Results
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Bedsore Case
$1,030,000 settlement for an elder residing in a Stockton skilled nursing home who had severe dementia and a nervous habit of rubbing her calf on her wheelchair. A stage IV ulcer developed on the elder’s calf and became infected. The wound was hidden from the resident’s family until an emergency room doctor who was treating the elder for an unrelated condition notified the family and reported the neglect to the California Department of Public Health. In addition to a monetary recovery, we negotiated procedural changes at the facility whereby bedsores and cover-ups would be all but impossible. Finally, plaintiff’s counsel and the elder’s family contributed $50,000 of the proceeds to the California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform, a statewide nonprofit agency that helps fight against elder physical and financial abuse.
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Stolen Pain Medications
$1,850,000 in settlement was secured for nine residents of a Roseville assisted living facility who had their pain medications stolen and were given placebos instead. Staff calls to law enforcement led to the arrest of the facility’s director of nursing. The corporate parent of the assisted living facility claimed that these were rogue acts by an uncontrollable nurse. Our investigation revealed that the director of nursing had a prior history of substance abuse problems and that the facility’s corporate managers repeatedly refused to investigate staff complaints which suspected her of stealing resident medications. Ultimately, the director of nursing surrendered her nursing license, pled guilty to felony elder abuse and was sentenced to state prison. In addition to the monetary award, we negotiated strict policy changes whereby such behavior could never go undetected again.