Arlington woman suing former employer for $6.85M after assault caught on camera

ARLINGTON, Va. - A Virginia woman who was assaulted and verbally abused by her former employer has filed a $6.85 million civil suit against the man. 

The lawsuit is the result of a May 10 incident in which Dr. Haroon Rashid was caught on camera physically attacking his medical assistant, Whitney Grant, at the Vista Medical Center located at 320 23rd Street in Arlington. 

The argument reportedly began when Grant asked Rashid how to properly move a patient onto a table. In the video, you can hear Rashid say, "I am going to hit you" before the phone falls out of her hand and they both start yelling.

Patients can be seen in the video growing increasingly uncomfortable and one woman said she called 911 as she left the office. 

"I didn’t expect to be treated like that, especially at work. And he’s not only my employer, he’s also my personal physician, so that really just added insult to injury," Grant told FOX 5 in an exclusive interview before the sentencing. 

On July 5, Rashid pleaded no contest to two misdemeanor charges for assault and battery charges but Grant’s attorney, Justin Fairfax, says hours later, "Dr. Rashid — through his attorney Donna Biderman — defamed Ms. Grant on television with a malicious false statement." 

The lawsuit alleges that Grant suffered severe physical, psychological, emotional and financial damages as a result of Rashid’s "inexcusable attack." 

"No one should be attacked at work, traumatized, fired and then defamed," Fairfax said. "We will continue to fight for Ms. Grant and her family and work to ensure that no one else suffers such pain, trauma and injustice."