Recorded while drugged after surgery

[Justmehere]

One of the legacies of trauma for me is not being sure what’s normal at times and if I can trust my gut instincts. This is another chapter in that battle.

I applied for basically a grant, a government administered benefit, to pay for school, designed for people with disabilities. It can be a very robust and helpful program.

There are a whole host of rules they have to follow, an appeals process I can engage, etc. The office supervisor sort of screwed around and missed several deadlines his staff was supposed to meet within 3 months (it’s been 7) and I called someone a level up, frankly played dumb, to ask… is this okay about the deadlines…and they said things didn’t seem right and they would remedy. They assured me I would have my next meeting with the supervisor and final approval within 5 days.

It’s been 45 days since that call and the meeting and final approval didn’t happen. The supervisor of the local office keeps saying he will schedule it but rejects every time I offer and won’t confirm a time he can do. He’s been acting odd.

I had a minor outpatient surgery about 2 weeks after the call I made to his boss. The recovery room is where one wakes up from the anesthesia. I barely remember it. I was there in the recovery room in and out of it when he called. The call was recorded and transcribed… it turns out I told him right off I can’t talk now, but schedule another time, i told him I had just came out of a surgical procedure and way too affected by the drugs to meet that day.

Most humans I think would say something like… thanks for letting them know and they’ll call back later.

Not this dude. Instead he whipped out a recording device and told me was recording me. I quickly objected. I asked he stop. He did so any how. He demanded a meeting right then and there. I kept saying I can’t talk now, too drugged from surgery, let’s find another time. (Best option would have been don’t answer the phone. Sigh.)

He decided that was a great moment to demand a no-notice meeting, now.

Apparently I can do boundaries delirious.. and I simply refused to discuss anything with him and ended the call.

He is defending all this as totally okay because the policy he has to follow only bans hidden recording devices. It doesn’t but… uh…

Is this creepy? It freaks me out but I don’t know how reasonable my concern.

 

[Friday]

It seems like it hurts his credibility, more than yours.

Is it normal for people to do dumbass things, like record themselves harassing a vulnerable client in post-op? Yep.

Is it normal to harass a vulnerable client in post-op? Nope.

I’d grab a copy of the piece of paper showing your hospital admit/release times, and time of that call, just to “prove” (I hate having to prove this kind of BS) what an idiot he was. Ideally, only bring it forward AFTER either getting a copy of the convo, or the convo being on the record.

 

[Justmehere]

Thanks. That helps to read.

I submitted a written request to modify practices such that there are no future recordings without written signed consent in advance. I didn’t cite the incident, but he did in his emailed reply. He sent back a quote of an employee policy that stated he can’t covertly record anyone, and since he told me he was doing it (and I said stop) then he thinks it was okay… uh dude.

He affirmed I said stop and he did it anyhow.

I asked for the recording. I’m hoping to get it soon… but haven’t been sure if I am too werided out than is warranted.

I yanked the employee policy in full off a gov website. It said he can’t use a covert recording AND for any overt (non-covert) recordings, he has to have my consent.

…and he knows that.