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Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight is committed to litigating and resolving public interest, social justice, and civil rights matters that add significant value to individuals and communities across America. We excel at representing individuals, groups of individuals, and public entities in employment discrimination, whistleblower, ERISA, sexual violence, Title IX, victims’ rights, and public sector litigation.
Attorneys at Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight (“Sanford Heisler”) today filed a Federal Tort Claims Act (“FTCA”) administrative complaint against the United States…
United States
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FORT HOOD, Texas, Jan. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Attorneys at Sanford Heisler
Sharp McKnight (“Sanford Heisler”) today filed a
Federal Tort Claims Act (“FTCA”) administrative complaint
against the United States Department of the Army (“the
Army”) on behalf of Mayra Diaz, who was violently raped and
attacked by former Sergeant Greville Clarke in the Fort Hood
barracks on July 15, 2022. The complaint alleges that the Army
failed to keep Diaz and other female soldiers safe at Fort Hood
despite having notice of a string of similar assaults against women
on base in the months before Diaz’s attack.
Mayra Diaz is represented in the matter by Christine Dunn, Sanford Heisler’s Co-Chair
of the firm’s Sexual Violence, Title IX, and Victims’ Rights
Practice Group, as well as Jillian Seymour, Associate.
The FTCA is a federal statute that permits individuals to bring
legal claims against federal agencies for torts committed by their
employees. Prior to filing an FTCA complaint in court, the
individual must first file an administrative complaint with the
agency at fault. The agency is then afforded at least six months to
investigate the claim. After that, the individual may file a
lawsuit against the agency in federal court.
Today, Sanford Heisler took the first step in the FTCA legal
process by filing an administrative complaint against the Army on
behalf of Diaz. The complaint claims Clarke attacked five Fort Hood
female soldiers in the span of 18 months, from March 2021 until his
arrest in October 2022. The complaint alleges that Clarke knocked
on the door of Diaz’s Fort Hood barracks’ room on the
evening of July 15, 2022. Upon seeing Clarke’s uniform through
her peephole, Diaz opened her door to him, at which point Clarke
revealed a handgun and forced entry into her room. The complaint
asserts that Clarke then tied Diaz’s arms above her head with
tactical cord, blindfolded her, and raped her. Clarke additionally
waterboarded her, strangled her with a lamp cord, and stepped on
her neck in an attempt to kill her. The complaint further alleges
that Clarke stole Diaz’s valuables before exiting her room.
Diaz remained semi-unconscious on her bed for over 24 hours before
being discovered by concerned friends and taken to the hospital for
life-threatening injuries. Clarke was eventually arrested in
October 2022 after his fifth and final victim escaped his grasp,
leading to his apprehension. During Clarke’s subsequent court
martial in the spring of 2025, Diaz learned that Clarke had
similarly attacked three other female soldiers in the Fort Hood
barracks in the months preceding her attack.
On April 24, 2025, after three weeks of court-martial
proceedings, Clarke was convicted of 29 separate specifications,
including attempted premeditated murder, rape, and kidnapping. He
was sentenced to life in prison. He was serving his life sentence
at the United States Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth,
Kansas when he was found dead in his prison cell on September 19,
2025 due to apparent suicide.
The complaint alleges that the Army’s negligence facilitated
Clarke’s brutal attack on Diaz. The complaint asserts that,
prior to Diaz’s assault, the Army was aware of a string of
similar attacks against female soldiers but nonetheless failed to
warn the Fort Hood community or bolster security measures in the
barracks. The complaint further alleges that Army leadership
cultivated an environment at Fort Hood plagued with rampant sexual
violence against women, creating an unreasonable risk that Diaz and
other female soldiers would experience harm. Multiple reports name
Fort Hood as one of the most dangerous Army bases for female
soldiers.
Sanford Heisler is currently representing multiple other victims
of sexual misconduct at Fort Hood and other military facilities. On
December 15, 2025, Sanford Heisler filed FTCA complaints against
the Army on behalf of seven Jane Does, all of whom were sexually
abused or non-consensually videotaped by Army doctor Blaine McGraw
during medical appointments at the Darnall Army Medical Center in
Fort Hood, Texas and the Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu,
Hawaii. Sanford Heisler additionally represents numerous
survivor-servicemembers who were sexually abused by Army doctor
Michael Stockin at Joint Base Lewis McChord in Tacoma, Washington,
as well as multiple former cadets who were sexually abused and
harassed while at the Coast Guard Academy.
“What happened to my client is horrific – no one
should ever have to endure what she went through. But it’s made
even worse knowing that her attack could have been prevented if the
Army had taken reasonable measures to protect her and others on
base,” said Dunn. “Our servicemembers make so many
sacrifices to protect our country, the least the Army can do is
keep them safe in their own barracks.”
“Time and again we have seen female soldiers at Fort Hood
experience preventable sexual violence. The Army has ignored the
dangers threatening women at Fort Hood for too long, creating an
environment of inexcusable risks to women’s safety. Ms. Diaz is
a victim of not only Greville Clarke but also of the Army’s
refusal to act,” said Seymour. “By filing this complaint,
we are hoping to finally hold the Army accountable for the violence
against women at Fort Hood.”