Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky File First Negligence Lawsuit Against Area Nurse, Alleged Serial Abuser of “Medically Fragile” Toddlers, and National Home Health Placement Agency

PHILADELPHIA, March 31, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Saltz Mongeluzzi Bendesky has just filed the first lawsuit to hold alleged serial child abuser Cindy Desser, R.N. accountable for the horrific abuse she inflicted in May, 2025, on the then one-year-old daughter (identified in the complaint as Z.N.) of Newtown Square, Delaware County parents David and Meredith Nastasi. Besides Nurse Desser, the complaint names Team Select Home Care as a defendant; it is the national, specialty home health agency that employed Desser and placed her in the Nastasi home on the overnight shift to care for their daughter.

The complaint details the horrific events that transpired on the evening of May 25, 2025, when nurse Desser repeatedly and violently choke slammed one-year-old Z.N. in her crib when Desser was supposed to be caring for her. Z.N. was born with spina bifida, pulmonary hypertension, hydrocephalus, and lung hypoplasia and is missing the lower half of her left ribs, abdominal muscles, and her left lung. At the time of the incident, Z.N. had a tracheostomy, was ventilator dependent, and required twenty-four-seven nursing care from a team of dedicated nurses. The complaint alleges that after all Z.N. had been through over the first year of her life, she “needed to be cared for by nurses who were compassionate, kind, and attentive to her needs.” “Instead, Team Select sent a monster named Cindy Desser into Plaintiffs’ home,” asserts the complaint.

Firm Partner Jeffrey P. Goodman said after yesterday’s filing, “David and Meredith Nastasi put their trust in the hands of a nurse whom Team Select represented to be compassionate and capable of safely caring for Z.N. and her needs. Instead, Team Select sent a monster into their home. This is every parent’s worst nightmare.” Mr. Goodman added, “Given the recent news of another innocent child abused by Desser, we look forward to uncovering how and why Team Select failed to adequately vet this predator.”

Mr. Goodman’s co-counsel at the Firm, Partner Samuel B. Dordick, said, “Desser’s attack on defenseless Z.N. is sickening and outrageous. Equally outrageous is the fact that Team Select ignored numerous red flags and warning signs that Desser was mistreating Z.N.” “We believe that Desser’s violent attacks on Z.N. and the innocent child in Bucks County are not isolated occurrences but instead are just the latest in what we expect to be a horrific history of child abuse carried out by Desser. We are urging all families whose children have been under the ‘care’ of Cindy Desser to come forward with any information they have related to other instances of Desser’s misconduct and abuse,” he added. The Complaint includes several screen shots from the Ring camera video, a copy of which was provided to police and a portion of which can be viewed here.

The parents, through their attorneys, said, “After we were finally able to bring our daughter home from the hospital, we knew she needed a team of nurses who would treat her with kindness, and always focused on her safety. We never expected that one of Team Select’s nurses would physically abuse our daughter. Our goal with this lawsuit is to help prevent any other families from going through the nightmare we experienced on May 25, 2025. No child should ever be under the care of Cindy Desser. We also hope to disclose how Team Select could have hired someone so clearly unfit to care for children and then failed to recognize the warning signs that something was wrong.”

Coverage Notes:

- The Nastasi parents deeply appreciate the support of their family, friends, and community during this difficult time, and are referring all media inquiries – including requests for interviews - to their legal team (see contact information below).

- Anyone who suspects child abuse or neglect is urged to call the Pennsylvania ChildLine at 1-800-932-0313. Mandatory reporters can report online through the Child Welfare Information Solution (CWIS) system. https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dhs/resources/keep-kids-safe/report-child-abuse

Contacts:
Jeffrey P. Goodman / jgoodman@smbb.com 215-840-6450
Samuel B. Dordick / sdordick@smbb.com 215-575-3992
Steph Rosenfeld / steph@idadvisors.com 215-514-4101

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