In recent news, a Sacramento jury returned a $30.9 million verdict against long-term care provider Plum Healthcare in wrongful death lawsuit.

The Case: Sam Rios Jr., et al. v. Pine Creek Care Center, Plum Healthcare Group, LLC, et al.

The Court: Sacramento Superior Court

The Case No.: 34-2018-00244263

The Plaintiffs: Sam Rios Jr., et al. v. Pine Creek Care Center, Plum Healthcare Group, LLC, et al.

The plaintiffs are the Rios family, Sam Rios, Jr., deceased, his wife, and his eight adult children. They filed a wrongful death lawsuit against long-term care provider Plum Healthcare and its skilled nursing facility in Roseville, California, known as Pine Creek Care Center. Sam Rios, Jr. was married to Christina for 40 years and had eight children. He was a military veteran, civil rights activist, community pillar, and Chicano Studies professor at Sacramento State for over 30 years. In April 2017, the 86-year-old spent two weeks as a Pine Creek Care Center patient. According to the lawsuit, during his short stay at the skilled nursing facility, Mr. Rios acquired severe bedsores resulting from a pattern of neglect and understaffing at the nursing home facility. The plaintiffs allege that the main cause for the failures in Mr. Rios’ care was purposeful understaffing at the facility to maximize profits. As a result of the facility management’s purposeful staffing changes to increase profits, Mr. Rios suffered from a Stage IV to-the-bone pressure ulcer for almost a year before he died.

The Defendant: Sam Rios Jr., et al. v. Pine Creek Care Center, Plum Healthcare Group, LLC, et al.

The defendant in the case is Pine Creek Care Center of the Plum Healthcare Group, a long-term care provider. Pine Creek is one of Plum Healthcare Group’s skilled nursing facilities in Roseville, California.

The Case: Sam Rios Jr., et al. v. Pine Creek Care Center, Plum Healthcare Group, LLC, et al.

The case was at trial for ten weeks before a Sacramento jury found the defendant, Plum Healthcare (and its parent company), liable for reckless, malicious, and fraudulent conduct in Sam Rios, Jr.’s care. The jury’s award of $30.9 million appears to be the largest nursing home elder abuse verdict ever seen in the greater Sacramento and San Francisco Bay Area. The total verdict in favor of the plaintiffs was $5.9 million in compensatory damages and $25 million in punitive damages.

If you have questions about how to file a California wrongful death lawsuit, please get in touch with Blumenthal Nordrehaug Bhowmik DeBlouw LLP. Experienced wrongful death attorneys are ready to assist you in various law firm offices in San Diego, San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles, Riverside, and Chicago.