› $580,975,000 verdict in personal injury case
The son and daughter of a 46-year-old woman are suing the Knoxville, Tennessee, nursing home where their mother lived, for $7 million in compensation and $28 million in punitive damages for nursing home neglect that resulted in the death of their mother, according to Knox News.
The choking death of a Fresno, California nursing home resident has resulted in the severest penalty under California state law and an $80,000 fine against the home for inadequate care, according to the Fresno Bee.
A Washington, D.C.-area emergency room doctor fed up with seeing so many patients from one area nursing home sick from obvious neglect, spoke to ABC 7/News Channel 8 to warn others of the poor care offered at the home.
The doctor said he routinely sees patients from Grand Park Care Center on the verge of death with serious conditions ranging from acute kidney problems, severe pneumonia and malnutrition. He said the conditions indicate neglect by caregivers.
A joint meeting of the U.S. Senate Committee on Judiciary, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition and Consumer Rights and U.S. Senate Aging Committee was held this morning to discuss S. 2838, The Fairness in Nursing Home Arbitration Act, sponsored by Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., chairman of the Senate Aging Committee, and Sen. Mel Martinez, R-Fla. The bill’s sponsors argued that more nursing home facilities are requiring patients and their families to sign mandatory arbitration agreements, signing away their right to sue in the event of abuse or neglect, which they said is unfair.
