaw contends the statements were false and defamatory, which reportedly caused her to lose the position she held with Protouch.

"As a direct and proximate result of the defendants' unlawful and malicious action is speaking and publishing the statement, the plaintiff has been greatly injured in her good name, fame, reputation and respectability," the suit says.

The complainant claims the alleged incident caused physical pain, mental anguish, loss of income and medical damages.

Attorney Von H. Shelton of Angleton is representing Shaw, and Galveston County 212th District Court Judge Susan Criss is presiding over the case.

Case No. 11-cv-0513