HOUSTON — A Houston Methodist employee who was stabbed during an attempted robbery inside a Texas Medical Center parking garage in May has filed a lawsuit alleging the medical complex failed to provide adequate security despite a history of violent crime in the area.
Baleigh Burmaster filed the lawsuit Wednesday against the operators of the Texas Medical Center, seeking more than $1 million in damages for medical expenses, pain and suffering, mental anguish, lost wages and attorney’s fees.
The lawsuit alleges the Texas Medical Center knew or should have known about repeated violent crimes in the area but failed to implement reasonable security measures to protect visitors and employees.
Texas Medical Center officials declined to comment on the pending litigation.
“While we cannot provide comment on pending litigation, the safety and security of everyone who works, receives care, studies and visits the Texas Medical Center campus remains a top priority,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
Burmaster was attacked on May 11 while sitting inside her vehicle in a Texas Medical Center parking garage before the start of her shift at Houston Methodist. The lawsuit states she suffered multiple stab wounds and is expected to have permanent scarring, including on her face.
Authorities arrested 46-year-old Perry Green on May 13 in connection with the attack. He faces charges of aggravated robbery with a deadly weapon and aggravated kidnapping and remains in the Harris County Jail, according to jail records.
The lawsuit cites crime data from Safemap.oi, which uses monthly crime statistics from the City of Houston, to support its claim that the area had a history of violent offenses. According to the filing, the area recorded 101 assaults, 48 aggravated assaults, 81 incidents of intimidation and 15 reported rapes or sexual assaults since April 2025.
The lawsuit also states that four violent crimes, including the attack on Burmaster, were reported in the area between May 11 and May 26, 2026.
“A reasonably prudent premises owner would have identified and taken reasonable steps to deter the risk of violent crime from harming invitees, like [Burmaster],” the lawsuit states. “Defendant TMC failed to do so.”
