Jury awards $91.5 million to woman’s family in nursing home wrongful death lawsuit against Heartland
As Chicago nursing home abuse lawyers who have brought nursing home lawsuits against defendant nursing home ManorCare, we were happy to see that a jury awarded a large verdict to a family who suffered the loss of their family member due to nursing home abuse and neglect. The jury awarded the $91.5 million in damages to the family of a 87-year-old woman who died after her stay at a Heartland, a facility owned by ManorCare, Inc.. The jury ruled that the ManorCare facility failed to feed and care for the 87 year-old woman, who later died of complications from dehydration after she departed the Heartland of Charleston nursing home. Lawyers for the wrongful death victim’s son argued that during the woman’s three-week stay at the ManorCare nursing home, staffers confined the 87 year-old woman to a wheelchair even though she was able to ambulate. The nursing home staff testified that the nursing home was so grossly understaffed that it was impossible to provide proper care for all nursing home residents. An attorney for the nursing home reported that the nurses did all they could to care for the 87 year-old woman.
Staffing shortages are all too common the blame for poor care at nursing home facilities. Unfortunately, in this economy, states have slashed health care budgets even further, including failing to provide proper funding to care for the elderly, our nation’s most vulnerable. However, many nursing home facilities continue to put profits in front of proper care. Juries see the truth – and award families with large verdicts such as this one for their losses, though we all understand that no amount of money will ever bring back their loved ones. The Illinois nursing home attorneys at Levin & Perconti will continue to fight against facilities that understaff their Illinois nursing homes, in hopes that one day families will not have to endure such painful wrongful deaths of their loved ones.
To read more about the $91.5 million nursing home abuse verdict, visit The Republic.
