An 86-year-old nursing home resident fell as many as 12 times during her stay. This led to the need for a wheelchair. The resident, Ms. Doe, required pain management because of her injuries. A staff member at the nursing home was alleged to have stolen the pain medicine from Ms. Doe.
After Ms. Doe’s death, her family brought a lawsuit against the nursing home claiming that it chose not to implement fall-prevention procedures. In addition, it was claimed in the lawsuit that the nursing home chose not to properly care for Ms. Doe’s needs or perform timely reviews to ensure that she was receiving the care that she required. It was also maintained in the lawsuit that Ms. Doe did not receive the necessary medication because staff members of the nursing home were stealing her pain medicine.
The defendant denied these allegations, but settled the case with a confidentiality condition before trial for $1,750,000.