Genesis Health Care Nursing Home Sample Negligence Verdicts & Lawsuits

Genesis Health is the largest nursing home operator in the country in terms of the number of skilled nursing facilities operated. As of January 2017, the company had approximately 500 nursing homes in the chain spread across 34 states. The company had roughly 80,000 employees.

Genesis Health Care at a Glance

Number of
Facilities
over 350
Headquarters101 East State Street
Kennett Square, PA 19348
Year founded1985
Type of Care
Provided
Rehabilitation Therapy
Long Term Care
Assisted/Senior Living
Genesis SelectCare (Home Care)

Genesis was created through a series of mergers and complex financial transactions. The company began in 1985, when the company’s two founders purchased nine nursing homes. The company grew dramatically over the next 15 years to become a multi-billion dollar corporation. However, in 1999, the company filed for its first bankruptcy in the wake of cuts to the Medicare program that impacted its revenue.

Six years after emerging from Chapter 11, Genesis was taken private in 2007. Since many nursing homes companies have found that a way to “unlock” value involves leveraging their real estate, Genesis sold all of the real estate under its nursing homes in 2011. This means that the nursing home must pay rent to its new landlord.

Genesis Healthcare Inc. purchased Sun Healthcare Group Inc. in 2012 to continue its expansion. The company then merged with Skilled Healthcare Group Inc. in 2015. Genesis is based in Kennett Square, PA and is a publicly-traded corporation and has roughly $5 billion in annual revenues. Genesis’ website is found at www.genesishcc.com .  Genesis has been in a variety of different legal and regulatory trouble during its existence.

In 2017, Genesis settled six different federal lawsuits related to its billings by paying the United States government nearly $54 million. The government had accused Genesis of fraudulent billing in the submission of false claims for unnecessary services or grossly substandard rehab care.

Some of this settlement involved actions taken by Sun Healthcare and Skilled Healthcare Group. Genesis assumed liability for their actions when it bought the companies. This suit was brought by several whistleblowers who received a portion of the payment that Genesis had to make to the federal government.

Lawsuits Brought Against Genesis Nursing Homes Due to Patient Neglect


Genesis has frequently been the defendant in lawsuits brought by plaintiffs whose family members have been injured while a resident at their facilities. When a nursing home is sued, it often results in a settlement when the nursing home realizes that it can control its risk through the payment of money.

When a defendant settles a lawsuit, it does so with the thought process that fighting the allegations can ultimately cost it more money than the settlement. Alternatively, the nursing home corporation can defend itself and lose, resulting in a jury verdict.

Nursing homes can be sued under a variety of different circumstances. The nursing home owes a certain duty of care to your loved one. This attaches to both the care that they give their residents as well as the medical care that residents receive at the home. If either of these is substandard in a way that causes any injury or harm to your loved one, the nursing home can be liable to pay your family compensation.

Below are some of the common areas where nursing homes have faced legal liability as well as some of the verdicts against Genesis facilities 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
  • Neglect

Abuse and Neglect Lawsuits Involving Genesis Nursing Homes

Jury Verdict ($800,000) in California - The plaintiffs had alleged neglect so severe that it ultimately led to the decedent’s death. The nursing facility failed to provide the elderly patient with any care such that the resident developed a foul-smelling discharge from his tracheostomy and had maggot infestations at various sites in his body. The infestations were so severe that the resident’s breathing became blocked, ultimately causing his death. Ultimately, the neglect was so grave that it was considered to be abuse. The verdict included $300,000 in punitive damages given the egregiousness of the lack of care for the plaintiff.

Jury Verdict ($2.5 million) in New Mexico – The plaintiff had a pacemaker inserted and was at the facility to recover. The wound was painful and was oozing and red. The woman informed her family and the staff at the home of the issues that she was having, yet nothing was done to treat the wound from her surgery. The nursing home’s doctor never looked at the resident’s incision. The plaintiff was discharged from the facility and died 11 days later from a blood infection and various other ailments that were caused by the infection at the site of the wound.

Jury Verdict ($15.65 million) in North Carolina – The plaintiff’s family brought suit against the nursing home when their relative’s head became wedged between the mattress of her bed and its bed rails. This caused the accidental strangulation of the resident. The family contended that the facility’s staff failed to adequately monitor the resident, who was incapacitated from a stroke. In addition, the nursing home was alleged to have negligently constructed the decedent’s bed such that it became a hazard. The plaintiff’s received a large award, most of which was for pain and suffering.

