By Olivia Richman

Surveillance video released months after an attack inside a Miami hospital emergency room shows a patient striking employees before other workers rush in to stop him.

The May 30 footage from Jackson Memorial Hospital shows patient Wenyou Rubin attacking patient-finance employee Tisa Wolf and registered nurse Yanira Eguileor. The station reports Rubin punched Eguileor three times before she fell as other healthcare workers moved toward him.

Eguileor is now seeking $5 million in damages from Jackson Memorial Hospital and the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office. Her attorney, Michael Pizzi, alleges both failed to provide adequate protection during the incident.

The dispute has also expanded beyond what happened in the emergency room. Pizzi says Jackson did not turn over the surveillance footage until he pursued the matter in court and a Miami-Dade judge ordered the hospital to release it.

Inside The ER

Eguileor intervened while Rubin was attacking hospital staff and was struck multiple times in the head before other workers subdued him.

Pizzi has characterized Eguileor as a career trauma nurse who was trying to protect her colleagues. He alleges Rubin had been allowed to move through the area without adequate security supervision before the attack.

Rubin, 44, has pending criminal cases in Miami-Dade County. GH is not including a count-by-count description of the charges because published reports differ on the current breakdown.

Eguileor's civil case focuses partly on what Pizzi contends was an inadequate security response inside the hospital.

Seconds Apart

Jackson Memorial disputes that characterization.

A hospital spokesperson said that the first Jackson Public Safety officer arrived within seconds, followed soon afterward by additional public safety officers. The hospital said the employees involved were immediately offered care and support.

A longer hospital statement was obtained, saying uniformed Jackson Public Safety officers are assigned to the facility around the clock and are supported by off-duty Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office deputies who are also on campus 24 hours a day.

The Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office said that it does not comment on pending litigation.

Pizzi has separately said obtaining the surveillance recording required another court fight. He said he filed a second lawsuit seeking the footage before a Miami-Dade circuit judge ordered Jackson to provide it.

Another Fight

The dispute between Eguileor and the hospital did not end with the security lawsuit.

Pizzi has filed a whistleblower complaint alleging Jackson retaliated against Eguileor for speaking publicly about the attack.

Jackson disputes that allegation and says it offered Eguileor support services after the May incident. The hospital said that it later discovered what it characterized as Eguileor's unauthorized access and acquisition of protected patient health information for personal gain, along with other alleged policy violations.

Those assertions are Jackson's account of the employment dispute, not findings by a court.

Eguileor remains on leave.