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Maryland Nursing Home Lawsuit Settlement Amounts

Nursing home cases are often the most egregious medical malpractice cases our lawyers see. Car accident and medical malpractice cases are typically about the negligence of otherwise well-meaning people who made a stupid mistake with awful consequences.

The facts of severe injury and wrongful death nursing home cases are often darker or even sinister: serious injury or death because vulnerable people are treated with indifference…or worse.

Jury verdicts reflect this. Nursing home lawsuits often end with huge verdicts. Juries cannot award punitive damage in Maryland in most nursing home cases. Why? Because “actual malice” is required for punitive damage in Maryland—what we usually have in nursing home cases is cold indifference. But juries are human. Rightfully, they get mad, which leads to higher compensation awards.

Are There Limits on Nursing Home Lawsuit Settlement Compensation?

You can learn more about how insurance companies evaluate malpractice and nursing home cases here.

The average settlement value of a nursing home case is less than your average medical malpractice case with the same injuries. Why? The reality is that there is a damages cap on non-economic losses (pain and suffering for the victim or the victim’s family) in nursing home cases so that for injuries occurring after January 1, 2023, is between $890,000 and $1,112,500 (depending on how many wrongful death beneficiaries there are).

So you may read about a $5 million nursing home verdict by a Maryland jury, but it is very unlikely the victims are actually collecting all of that money because pain and suffering damages are reduced by the cap.

Unlike many viable medical malpractice claims, nursing home lawsuits usually lack economic damages because nursing home residents are rarely earning significant income.

So the most you can recover in most Maryland nursing home lawsuits is the noneconomic damages cap plus any medical bills that were causally related to the treatment of the injuries. Often, nursing home patients did not get much medical treatment because proper medical treatment would have averted their deaths.

In 2023, after the COVID-19 pandemic, there are going to be whistleblower lawsuits against nursing homes for Medicare fraud and other False Claims Act cases that are brought either by lawyers like us or by federal government attorneys.

Maryland Nursing Home Settlements and Lawsuits

According to recent jury verdict research data, the median compensation award in nursing home negligence cases in the U.S. is $329,000. The report also shows that plaintiffs win at trial a stunning 63% of the time in personal injury cases against nursing homes. So not surprisingly, nursing homes are not exactly eager to take many cases to trial.

Because most nursing home cases are strong cases, most cases in Maryland filed by an experienced, competent lawyer are settled before trial. Of course, these statistics are of little help in evaluating your potential nursing home cases because each case is so very different.

