A Cuyahoga County judge has ordered the Ohio nursing facility Beachwood Pointe Care Center to pay $1 million to surviving family members of a resident who lost her life through the “negligence and recklessness” of the facility. A lawsuit was filed against the nursing home claiming that 71-year-old resident Mary Stevens succumbed to her illness and injuries in 2012 that were allegedly caused by negligence of the staff. The Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court jury found that Stevens’ estate should be awarded $440,000 in compensatory damages and $560,000 in punitive damages.
The lawsuit claimed that Ms. Stevens sustained “fatal” and “severe” injuries including infected bedsores that took her life. In addition, the lawsuit claims that Mary’s physician and family never received notification that she was suffering with her injuries and as a resident of Beachwood Pointe Care Center, Ms. Stevens was never “provided a safe environment” before her death.