HCR ManorCare Nursing Homes Sample Negligence Verdicts & Lawsuits

HCR ManorCare is the nation’s second-largest nursing home operator by the number of patient beds. As of 2015, the company owned 255 skilled nursing facilities. By 2018, the number of homes had grown to 295. These nursing homes contained a total of 34,539 residential beds. HCR ManorCare’s nursing homes offer all major types of services, including dementia care, assisted living, and independent living. The company operates in 28 states and has close to 60,000 employees.

HCR ManorCare at a Glance

Corporate History & Growth

HCR ManorCare was founded in 1959 and has gone through numerous corporate changes since it began operations. The chain has rapidly grown, and it is now one of the major nursing home operators in the country. The company accepted a buyout from the private equity giant The Carlyle Group in 2007, which valued the company at nearly $5 billion.

Once Carlyle took over the chain, the quality of care at HCR ManorCare’s facilities seemingly declined. Private equity companies have been known to cut back on services in the name of profits and their treatment of HCR ManorCare seems to be no exception.

After the buyout, the company engaged in some complex financial transactions that resulted in many assets being spun off as is common when business is owned by private equity firms. The company sold its real estate assets, but the transaction resulted in HCR ManorCare having to pay rent for its facilities.

In 2018, HCR ManorCare declared Chapter 11 bankruptcy. The exit plan from bankruptcy involves transferring ownership of the company to its landlord, Quality Care Properties. The company is based in Toledo, OH. Quality Care Properties is headquartered in Bethesda, MD.
Nursing home negligence lawsuits can take on a variety of different forms. The lawsuit can be brought by the home residents themselves, however, if they have passed away, the estate can file a wrongful death lawsuit against the nursing facility. There are many different things that are legally actionable. Specifically, if a nursing home either fails to provide the proper care or it makes a mistake that harms the resident, then the nursing home can be found legally responsible.

Below are some of the common areas where nursing homes have faced legal liability as well as some of the verdicts against HCR ManorCare and the settlements into which it entered. Some of the common areas of suit include:

• Abuse and mistreatment
• Negligence
• Deficient medical care
• Wrongful death from falls
• Infection
• Sexual abuse
• Pressure ulcers
  
• Neglect

Nursing Home Negligence Involving ManorCare

Jury Verdict ($6 million) in Arizona – An 83-year old woman was admitted to a nursing care facility after breaking her tailbone. At the facility, she was prescribed morphine even though she had a long history of abuse of prescription medication. The facility failed to properly monitor her use of morphine and give the appropriate instructions for taking this highly dangerous medication. The nursing home also failed to appropriately monitor the patient, who was able to ingest alcohol while taking morphine due to the lack of supervision. The patient ultimately died of morphine intoxication. Three family members were awarded $2 million each in non-economic damages by the jury.

Nursing Neglect Cases Involving ManorCare

Jury Verdict ($195,000) in California – A man, who was admitted to the HCR ManorCare rehabilitation center with a broken leg, was left lying in soiled diapers and did not receive the proper medical care. The plaintiff was ignored when he pressed the call light and did not receive the proper care with activities of daily life. The plaintiff developed stage IV pressure sores as a result of the nursing home's lack of care. After the jury awarded him compensation, he appealed the jury’s failure to award him punitive damages and won that issue on appeal.

Fatal Fall Cases at ManorCare Nursing Facilities

Settlement ($90,000) in Missouri - The family of a woman who died at St. Peter’s Manor after suffering a fall settled with HCR ManorCare.

Settlement ($150,000) in Pennsylvania - A 98-year old woman fell at HCR ManorCare of Yardley and fractured her femur. The estate of the woman claimed that the facility was negligent in not taking the proper measures to prevent a fall and did not properly supervise the patient, which could have prevented the fall.