LOWELL, Mass. (Legal Newsline) - A Massachusetts day care is suing a customer who demanded $50,000 for injuries she alleged happened there.
First Path Day Care Center of Watertown sued Ashleigh Fay on Feb. 4 in Middlesex County Superior Court, alleging Fay made false and defamatory statements to Fox 25 about how her son's time at First Path.
Fay placed her 18-month-old son in the young toddler group at the day care on April 30, 2018. Ten days later, he showed signs of an injury to his head that Fay said occurred during a fall at a playground.
The same day, a little girl bit Fay's son. The day care said it intervened immediately and separated them.
The bite did not break the skin and staff cleaned the area and calmed Fay's son, the suit says. Fay received an incident report, the suit says. But Fay said she noticed four additional bruises on his back, while First Path maintained they were not caused by any activity there.
Fay hired a lawyer who demanded $50,000 from the day care, which refused.
"In an apparent effort to gain leverage and extract a financial settlement from First Path, Ms. Fay took her false claims to the press," the suit says. "She specifically contacted Fox 25 and also made a report to the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care."
A second financial demand asked for $30,000. The Fox 25 report remains online and continues to harm the day care financially, the suit says.