Broken Justice: OUTRAGE Over Perpetrator Sentence, and How Survivors Can Still Achieve Justice

The news no one wanted to hear

For many Northwell patients, the day they learned the man who secretly filmed them in restrooms would serve no jail time felt like a second violation. After years of silence and uncertainty, the announcement landed like a gut punch: probation. No incarceration. No real accountability.

How could a person who recorded vulnerable patients in bathrooms—people who trusted a world-renowned healthcare system—walk free? That’s the question thousands of survivors are asking, and the outrage is justified.

The answer lies in a legal system that too often minimizes harm that isn’t physical—but make no mistake, the damage done was profound. The criminal system may have closed its file, but justice for survivors is only beginning.

What happened

The hidden-camera scandal at Northwell Health’s Sleep Disorders Center and STARS Rehabilitation facility on Community Drive in Great Neck shook Long Island and the wider New York community.

From August 2022 through April 2024, an employee named Sanjai Syamaprasad secretly installed cameras disguised as everyday objects—devices hidden in places where patients expected complete privacy. The discovery led to his arrest and the removal of multiple recording devices.

In 2025, Syamaprasad pleaded guilty to unlawful surveillance and was sentenced to five years’ probation. Prosecutors said the recordings captured patients and employees in bathrooms, changing areas, and exam rooms. More than 13,000 letters were later mailed to patients who might have been affected.

For survivors who opened those letters, the relief of knowing the perpetrator was caught quickly turned into disbelief and anger. The man responsible walked out of court, avoiding prison entirely.

Why the sentence feels like a betrayal

For survivors, the sentence isn’t just lenient—it’s a betrayal of trust. It sends the message that privacy violations, humiliation, and psychological trauma don’t warrant the same seriousness as physical assault.

Many survivors have said the emotional toll is unbearable. The idea that a healthcare worker, someone entrusted with care and dignity, would use that position to spy on patients is horrifying. To then see that person leave court without serving a single day behind bars compounds the pain.

“It’s a slap in the face,” said one survivor quoted in local news reports. “We were violated, and now we’re being told that violation doesn’t matter.”

This outrage isn’t only about one individual—it’s about a systemic failure. Northwell’s delayed response, the year-long gap before notifying patients, and now the lenient sentencing have deepened the wound. Many survivors feel abandoned by the very institutions meant to protect them—first by the hospital, then by the courts.

What justice still means

Even though the criminal case has ended, the fight for justice has not. For thousands of victims, civil lawsuits are now the most powerful path to accountability. These lawsuits don’t depend on criminal punishment—they focus on the harm caused and the responsibility Northwell bears for allowing it to happen.

Civil cases can do what the criminal system didn’t:

• Force Northwell to answer for its lack of oversight.

• Compel changes to ensure this never happens again.

• Provide survivors with financial compensation for emotional distress, therapy costs, and other losses.

It’s not about money—it’s about acknowledgment. A civil case is one of the few ways survivors can reclaim their power and make a public record of what they endured.

Slater Slater Schulman leading the fight

Among the firms at the forefront of this effort is Slater Slater Schulman LLP, representing hundreds of Northwell survivors. The firm has filed lawsuits on behalf of more than 400 victims, each case telling a story of trust shattered and privacy stolen.

Their cases argue that Northwell failed to provide adequate supervision and security, enabling the employee’s predatory behavior. They’re demanding answers about how such a breach could happen—and why patients were left uninformed for so long.

This litigation is not just about one perpetrator. It’s about institutional accountability. Hospitals are supposed to be sanctuaries of safety and healing. When that trust is broken, the system must be forced to change.

Civil suits can do more than award damages—they can push hospitals nationwide to adopt new safeguards, install better monitoring systems, and take every report seriously.

How victims can take action

If you received a Northwell notification letter—or were treated at the Great Neck Sleep Disorders Center or STARS Rehab between 2022 and 2024—you may have legal rights. Here’s what you can do right now:

1. Save your letter. It’s proof that Northwell identified you as potentially impacted.

2. Write down what you remember. Even approximate dates of visits or staff interactions can be helpful for your case.

3. Reach out to an attorney. A firm like Slater Slater Schulman can review your situation confidentially and help you understand your rights.

   
   

There are no upfront costs. Civil cases are handled on contingency, meaning the firm only gets paid if you win.

Even if you’re unsure whether you were recorded, you may still be entitled to join the litigation. The emotional violation alone—the fear, the loss of trust, the sense of exposure—can form the basis of a valid claim.

A system that failed — and the chance to rebuild trust

For many survivors, the criminal sentence felt like the system’s way of saying, you don’t matter. But the civil process says the opposite: you do matter, and your story deserves to be heard.

Filing a lawsuit isn’t about revenge—it’s about restoring dignity, demanding change, and refusing to be silenced. The criminal court may have let the perpetrator walk away, but the civil courts can still deliver justice that acknowledges the depth of harm and forces accountability at the institutional level.

Every survivor who comes forward strengthens the case for reform. Every lawsuit filed sends a message that privacy is not optional—that hospitals have a duty to protect their patients, and that betrayal will not be quietly forgotten.

If you or someone you love received a Northwell letter, you are not powerless. You have a right to be angry. You have a right to seek justice. And you have the opportunity—through civil action—to help make sure this never happens again.

Contact Slater Slater Schulman LLP today for a free, confidential consultation. No fee unless we win.