$2.15 Million Dollar elder abuse Judgment against fully-staffed Acute Care Hospital for "Reckless Neglect"

The Law Firm of Sean R. Laird obtained a jury verdict on behalf of an elderly patient who was recklessly neglected during her stay a Enloe  Medical Center in Chico, CA. The jury found that managing agents of Enloe Medical Center engaged in recklessness, as it found facility failed to provide for car for Ms. Newton leading to a horrific pressure sore so large that “a man could stick his fist inside of it.” The jury awarded pain and suffering, past and future medical expenses, and attorney’s fees and costs. Mr. Laird also secured his client costs and fees on appeal when Enloe brought an unsuccessful appeal challenging the jury’s verdict.  Enloe was forced to pay $2.15 million dollars in total damages.

Enloe Medical Center was repeatedly warned—both internally and by state regulators—about dangerous failures in its pressure-ulcer prevention practices, chronic understaffing, and systemic neglect of basic custodial care. Despite Enloe’s managing agents knowing that pressure ulcers are life-threatening “never events,” the hospital ignored months of notices from wound-care nurses and the Department of Public Health showing that staff were not assessing skin, not turning patients, not applying protective devices, and not informing families when injuries occurred. These warnings directly preceded Patsy Newton’s admission, yet Enloe failed to update policies, train staff, or correct widespread understaffing that left caregivers unable to perform even the most fundamental duties of elder care. 

During Mrs. Newton’s hospitalization, Enloe staff repeatedly failed to turn and reposition her—a basic, essential intervention required every two hours to prevent pressure sores. Over multiple shifts, nurses and CNAs provided virtually no documented care, failed to apply required foam padding, failed to perform skin checks, and never individualized her care plan as Title 22 requires. As a result, Mrs. Newton developed a catastrophic pressure ulcer that experts testified was caused by sustained, unrelenting pressure due to total custodial neglect. Staff also failed to notify her or her family of the wound for days, depriving them of the ability to advocate for her safety and prevent further harm. 

Even after the pressure ulcer was discovered, Enloe failed to create a care plan, failed to advocate for Mrs. Newton, and continued neglecting her needs—culminating in Mrs. Newton calling a friend from her hospital bed, begging for help because staff had not turned her for hours. Rather than protect a vulnerable elder harmed under their care, Enloe abruptly discharged her to a lower-level facility after realizing Medicare would not reimburse treatment for the hospital-acquired ulcer. Enloe’s managing agents took no corrective action, imposed no discipline, conducted no training, and ultimately ratified the systemic failures that caused Mrs. Newton’s physical injury and severe emotional suffering.