On January 24th, a Sacramento jury returned verdicts totaling in excess of $30 million against the owners of Pine Creek Care Center and their various corporate entities. The Superior Court jury returned a verdict of $5.9 million in compensatory damages, and a $25 million verdict for punitive damages. Elder abuse attorney Ed Dudensing argued that the facility and its owners prioritized profits over patient care, implementing staff cuts that made the nursing home unsafe for residents.
“We hope and pray that both the nursing home and the private equity industries will receive the message sent by the jury that it is simply wrong to prioritize profits over patient care,” Dudensing said.
Victim “never the same” after multiple falls in Granite Bay assisted living facility. $2.25 million settlement reached by elder abuse lawyers at Dudensing Law
July 22, 2022 — July 22nd, 2022 – Elder abuse lawyers at Dudensing Law reached settlement with a Granite Bay senior facility today for $2.25 million. The facility in question promised a dementia client one on one monitoring which the family paid for. The victim was monitored only sporadically and was allowed to fall and break her arm. A second fall drastically reduced her quality of
life, and she stopped eating and drinking. The assisted living facility failed to respond to her declining condition that worsened with each fall. Dudensing proved that the understaffed and unresponsive facility was responsible.
Assisted living chain pays $1.75 million for elder victim’s repeated falls and deadly injuries from stroke
December 2, 2021 — December 02, 2022 – Settlement was reached today by elder neglect attorney Ed Dudensing and a large area assisted living facility chain. Before admission to the assisted living facility, the victim had an overall positive demeanor and lived a healthy, independent life. The victim’s family hoped to preserve her good health with more activities and monitoring as was promised by the facility. Instead, staff cut corners with her hygiene, bathing her only once a week despite the family paying for 3-4 showers a week. Her health declined rapidly as the assisted living facility failed to carry out its contracted duties to protect her from falling.
The victim suffered numerous falls and staff neglected to respond appropriately. One incident resulted in her hitting her head. Staff ignored the victim’s subsequent complaints that her head was hurting, suggesting it was simply allergies. Eventually, Mr. Dudensing’s investigation revealed that she had suffered bleeding in the brain from one of her falls. Had staff responded in a timely manner, the victim may not have suffered the multiple cognitive issues in the coming months. The neurological damage from the head injury caused the victim to suffer severe cognitive decline and further complications including multiple strokes.The victim, then bedbound, suffered another massive stroke and was left without medical intervention for over six hours. The damage that resulted from this neglect led to her death. This facility tried to put profits over people and Dudensing Law brought the victim’s family the justice they deserved.
Sacramento/Bay Area elder abuse attorney forces $3million from an assisted living facility chain that would not protect senior woman from attacks
October 18, 2021 — October 18th, 2021 – Today Ed Dudensing reached a settlement with a major assisted living
facility chain for $3 million on behalf of a family of a senior woman who suffered elder abuse and wrongful death at a California facility. Victim was described as cheerful, healthy, and friendly prior to entering care with the facility in question. Her daughter noticed multiple
instances of dehydration and medications running out without timely refill which resulted in
physical and mental distress for the victim.
Dudensing Law found that the client was moved to a new unit without orientation and suffered repeated attacks by a hostile resident. The facility had knowledge of this resident’s violent history and desperate need for skilled nursing. The facility avoided the issue, leaving the victim vulnerable to his outbursts. As a result, she was thrown to the ground and
suffered head and brain trauma as well as other injuries. The staff failed to call 911 immediately and when she was eventually admitted to the hospital, hospital personnel found
multiple traumas and lacerations to the head as well as bodily fractures. Mr. Dudensing’s investigation revealed multiple prior citations against the facility for insufficient staffing, among other things.
Assisted living abuse lawyer reaches $1.25 million recovery for elder plaintiff who lost mobility at luxury care facility
May 11, 2021 — May 11th, 2021 – Dudensing Law, reached settlement today with an El Dorado County assisted living
facility. Mr. Dudensing secured a $1.25 million recovery on behalf of an elderly woman who was promised among other things: fall protection, three meals a day, daily sanitation, management of her medication, and transportation to doctor’s appointments. The facility in question refused her meals and failed to remove trash despite her payment for both services. Over the course of two years under their care, this neglect had a direct impact on her diminished quality of life.
Mr. Dudensing discovered that extremely unsanitary conditions persisted in their care which negatively impacted the victim emotionally. The facility failed to protect their client from falls, and she subsequently suffered a fractured leg when she fell out of bed. Before the incident, she enjoyed swimming and had basic
mobility. She now requires total care and is mostly bed bound. The victim needed quick justice that
Dudensing Law delivered.
$3.4 million elder neglect settlement against skilled nursing facility for dehydration
September 13, 2019 — Ed Dudensing announces he has reached a $3.4 million settlement with a skilled nursing facility in Stockton.
The 81 year old husband and father of three was expected to have a brief stay for rehabilitation at the skilled nursing facility. However, several failures by the facility staff to keep this retired gentleman safe, fed and hydrated resulted in urinary tract infections, hallucinations, falls, weight loss and his eventual death within one year of his admittance to the facility.
This settlement is the quick justice his elderly wife sought.
Dudensing achieves a $1.85 million settlement for a short-term rehabilitation stay that lead to numerous falls
June 29, 2019 — Today Mr. Dudensing reached a $1.85 million settlement for an elder who fell numerous times at a skilled nursing facility. Before arriving at the facility, the victim was a strong 75-year-old man who liked to exercise. However, a fall at his home resulted in a brief stay at the local hospital and revealed he had severe orthostatic hypertension. Even though the facility knew the victim had fragile bones and a history of falls, they failed to institute preventative measures to ensure he was protected from falling.
The victim had planned to only go to the facility for a few months to receive rehabilitation and physical therapy before returning home to his wife. Instead, he was neglected, allowed to develop a urinary tract infection, as well as fall multiple times, and was deceased within five months.
In what one elder abuse advocate says is the largest verdict of its kind in Sacramento history, a jury has awarded $42.5 million in punitive and compensatory damages to the family of a woman who died after being sent to live in Eskaton’s assisted living facility in Orangevale.
A Sacramento jury rendered a $42.5 million award against long term care provider Eskaton for malicious, oppressive and fraudulent conduct in the care of a 77-year-old resident.
Sacramento elder abuse lawyer reaches $2.1 million settlement from skilled nursing facility chain
December 6, 2018 — Today, Dudensing forced a skilled nursing facility that neglected an elder patient with schizophrenia to pay a $2.1 million settlement. For over a year Mr. Dudensing doggedly pursued the facts surrounding the suspicious drowning of a schizophrenic patient at a skilled nursing facility in Sacramento County. He uncovered numerous examples of previous occasions when this schizophrenic adult was left to wander the grounds of the facility alone, even though the staff was aware that leaving him alone had previously resulted in serious harm to him.
While the victim had been a dependent adult for many years due to his schizophrenia, it was not until his skilled nursing facility was sold to a new owner that his care began to decrease. Dudensing revealed staffing issues that did not begin until after the new owners attempted to raise their profit margins with decreased spending on caregivers.
