A daycare in Socastee is currently embroiled in a legal dispute following the guilty plea of one of its former employees for causing harm to children under her supervision.
A lawsuit was filed on Thursday by a concerned parent regarding an incident involving a four-year-old at My Sunshine Child Development Center.
In March 2024, Allabaugh was arrested by authorities and faced charges of nine counts of harming children under her care. In July 2024, she ultimately pleaded guilty to three counts of third-degree assault and battery. She received a three-year prison sentence, which was later suspended to two years of probation by a judge.
According to the recently filed lawsuit, My Sunshine Child Development Center became aware of Allabaugh’s abuse on Feb. 14 and promptly organized an emergency meeting with parents on Feb. 16.
At the meeting, parents were informed that Allabaugh had been terminated and that the incident of abuse had been captured on video.
The lawsuit alleges that the video depicted Allabaugh mistreating several children, including the plaintiff’s four-year-old child. The alleged mistreatment involved waking the children up from their naps by kicking them, dumping them off their sleeping mats, excessively yelling at them, and forcefully grabbing and dragging them.
According to the lawsuit, this was not an isolated incident.
The lawsuit also mentions a press release from Allabaugh’s previous employer, Creative Beginnings, which stated that two complaints were filed against Allabaugh to DSS in 2022. However, both complaints were determined to be “unfounded.”
The lawsuit alleges that My Sunshine was responsible for ensuring a safe environment, which they failed to do according to the claims.
Additionally, it claims that the daycare was negligent in its hiring process and in its supervision of Allabaugh.