Sample Nursing Home Settlements and Verdicts

  • 2024, Maryland: $1,500,000.  A resident of Autumn Lake Healthcare at Alice Manor, a Baltimore nursing home, passed away due to complications from a bone infection at the base of his spine. This infection was attributed to pressure wounds, commonly known as bedsores, which are skin and tissue injuries resulting from prolonged pressure on the skin. These pressure wounds, according to the wrongful death nursing home lawsuit, developed because the nursing home staff failed to regularly turn and reposition the resident to alleviate pressure, a necessary care practice for individuals with limited mobility.
  • 2023, Maryland: $9 Million Verdict: A pastor developed a critical pressure wound during his stay at the Stella Maris nursing home in Baltimore County, following a stroke. He died from severe sepsis and other complications linked to the infected bedsore. The jury, after a seven-day trial, determined that the nursing home’s negligence led to the fatal wound, awarding $8 million for the pastor’s suffering and an additional $1 million for his family’s emotional distress. This case underscores why most Maryland nursing home lawsuit end in in a settlement instead of a trial.  In spite of a $9 million verdict, the family only collected a little over $1 million because of Maryland cap on pain and suffering damages that we talk about above.
  • 2023, Pennsylvania: $240,000 Settlement. A 96-year-old female nursing home resident with a history of chronic dysphasia, chocked on food and aspirated, resulting in brain damage. This led to cardiac arrest and death. The estate contended that the defendants were negligent in the care and treatment of the decedent by leaving her unattended while she was eating. He died a year later and reportedly suffered from the sores, and resultant pain and debility, during the last year of his life
  • 2023, California: $30,912,802 Verdict. An 86-year-old man reportedly fell at home, fractured his hip, underwent surgery, and was admitted to the nursing home facility after the surgery. He was severely neglected during his two-week stay at the facility and developed two unstageable heel pressure sores, one of which was discovered to be a to-the-bone stage IV pressure sore. The nursing home offered $1 million to settle the case prior to trial. The verdict included $25 million in punitive damages.
  • 2023, Pennsylvania: $125,000 Settlement. An 86-year-old nursing home resident fell and fractured her hip and eventually died from complications related to the surgery to repair her hip. The estate contended that the defendants were negligent in failing to sufficiently monitor the decedent for fall prevention, failing to properly implement appropriate fall prevention measures, negligently supervising the decedent, and failing to provide more frequent observation of the decedent.
  • 2022, Pennsylvania: $175,000 Settlement. A nursing home resident sustained a Stage II bedsore that developed to Stage III. She was transferred to the hospital. Her bedsore deteriorated. The woman died from her injuries. Her family alleged negligence against the nursing home. They claimed its staff failed to implement bedsore prevention protocols, assess the skin breakdown risk, and rotate the deceased. This case settled for $175,000.
  • 2022, Pennsylvania: $300,000 Settlement. A 94-year-old woman was admitted to a nursing home. Her skin was intact. The woman developed bedsores. She died from her injuries. The woman’s family alleged that the nursing home staff’s negligence caused her injuries. They claimed they failed to determine the woman’s risk for developing bedsores, implement bedsore prevention measures, adequately treat her skin breakdown, and provide appropriate care. This case settled for $300,000.
  • 2022, Pennsylvania: $200,000 Settlement. A 76-year-old nursing home resident experienced two unsupervised falls. She sustained a hip fracture and a skull hematoma. Her health declined. The woman died from her injuries. Her family alleged negligence against the nursing home. She claimed its staff failed to implement fall prevention protocols, provided appropriate care, and properly devise a care plan. This case settled for $200,000.
  • 2021, Pennsylvania: $110,000 Settlement. A nursing home resident choked on food during dinner. He lost consciousness. The man was brought to the hospital. He died one week later. The man’s family alleged negligence against the nursing home. They claimed its staff failed to implement choke prevention procedures, appreciate the man’s choke risk, carefully observe him during meals, and timely assist him at mealtime. This case settled
    for $110,000.
  • 2021, Pennsylvania: $250,000 Settlement. A 90-something nursing home broke her hip after falling. She developed pressure sores. The woman’s overall health deteriorated. She died several weeks later. Her family alleged that the nursing home staff’s substandard care caused her death. This case settled for $250,000.
  • 2021, Louisiana: $150,000 Verdict. A 64-year-old nursing home resident suffered a heart attack. Facility staff members attempted to resuscitate her. They called 911. EMS arrived and performed advanced cardiovascular life support. The woman regained a pulse. She was brought to the hospital. The hospital staff noticed discrepancies between the nursing home-provided medical chart and the woman’s physical examination records. They discovered that the facility provided the wrong medical chart. This caused treatment delays. The woman died the following day. Her family alleged that the nursing home staff’s failure to send the correct medical records delayed her treatments. The jury awarded $150,000.
  • 2021, Florida: $1,758,230 Verdict. A 61-year-old woman was admitted to a nursing home. She was infection-free at the time. The woman developed a UTI. Several months later, she died from urosepsis and septic shock. The victim’s family alleged negligence against the nursing home. They claimed its staff members failed to appreciate her high UTI risk status, prevent her infection, and routinely consult a urologist. The jury awarded the family $1,758,230.
  • 2021, California: $755,144 Verdict. A 65-year-old nursing home resident, whose medical history included dementia and bilateral leg amputations, fell from her wheelchair. She sustained a subarachnoid hemorrhage. The woman alleged negligence and elder abuse against the nursing home. She claimed its staff failed to appreciate her fall risk and implement fall prevention measures. The jury awarded her $755,144.

Getting an Advocate to Fight for You

If someone you love has been hurt or killed in a nursing home, injuries of unknown origin, bed sores, a broken hip, or frequent falls, and you are suspicions of elder abuse or nursing home negligence, a personal injury lawsuit may be filed on their behalf.

If you believe that you or someone you love has suffered a serious injury as the result of nursing home abuse or nursing home neglect, call our nursing home attorneys at 800-553-8082 for a free Internet consultation to discuss a potential lawsuit. There are no fees or expenses unless a recovery is obtained.

Common Nursing Home Defendants in Maryland

One Big Problem in Nursing Homes

Nursing Home Lawsuits in Maryland: Samples and Explanation of Maryland Law

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