Nursing Home Abuse

Nursing Home Abuse and Neglect Cannot Be Tolerated

Patients in nursing homes or assisted living facilities deserve the highest level of care.   When they don’t, and someone is injured, Leighton Panoff Law aggressively pursues all legal claims with our nursing home abuse lawyers. There are over 73,000 Floridians living in nursing homes. They all deserve the highest care and the utmost dignity.

We apply our extensive knowledge of state and federal protections on behalf of nursing home residents and their families. Nursing homes and assisted living facilities that neglect and abuse our older citizens are subject to civil liability.

Nursing home patients are among the most vulnerable in society.  The need to protect their rights has never been greater.

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Leighton Panoff Law has been successful in winning recoveries for victims who have suffered injuries as a result of nursing home neglect and abuse, as well as the families of those who have lost loved ones at the hands of such institutions. Mr. Leighton and Mr. Panoff’s skills in the courtroom and in case preparation has made them among the best nursing home abuse and negligence lawyers in Florida.

Leaders in Fighting For Victims of Nursing Home Abuse

Mr. Leighton and Max Panoff have been at the forefront of representing victims of nursing home abuse.  They filed the first lawsuit arising out of the 14 deaths at the Hollywood Hills nursing home following Hurricane Irma.  The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills lost its air conditioning after the hurricane.  Instead of transferring its patients, or evacuating the seriously ill seniors (many of whom were dehydrated and in distress), the facility left the patients in sweltering, intolerable heat.   The Hollywood Hills tragedy became a national focus when America watched elderly bodies being pulled out of a hot, humid nursing home when one of the state’s largest hospitals sat right next door.

The Rehabilitation Center at Hollywood Hills. Sitting right next door to Memorial Regional Hospital.

Initially 8 seniors died on September 13, 2017 following the September 10 hurricane.  There have been several deaths that followed, bringing the total count to 14.  Leighton Panoff Law sought to preserve evidence and obtain crucial information in the face of a nursing home which was then the subject of a criminal investigation into these deaths.

Mr. Leighton regularly lectures to other trial lawyers in seminars, conventions and trial skills colleges on nursing home litigation. He is called upon to chair seminars and programs to teach lawyers throughout the country on how to handle and try nursing home cases. A few of his recent lectures in the area include:

• Keynote Speaker, “Recognizing and Evaluating Nursing Home Cases,” Monroe County Bar Association, Key West, FL.

• “The Nursing Home Industry vs. Government and Advocates: Legislation, Litigation and Bankruptcy,” Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Winter Convention, New Orleans, LA, February 2001.

• Course Chairman, “Misdiagnosis, Mistreatment and Malpractice in the Nursing Home,” Failure to Diagnose and Treat Diseases, National College of Advocacy, Waikiki, Hawaii, Feb. 2001.

• Course Chairman, Litigating Nursing Home Cases, National College of Advocacy/Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Houston, TX, April 2001.

• Course Chair and Lecturer, “Screening Nursing Home Abuse Cases,” Litigating Nursing Home Cases, National College of Advocacy/Association of Trial Lawyers of America, Phoenix, AZ, October 2001.

• Co-Chair, Litigating Nursing Home Cases, National College of Advocacy, Austin, TX, March 2003.

• Course Chair and lecturer, Litigating Nursing Home Cases seminar, ATLA/National College of Advocacy, Ft. Lauderdale, FL, March 2005.

 Types of Nursing Home Abuse Cases

Elder abuse occurs with frequency, but is often hidden from public view and requires aggressive investigation. 14 deaths associated with Hurricane Irma in Hollywood, Florida highlight the importance and critical nature of preventing nursing home abuse.

Certain injuries are commonly seen as a result of abuse or neglect, including:

• Bedsores
• Malnutrition
• Wandering
• Physical abuse
• Mental abuse
• Unexplained Falls
• Dehydration
• Elopement (walking away from the area or facility)
• Sexual abuse
• Poor personal hygiene
• Unsanitary and unclean conditions
• Dirty, soiled bed, fecal or urine odor

 Previous Nursing Home Abuse Cases

The firm has represented many victims of nursing home abuse and neglect and is currently handling several serious nursing home abuse cases.  Our commitment to the elderly and vulnerable makes these cases very important to us.

In one prior case, our client, who had dementia, was allowed to fall 10 times, including one requiring surgery for subdural hematoma (brain bleed). Mr. Leighton obtained a $1 million settlement for our client and was instrumental in having the state authorities investigate the nursing home in question, which was engaged in numerous fraudulent activities including falsified records.

In another case, Mr. Leighton’s client was in an assisted living facility. For reasons unknown, she was taken off of her required medication, which resulted in drastic changes in her personality. We were able to obtain a $300,000 settlement due to the negligence of the facility. In other cases, Leighton Panoff Law attorneys have obtained $425,000, $600,000, $500,000, $550,000 and $200,000 settlements on behalf of residents who have been mistreated.

With Florida’s substantial senior population, making sure that nursing homes and Assisted Living Facilities (ALFs) maintain safe standards and compliance with regulations is our most important mission.

 Click here for examples of our pending and finalized nursing home abuse  cases.

Disclaimer: The information about past verdicts and settlements of the firm’s cases are based on the unique facts of each case. These amounts reflect the gross recovery in each case (before attorneys fees, expenses and medical costs are deducted). Although these results were obtained by our firm, they may not indicate the success or value of any other case as each case is unique. By clicking on Verdicts and Settlements you are acknowledging that every case is different and each case must be evaluated on its own merits. The information contained here has not been reviewed or approved by The Florida Bar.