Elder Abuse and Neglect Jury Verdict

Posted On February 15, 2016 Verdicts

Recently a Nevada jury returned a verdict in favor of Travis Siegel’s client and against a defendant, the owner of a residential care home in Nevada. This verdict was the first reported Elder Abuse and Neglect jury verdict with punitive damages in Nevada state history.

The case involved the neglect and abuse of Jeannette Weinand. Ms. Weinand was a wonderfully talented woman who loved oil painting and even worked for the CIA during World War II. Ms. Weinand began to suffer the effects of dementia later in her life. Her family made the difficult decision to place her in a Home for Individual Care or “HIC” home. Shortly after admission to the home, Ms. Weinand fell due to a lack of supervision at the home and hit her head on a nightstand. She was taken to a nearby hospital for several days and then transferred to hospice care. Unfortunately, Ms. Weinand passed away about 11 days after the fall.

The owner of the HIC home refused to accept responsibility for any harm caused to Ms. Weinand. The owner did not live on the property at the time of the fall and had rented it to another person who the owner claimed was responsible for Ms. Weinand. The defendant offered $1,500 as compensation to Ms. Weinand’s family, which they rejected just before trial. Travis Siegel established at trial that the defendant destroyed all of Ms. Weinand’s records in the home. Siegel also established at trial that the defendant was 100% responsible for the care provided to Ms. Weinand. After a six day trial, the jury returned a unanimous verdict in favor of Siegel’s client. The total judgment awarded to Ms. Weinand’s family was $328,363.12 or over 218 times the defendant’s pretrial offer.