Nursing home abuse and neglect put vulnerable residents at serious risk, leading to malnutrition, dehydration, infections, and preventable injuries. When facilities fail to provide adequate care, residents suffer, and families are left feeling helpless. Lack of supervision, improper medical treatment, and unsafe conditions can result in devastating harm. Understanding the warning signs, knowing your legal rights, and holding negligent facilities accountable are crucial steps in protecting your loved ones. Learn how to take action and seek justice.
November 5, 2024
3 min
Family Files Lawsuit Against The Laurels of Walden Park for the Wrongful Death of Their Mother
It wasn’t until she arrived at the hospital that Michelle Whigham learned that her mother Henrietta Wilson was critically ill. According to the lawsuit filed in Franklin County, Ohio Estate of Henrietta Veronica Wilson vs. Laurel Health Care Company, et. al., “[o]ver a period of days in late-January 2023, Henrietta showed signs of an infection that either went unrecognized or were ignored by the Facility’s staff.” Then, “[o]n January 30, 2023, Henrietta was found unresponsive with agonal respirations because she was starved of oxygen and gasping for air.”
“At St. Anne Hospital, Henrietta was diagnosed with metabolic acidosis, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, a systemic infection, sepsis (the body’s dysregulated response to an infection), and multiple organ failure,” according to the lawsuit. No one from The Laurels of Walden Park contacted Henrietta’s family to let them know their mother was sent to the hospital until the following day, January 31st.
The lawsuit states that “[o]n January 31, 2023, when family arrived at the hospital, hospital staff informed the family that Henrietta likely had less than 12 hours to live as the infection had already progressed and spread to her lungs and bloodstream.”
Henrietta died on January 31, 2023, the day after she was transferred to St. Anne’s from The Laurels of Walden Park. The death certificate reports that her death was caused by septic shock. Septic shock occurs when an infection progresses to the point that the body begins to attack itself.
“This is the same pattern of neglect we see over and over again at nursing homes not only across Ohio but across the country. The signs of infection are there for anyone to see. But because the staff are overworked, undertrained, and the nursing home has a culture of dismissing patients’ symptoms, these infections aren’t treated and people die as a result,” says lead attorney Michael Hill.
The Laurels of Walden Park is a large 225-bed nursing home in Columbus, Ohio. According to its website, “Laurels of Walden Park offers a full spectrum of post-hospital services, from a short-term rehabilitation stay to long-term nursing care.” The website advertises that “[W]e believe that from the moment you walk into the facility, we have a responsibility to offer you the best. Be it services or experts, we endeavor to make you smile with satisfaction.”
(https://www.cienahealthcare.com/locations/laurels-of-walden-park/?laurels_redirect=1, accessed Mar 22, 2024)
These statements are misleading, however, according to the lawsuit. According to the lawsuit, “The Laurels Defendants engaged in a systemic practice to understaff the facilities to maximize profits at the expense of its residents’ care. The Laurels Defendants’ systemic understaffing of the Facility resulted in a ‘1-star’ (“much below average”) ranking for Staffing on the Medicare.gov Nursing Home Compare website and a 1-star overall ranking.”
(The Center for Medicare and Medicaid found that The Laurels of Walden Park aka The Laurels of Walden Park, LLC earned a 1-star, or “much below average” rating for both Staffing and Health Inspections. This data was taken directly from medicare.gov on January 18, 2024.)
In addition to negligence and wrongful death, the lawsuit includes claims for violations of nursing home resident rights, fraud, and civil conspiracy.
The Laurel Health Care Company is a for-profit corporation headquartered in Westerville, Ohio. It is part of the Cienna Healthcare brand, Cienna Healthcare is a corporation located outside of Detroit, Michigan that manages and owns 83 nursing homes in 5 states: Michigan, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina, and Indiana. A list of these facilities are at the end of this article.
In June 2022, Michael Hill of Michael Hill Trial Law obtained a record verdict against The Laurels of Mt. Vernon and its parent company, Laurel Health Care Company. That case also involved the nursing home’s failure to identify signs of an infection resulting in delayed treatment and death from sepsis. The jury awarded $5 million for Jack Huls’ death. That is the largest verdict in the history of Knox County, Ohio. It is also the largest verdict against any of The Laurels facilities.
Michael Hill is a nationally recognized attorney who handles exclusively cases against long term care facilities. Michael and his firm, Michael Hill Trial Law, handle cases across the country. If you have any questions about cases involving The Laurels or any other nursing homes, assisted living facilities, or group homes, you can contact Michael Hill Trial Law at www.protectseniors.com, by sending an email to info@protectseniors.com, or by calling (800) 659-2712.
