Recent Jury Verdicts/settlements in Nursing Home Cases Around the Country

01/12

FL

$200 Million (verdict)

92-year-old nursing home resident died after falling down a flight of stairs while strapped into a wheelchair. Staff didn’t find her body until nearly an hour after her death.

08/11

WV

$90 Million (verdict)

87-year-old Alzheimer’s patient died of dehydration resulting from extreme neglect after only three weeks in a Charleston nursing home.

04/09

AR

$7 Million (verdict)

Nursing home resident died after suffering from serious malnutrition, pneumonia, urinary tract infections, dehydration to the point of kidney failure, and 35 bed sores over the course of two years.

03/09

AZ

$11 Million (verdict)

36-year-old man with traumatic brain injury died after ingesting foreign objects while in the care of a Phoenix assisted living facility.

12/08

GA

$1.25 Million (verdict)

Male amputee developed stage-four bedsores that led to malnutrition, additional bedsores, extreme inflammation of his entire body, and eventually death.

05/08

CA

$5.5 Million (verdict)

84-year-old L.A. nursing home resident died after receiving medication to which she was allergic.

06/07

NM

$54 Million (verdict)

78-year-old patient suffered internal bleeding for days before suffering a heart attack. Evidence showed that nursing home staff knew of her condition prior to death but did nothing about it. Staff also attempted to cover up their wrongdoing before the family arrived.

02/06

TX

$160 Million (verdict)

81-year old man was viciously beaten by his nursing home roommate, who had been involved in some 30 assaults prior to moving in with the victim.

11/05

SC

$1.05 Million (verdict)

85-year old diabetic patient was injected with the incorrect dose of insulin, which followed a series of negligent acts by the nursing home, sending the patient into hypoglycemic shock and causing brain damage.

07/05

CA

$12 Million (verdict)

62-year old patient of a nursing home developed an infected bedsore as a result of neglect, and had to have his leg amputated as a result.

03/05

GA

$2 Million (settlement)

Patient was recovering from surgery at a nursing home when he was bitten to death by hundreds of fire ants in his bed.  The facility had fire ant infestation problems for years prior to the incident.

12/04

AZ

$45.5 Million (verdict)

A developmentally disabled woman drowned in a bathtub when her full-time caretaker left her unattended in the bathtub for five to ten minutes.

02/03

WA

$4.8 Million (verdict)

93-year-old patient died as a result of a broken leg and neck suffered at her nursing home.

7/02

FL

$2.1 Million (verdict)

80-year-old nursing home resident died after a staffer allegedly dumped urine and feces on her surgical wound.

6/01

AR

$78.4 Million (verdict)

Patient suffered from dehydration and malnutrition while in residence at nursing home. Because of the nursing home’s negligence Ms. Sauer eventually went into kidney failure and ultimately died. ($63 million punitive damages, $15.43 million compensatory damages)

6/01

AR

$12.3 Million (verdict)

Patient died just two weeks after falling out of bed and breaking her hip while in residence at nursing home, a facility that was shown to be chronically short of staff. Despite learning that patient could escape from a soft-belt restraint and considering her pattern of frequently trying to get out of bed to go to the bathroom, the nursing home continued to rely on the inadequate restraint. ($10 million punitive damages, $2.3 million compensatory damages)

4/01

CA

$5.2 Million (verdict)

Patient was improperly discharged from facility while being treated after blood clot surgery. She died shortly thereafter from complications arising of of a bowel disease that had gone undiagnosed and untreated by staff people despite the fact that she had lost more than 30 pounds during her stay.

9/00

FL

$20 Million (verdict)

Patient may have gone unfed for a month, was not given medication, and did not receive treatment for an infection that turned gangrenous and required portions of a bone removed. ($17 million punitive, $3 million compensatory damages)

9/00

FL

$20 Million (verdict)

Alzheimer’s resident was malnourished and dehydrated. He was hospitalized for pressure sores that were infected with gangrene. The jury awarded $2,994,527 in compensatory damages and $17 million in punitive damages.

3/00

PA

$650,000 (settlement)

80-year-old Alzheimer’s patient wandered away from the defendant’s facility and was found four days later drowned in a nearby creek.

2/00

AZ

$200,000 (verdict)

Alzheimer’s resident developed bruises on his arms, hand and buttocks, as well as a pressure sore on his right hip. Plaintiffs alleged elder abuse and neglect. Jury verdict for compensatory damages only.

2/00

TX

$65 Million (verdict)

98-year-old female raped by mentally ill male patient. She died 11 days after the attack. The plaintiffs sued over the failure of the home and its medical director to protect one resident from the aberrant sexual proclivities of another.