FORT HOOD, Texas, Jan. 20, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Attorneys at Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight (“Sanford Heisler”) today filed a Federal Tort Claims Act (“FTCA”) administrative complaint against the United States Department of the Army (“the Army”) on behalf of Mayra Diaz, who was violently raped and attacked by former Sergeant Greville Clarke in the Fort Hood barracks on July 15, 2022. The complaint alleges that the Army failed to keep Diaz and other female soldiers safe at Fort Hood despite having notice of a string of similar assaults against women on base in the months before Diaz’s attack.
Mayra Diaz is represented in the matter by Christine Dunn, Sanford Heisler’s Co-Chair of the firm’s Sexual Violence, Title IX, and Victims’ Rights Practice Group, as well as Jillian Seymour, Associate.
The FTCA is a federal statute that permits individuals to bring legal claims against federal agencies for torts committed by their employees. Prior to filing an FTCA complaint in court, the individual must first file an administrative complaint with the agency at fault. The agency is then afforded at least six months to investigate the claim. After that, the individual may file a lawsuit against the agency in federal court.
Today, Sanford Heisler took the first step in the FTCA legal process by filing an administrative complaint against the Army on behalf of Diaz. The complaint claims Clarke attacked five Fort Hood female soldiers in the span of 18 months, from March 2021 until his arrest in October 2022. The complaint alleges that Clarke knocked on the door of Diaz’s Fort Hood barracks’ room on the evening of July 15, 2022. Upon seeing Clarke’s uniform through her peephole, Diaz opened her door to him, at which point Clarke revealed a handgun and forced entry into her room. The complaint asserts that Clarke then tied Diaz’s arms above her head with tactical cord, blindfolded her, and raped her. Clarke additionally waterboarded her, strangled her with a lamp cord, and stepped on her neck in an attempt to kill her. The complaint further alleges that Clarke stole Diaz’s valuables before exiting her room. Diaz remained semi-unconscious on her bed for over 24 hours before being discovered by concerned friends and taken to the hospital for life-threatening injuries. Clarke was eventually arrested in October 2022 after his fifth and final victim escaped his grasp, leading to his apprehension. During Clarke’s subsequent court martial in the spring of 2025, Diaz learned that Clarke had similarly attacked three other female soldiers in the Fort Hood barracks in the months preceding her attack.
On April 24, 2025, after three weeks of court-martial proceedings, Clarke was convicted of 29 separate specifications, including attempted premeditated murder, rape, and kidnapping. He was sentenced to life in prison. He was serving his life sentence at the United States Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas when he was found dead in his prison cell on September 19, 2025 due to apparent suicide.
The complaint alleges that the Army’s negligence facilitated Clarke’s brutal attack on Diaz. The complaint asserts that, prior to Diaz’s assault, the Army was aware of a string of similar attacks against female soldiers but nonetheless failed to warn the Fort Hood community or bolster security measures in the barracks. The complaint further alleges that Army leadership cultivated an environment at Fort Hood plagued with rampant sexual violence against women, creating an unreasonable risk that Diaz and other female soldiers would experience harm. Multiple reports name Fort Hood as one of the most dangerous Army bases for female soldiers.
Sanford Heisler is currently representing multiple other victims of sexual misconduct at Fort Hood and other military facilities. On December 15, 2025, Sanford Heisler filed FTCA complaints against the Army on behalf of seven Jane Does, all of whom were sexually abused or non-consensually videotaped by Army doctor Blaine McGraw during medical appointments at the Darnall Army Medical Center in Fort Hood, Texas and the Tripler Army Medical Center in Honolulu, Hawaii. Sanford Heisler additionally represents numerous survivor-servicemembers who were sexually abused by Army doctor Michael Stockin at Joint Base Lewis McChord in Tacoma, Washington, as well as multiple former cadets who were sexually abused and harassed while at the Coast Guard Academy.
“What happened to my client is horrific – no one should ever have to endure what she went through. But it’s made even worse knowing that her attack could have been prevented if the Army had taken reasonable measures to protect her and others on base,” said Dunn. “Our servicemembers make so many sacrifices to protect our country, the least the Army can do is keep them safe in their own barracks.”
“Time and again we have seen female soldiers at Fort Hood experience preventable sexual violence. The Army has ignored the dangers threatening women at Fort Hood for too long, creating an environment of inexcusable risks to women’s safety. Ms. Diaz is a victim of not only Greville Clarke but also of the Army’s refusal to act,” said Seymour. “By filing this complaint, we are hoping to finally hold the Army accountable for the violence against women at Fort Hood.”
About Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, LLP
Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight, LLP is a national public interest class-action litigation law firm with offices in New York, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Palo Alto, San Diego, and Nashville. Sanford Heisler Sharp focuses on employment discrimination, Title IX, wage and hour, whistleblower, criminal/sexual violence, and financial services matters. The firm has recovered over $1 billion for its clients through many verdicts and settlements. The National Law Journal recognized Sanford Heisler Sharp as 2021 Employment Rights Firm of the Year and 2021 Human Rights Firm of the Year.
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If you experienced sexual abuse and are seeking counsel, please call 202-221-3152 or email cdunn@sanfordheisler.com. Attorneys at Sanford Heisler Sharp McKnight would like to have the opportunity to help you.
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