Convicted CRNA Assaulted a Teen in an On-Call Room. Now Halifax and UF Face a Lawsuit.

This story covers sexual assault. Support resources are listed at the end of this article.

The woman was 18 when her Jiu-Jitsu instructor, nurse anesthetist Joel Gingery, met her at Halifax Health Medical Center while on duty and sexually assaulted her in a hospital on-call room. Gingery was convicted of two counts of sexual battery in 2024 and sentenced to 20 years in prison. Now, a civil lawsuit alleges the institutions connected to his employment failed to protect her.

When the 18-year-old woman arrived at Halifax Health Medical Center in Daytona Beach on Aug. 21, 2022, she believed she was meeting with her Jiu-Jitsu instructor to discuss her future in the sport.

Instead, according to testimony at his criminal trial, she was led into a hospital on-call room where, she testified, her instructor used an adjustable table to barricade the door before assaulting her.

The man, Joel T. Gingery, then 57, was not only her Jiu-Jitsu instructor; he owned Trident Jiu-Jitsu in Ormond Beach, where she had trained for two years. He was also working at Halifax Health as a nurse anesthetist, employed by the University of Florida, which runs the anesthesiology service at the hospital.

The assault led to Gingery’s arrest and a criminal prosecution. In March 2024, a Volusia County jury found him guilty of two counts of sexual battery. Three months later, Circuit Judge Elizabeth Blackburn sentenced him to 20 years in prison followed by 10 years of probation. He is also required to register as a sex offender.

Now, four years to the day after the assault, the woman is pursuing a separate civil case against Gingery, Halifax Health and multiple entities connected to the University of Florida and UF Health.

The lawsuit, filed Aug. 21, 2026, in Volusia County Circuit Court, brings 40 counts and alleges that Halifax Health and other defendants failed in their duties to supervise Gingery, maintain adequate security and prevent him from using his professional access to facilitate the assault.

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The woman had been attending Gingery’s Trident Jiu-Jitsu school for approximately two years when he asked her to meet him at Halifax Health Medical Center on Aug. 21, 2022.

At trial, she testified that she believed Gingery wanted to discuss sponsoring her financially in Jiu-Jitsu competitions.

Instead, she testified, Gingery took her to an on-call room.

According to her testimony, Gingery used an adjustable hospital table to barricade the door.

She said she told him no and tried to get away.

She testified that Gingery used his size and strength to prevent her from leaving and sexually assaulted her.

Gingery disputed that account during his criminal trial. He testified that the sexual encounter was consensual.

The jury rejected his defense and convicted him of two counts of sexual battery.

The new lawsuit focuses heavily on the fact that Gingery was working at Halifax when he met the woman.

According to the complaint, Gingery was on duty and wearing hospital scrubs and his Halifax identification badge when he met her at the hospital. The lawsuit alleges that he then used his keycard to escort her to the fourth floor.

The plaintiff alleges that she was not a hospital employee but nevertheless was able to accompany Gingery through the facility, including through secure elevators, without being questioned by hospital personnel or triggering security alerts.

That allegation forms an important part of the lawsuit’s claims against Halifax.

The complaint alleges that Gingery was able to use the authority and access associated with his employment to bring the woman into an area that was not intended for public access.

The lawsuit argues that Halifax had a duty to exercise reasonable care to prevent Gingery from using his employment-provided authority, access and status while on duty to commit the assault.

The woman is not suing Gingery alone.

The complaint names Halifax Health and Halifax Hospital Medical Center, as well as a number of corporate entities connected to Halifax and the University of Florida.

It also names Shands Teaching Hospital and Clinics, doing business as UF Health Shands Hospital, and the University of Florida Board of Trustees.

The allegations against those organizations vary, but the lawsuit repeatedly raises questions about supervision, security and institutional responsibility.

The plaintiff alleges that Halifax failed to properly supervise employees and failed to prevent Gingery from using his employment authority and hospital access to harm her.

The complaint similarly alleges that Shands had duties to supervise employees and ensure that nurses were fit for their positions.

The lawsuit makes similar allegations against University of Florida Health and the University of Florida Board of Trustees, claiming they failed to exercise reasonable care to prevent Gingery from using employment-provided authority to commit the assault.

According to the Aug. 21 complaint, the woman left Halifax after the assault and contacted her aunt.

Her aunt encouraged her to seek medical care at an AdventHealth emergency department, where she underwent a sexual-assault examination.

Police subsequently interviewed the woman at AdventHealth.

The investigation also included a phone call between the woman and Gingery. She had told officers that Gingery had tried to contact her several times after the assault.

At the direction of investigators, she returned his call while police monitored the conversation.

According to the arrest report, Gingery told her: “Hey, I’m sorry I put you through that. Can you forgive me?” 

Gingery was arrested and initially faced charges of sexual battery with a deadly weapon or force and false imprisonment.

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A Conviction and Prison Sentence

The criminal case proceeded to trial in Volusia County.

Gingery testified in his own defense and maintained that the sexual encounter had been consensual.

The jury found him guilty of two counts of sexual battery.

On June 3, 2024, Blackburn sentenced Gingery to 20 years in prison followed by 10 years of probation. He was also ordered to register as a sex offender.

According to Florida Department of Corrections information cited by the Daytona Beach News-Journal, Gingery’s current release date is listed as March 17, 2044.

The University of Florida fired Gingery approximately one month after he was accused of raping the woman, according to the News-Journal’s reporting.

The criminal case established Gingery’s criminal liability.

The civil lawsuit presents a different question: were other organizations legally responsible for failing to prevent what happened?

The plaintiff alleges they were.

The complaint argues that Gingery’s employment status, hospital credentials and access to restricted areas created circumstances that should have been subject to greater oversight.

It alleges that Halifax had a legal duty to protect people invited onto its property and to supervise employees, agents and physicians.

The lawsuit also alleges that the defendants’ failures resulted in significant physical and emotional harm to the victim, including medical expenses, emotional pain, mental anguish, loss of enjoyment of life and other damages.

The complaint seeks damages exceeding $50,000, although the News-Journal reported that the ultimate amount sought could be significantly higher.

At its core, the civil case raises questions about what happens when an employee’s legitimate access to a hospital intersects with a private relationship outside of work.

Gingery did not need to break into Halifax Health or impersonate an employee. He was an employee with legitimate credentials and access.

The plaintiff’s allegation is that those privileges were used to bring her into a restricted portion of the hospital.

The lawsuit therefore asks the court to consider whether the institutions involved had adequate safeguards in place to prevent that access from being misused.

Those claims have not yet been decided.

Nurse.org requested comment from Halifax Health, UF Health, and attorneys for both parties. None had responded by publication. At the time of Gingery’s arrest in 2022, Halifax and UF said they were cooperating with law enforcement, and officials said Gingery’s hospital access had been revoked and that he had been placed on unpaid leave.

The civil lawsuit is now moving forward separately from the criminal case.

Gingery is currently serving a prison sentence for the two sexual-battery convictions.

The civil case will determine whether the other defendants can also be held legally responsible for the circumstances surrounding the assault, and whether the systems designed to provide security and oversight inside a hospital failed the young woman who entered Halifax that August night.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, support is available through the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 800-656-4673 or online at rainn.org, free and confidential, 24/7.

🤔 Should hospitals bear legal responsibility when an employee misuses their access and credentials? Share your thoughts in the comments below.