A civil lawsuit is underway once again for a former caregiver convicted of felony charges related to the reported abuse of two mentally disabled men under her care.

Brooke Shinn, 21, was convicted of two felony counts of attempted mistreatment of a dependent adult in September. She initially faced two felony charges of mistreatment of a dependent adult, one felony charge of aggravated battery and one misdemeanor count of criminal restraint after she was accused of beating two men and locking them in their room for days on end.

Before Shinn’s arrest and subsequent criminal case, a civil lawsuit was filed against her in Douglas County District Court by one of her victims, Joseph Schaefer, and his guardian. Shinn filed a motion to stay the civil case in June so she could resolve her criminal case.

Now that Shinn has been convicted of the felonies and sentenced to serve 10 days in jail and spend two years on probation, Schaefer’s civil case may continue.

The civil lawsuit is seeking at least $750,000 in damages, listing Shinn, a former supervisor, and their employer — ResCare Inc — as defendants.

ResCare is a national company and the largest private in-home service provider for the disabled, Kristen Trenamen, the company’s director of communications, said in May. The company has more than 900 employees in Kansas and 50,000 across the country.

The lawsuit argues that Shinn and her former supervisor, Kattie Johnson, along with the company, neglected Schaefer’s safety as a way of maximizing company profits.

Neither Shinn nor Johnson is employed by ResCare anymore, Trenamen said.

During her criminal sentencing, Shinn was also ordered not to work in a caregiving position for the duration of her probation.

A hearing is scheduled for Schaefer’s civil lawsuit on Jan. 6, when attorneys will exchange evidence to be used in the trial as a part of the discovery process.