Elder Abuse Cases
Nursing Home Abuse, Richmond California
Confidential settlement on behalf of the 7 children of a 71 year old man with terminal pancreatic cancer admitted to the defendant's Richmond nursing home for palliative hospice care. The State of California found, and we confirmed through discovery, that the facility failed to give the dying father his pain medication as ordered and that there was a discrepancy in the amount of morphine remaining in his supply and that noted as being given which led morphine to be unaccounted for. As a result of their failure to properly provide his pain medication, his children were forced to watch their father in agonizing pain and discomfort during the final days of his life.
Inadequate Supervision, California
Settlements were reached on behalf of family members of elderly mothers against facilities who failed to provide adequate supervision allowing them to leave their rooms, encounter hazards, and die.
Elder Abuse, Napa, California
Recovery in bankruptcy for the adult son of a 90 year old woman who was a resident of LaHoma Guest Home in Napa, California. Jean Harrington was a resident of this residential care facility for less than a month, with a diagnosis of dementia and other conditions. At her son's urging, the director of the home sent her to the hospital when she began having difficulty breathing. At the Emergency Room she was found to be covered head to toe with bruises under the areas concealed by her clothing. She died shortly thereafter. The operator of the facility told investigators that Mrs. Harrington "fell". After a state investigation and the filing of a lawsuit, the operator of the facility filed for bankruptcy stating that he had no liability insurance. The case was settled in the bankruptcy although the operator continues to run the care facility.
Nursing Home Neglect, Contra Costa County
Confidential settlement on behalf of the nieces and nephew of an elderly woman who was a long term resident of a nursing home in Contra Costa County. The woman's fragile skin was torn when it was struck by the leg rest of a wheelchair as she was being transferred into it by a facility aide. The tear went unreported and untreated for many weeks until it became infected. The doctor was never notified of the infection and the wound continued to fester until it became extremely large and deep. Ultimately, the resident required hospitalization and two amputation surgeries of the leg as the infection had spread to the bone and could not be adequately treated. She died shortly after the second amputation surgery.
$1.382 billion verdict: We represented clients in a class action lawsuit against Bank of America for misusing Social Security Benefits which were directly deposited into bank customers' checking accounts.
Injunctive relief: Our litigation against a health care system resulted in a change in hospital billing procedures to safeguard against double billing in Medicare cases.
