Representative Elder, Dependent Adult, and Nursing Home Abuse Cases

Confidential Amount Recovered for Daughters of Elder Who Died From Sepsis While in Nursing Home

The Zinn Law Firm represented the two surviving daughters of a 90-year-old gentleman who was recovering from a dental infection and colitis in a skilled-nursing facility. The elder gentleman was in remarkable condition and shortly before the incident had been living in his own home and walking one mile a day. He died when his signs and symptoms of sepsis (systematic infection of the body) were not adequately documented by the nurses responsible for his care nor properly treated by the physicians responsible for his care. The Zinn Law Firm alleged violation of California’s Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Protection Act and defeated the defendants’ motions to have that claim dismissed. After winning this motion, the case settled for a confidential amount. Both the nursing home and the physician’s group who employed the physicians responsible for the Elder’s care contributed to the settlement.

$600,000 Recovered for Grandchildren of 92-Year-Old who Died in Residential Care Facility for the Elderly From Morphine Overdose

The Zinn Law Firm had the honor of representing the surviving grandchildren (and great grandchildren) of a vital 92-year old woman who died at a residential care facility for the elderly due to a morphine overdose. The elder was very able-bodied and traveled by air twice a year to see her grandchildren and several great grandchildren in Southern California. She required assisted living because she experienced significant back pain. When her pain worsened, her physician prescribed her morphine to treat the intensifying pain. Unfortunately, the prescription the physician wrote called for sustained release morphine to be given, which is to be taken once every twelve hours, but the dosage instruction was to take the medication three times a day, which is the correct dosage for quick release morphine. As a result, the medication was releasing on top of additional doses, causing the elder to experience toxic levels of morphine within a couple of days.

The elder had trouble breathing and showed numerous signs of distress as her morphine toxicity increased. The caregivers at the facility called the physician, but he did not return calls over the weekend. Rather than calling 911 or calling for other medical guidance, the caregivers went all weekend doing nothing. The elder passed away from morphine poisoning that Monday. The Zinn Law Firm obtained a $600,000 settlement on behalf of the elder’s surviving grandchildren and great-grandchildren, even though her life expectancy at 92 was not very long. The facility and the physician both contributed to the settlement.

$600,000 Recovered for Sons of 91-Year-Old Who Died When Nursing Home Failed to Provide Prescribed Medication

The Zinn Law Firm was privileged to represent the surviving sons of a 91-year-old gentleman who died of a grand mal seizure when nurses and nurses assistants at a skilled nursing facility failed to administer anti-seizure medication he required. The elder was subject to seizures so he was taking anti-seizure medication. His physician changed his medication to a dosage that the nursing home did not have in stock and that, in fact, was not available. Rather than obtain clarification from the physician as to what to do, or simply cut the pills in half that they did have, the nurses in charge of the elder’s care kept deferring to a later shift to solve the problem. As a result, the elder went four days without his anti-seizure medication. On the fourth day, he had a grand mal seizure from which he never recovered and he died a few days later due to damage the seizure caused. The Zinn Law Firm successfully alleged that the nursing home’s failure to provide the prescribed medication, even though it did not exist in the exact dose prescribed, amounted to neglect under California’s Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Protection Act, recovering $600,000 for our clients in settlement.