Fall Lawsuits Against Genesis Nursing Homes

Settlement ($215,000) in Pennsylvania – The plaintiff suffered multiple falls. The injuries were severe enough that it required the removal of his prosthetic hip. The nursing home was alleged to have not implemented proper fall prevention measures. Usually, after each time the resident has fallen, the nursing home has an obligation to update the fall prevention plan in order to prevent subsequent falls. The nursing home must also provide an environment that is free from accident hazards.

Inadequate Medical Care Lawsuits Against Genesis Nursing Homes

Settlement ($275,000) in Pennsylvania – A resident was operating his wheelchair and was going through a door. In the process, the resident’s wheelchair careened out of control and the resident has a violent crash in the parking lot. The resident died from his injuries. The family sued for a lack of supervision since the resident lay in the parking lot for some time before he was discovered. While the resident was lying in the parking lot severely injured, he suffered a heart attack which ultimately led to his death. Timely medical care could have saved the resident’s life.

Jury Verdict ($625,000) – Genesis was one of the facilities where the decedent resided after he already suffered an injury due to deficient pressure wound care at another nursing home. While under the care of this facility, the resident’s condition worsened. Even though he was already frail, his pressure wounds grew worse and he also contracted pneumonia and suffered from falls. Genesis was apportioned just over one-third of the total jury verdict for its failures to care for the plaintiff and prevent further worsening of his condition..

Infection Lawsuits Brought Against Genesis

Settlement ($300,000) in New Jersey – The plaintiff’s family alleged that the resident did not receive proper wound care while at the facility. The resident’s physician’s orders called for a certain number of wound changes during a period of time, and the facility missed numerous bandage changes, resulting in an infection for the plaintiff. Although the plaintiff ultimately died from cancer, the family was still entitled to a recovery for the infection.

Jury Verdict ($42.75 million) in Kentucky – A 92-year old man was brought to a nursing home. Within nine days of his arrival, he had developed multiple infections and bedsores. The man was taken to a hospital where he died. The jury reacted viscerally to the details of the man’s care at the facility and hit the nursing home with $40 million in punitive damages.

Pressure Ulcer Lawsuits Brought Against Genesis 

Settlement ($800,000) in Pennsylvania – This was an action brought by the plaintiff’s estate against the nursing home. The plaintiff developed multiple issues in part due to an alleged lack of care. One of these issues was pressure ulcers. The facility was alleged to have not ordered timely medical care for the plaintiff and did not track the medical care that was given. The plaintiff also experiences severe weight loss, sepsis, and renal failure.

Settlement ($200,000) in Pennsylvania – A resident had untreated pressure sores that resulted in sepsis. This ultimately led to the resident’s death. The family claimed that the nursing home should have repositioned the resident to avoid the pressure sores, and then when there was a skin breakdown, they should have staged the pressure ulcers and treated them. This would have involved wound care had the facility done so.

Concerned About a Loved One in a Genesis Nursing Home? Get Legal Help Now

If your family member has been a resident at any Genesis Healthcare facility and has suffered any type of injury, you should contact an attorney to discuss the merits of a possible legal case against the nursing home. As you can see, Genesis has experienced many changes over the years, and sometimes, these nursing homes have cut back on the necessary staffing in the name of profits. Understaffed facilities are a prime cause of some of the issues that you see described above that led to large verdicts against the nursing homes or other settlements.

The attorneys at the Nursing Home Law Center can help you if you need to take on the Genesis nursing home chain in court. Call us today at (800) 726-9565 to learn how we can help your family.

For information on individual Genesis facilities, look at the pages below.

Alabama

Arizona

Colorado

  • Pueblo Center Nursing Home

Connecticut

Delaware

Florida

Georgia

  • Cartersville Heights Nursing Home
  • Renaissance Center Nursing Home

Indiana

  • Decatur Township Center Nursing Home

Kentucky

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

New Hampshire

New Mexico

Ohio

  • Bryan Center Nursing Home
  • Point Place Care and Rehabilitation Center
  • Twin Rivers Center Nursing Home

Tennessee

Utah

  • Washington Terrace Center Nursing Home

Virginia

West Virginia

Client Reviews

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Jonathan did a great job helping my family navigate through a lengthy lawsuit involving my grandmother's death in a nursing home. Through every step of the case, Jonathan kept my family informed of the progression of the case. Although our case eventually settled at a mediation, I really was impressed at how well prepared Jonathan was to take the case to trial. Lisa
★★★★★
After I read Jonathan’s Nursing Home Blog, I decided to hire him to look into my wife’s treatment at a local nursing home. Jonathan did a great job explaining the process and the laws that apply to nursing homes. I immediately felt at ease and was glad to have him on my side. Though the lawsuit process was at times frustrating, Jonathan reassured me, particularly at my deposition. I really felt like Jonathan cared about my wife’s best interests, and I think that came across to the lawyers for the nursing home. Eric