Large Nursing Home Abuse Verdict is Upheld

The Sacramento Bee recently reported that one of the largest elder abuse verdicts ever awarded has been upheld by a Superior Court judge.  In a nursing home abuse lawsuit filed against Horizon West HealthCare, a $29 million verdict was awarded to the plaintiff.  The lawsuit resulted from the 2005 death of a resident at Horizon West HealthCare. 

According to reports, the deceased was named Francis Tanner and she had retired from a life of public service with both the FBI and IRS before arriving at Horizon in 2005.  While staying at the Facility, Tanner suffered a fall that led to her suffering a broken hip, which went undiagnosed by the facility for days.  Eventually, after being bedridden and receiving inadequate care, she died from an infected bed sore.  These types of sores are preventable and commonly occur when there is nursing home neglect.

During the trial, evidence revealed that the facility was understaffed and violated state laws which mandated a minimum number of care hours.  For this reason, a $29 million verdict was awarded after a jury decided that the plaintiff should be given $800,000 for pain and suffering and $28 million in punitive damages.

However, Horizon West HealthCare challenged the verdict was too high, only to have the verdict upheld by a Superior Court judge who said, "this was an overwhelming case. It does not deserve to be retried. That would be a travesty."

Contact us today to speak with a San Diego personal injury attorney about your nursing home abuse case!