SPARTANBURG, S.C. -- A state-run center for the mentally disabled in Spartanburg has agreed to pay a former resident $300,000 after he was sexually assaulted by a facility employee.

The Herald-Journal of Spartanburg reports the settlement between the Whitten Center and the unidentified 22-year-old victim was approved Thursday. It is the most a state-run facility can pay to settle a lawsuit.

The victim's attorney says the Disabilities and Special Needs Department was negligent in hiring and training Daniel Maxwell Bradley.

An agency spokeswoman says Bradley's hiring process was rigorous and included an interview, a State Law Enforcement Division criminal background check and a drug screening.

Bradley was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2006 after pleading guilty to sexually assaulting three Whitten residents.