As published in the North Coast Journal, by Linda Stansberry and Sam Armanino, Thursday, January 19, 2017: Timber Ridge McKinleyville will pay the family of a woman who died under its care $5 million after a jury found the facility liable for wrongful death and elder abuse on Jan. 17. The amount includes $2.5 million in punitive damages. The suit, … Read More
Elder Abuse Victory
On January 18, 2017 a Humboldt County Jury returned a verdict of 5 Million Dollars against Timber Ridge Assisted Living of McKinleyville LLC and Western Living Concepts, Inc. The case was brought by the daughters of Marjorie Fitzpatrick. Ms. Fitzpatrick was a 90 year old resident of the dementia unit in Timber Ridge McKinleyville. Ms. Fitzpatrick escaped through a supposedly … Read More
Court Hands Major Victory to the Medical Marijuana Industry
In a major victory for those distributing and cultivating medical marijuana, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals, in United States v McIntosh, et. al. (August 16, 2016) has held that, at least for the time being, those who comply with the medical marijuana laws of their state cannot be prosecuted by the Department of Justice for federal crimes. In the McIntosh case, five co-defendants allegedly … Read More
In Fenimore, The Court of Appeals Limits The Scope of Worsham
In Worsham v. O’Connor Hospital (2014) 226 Cal.App.4th 331, a patient brought an action against a hospital for elder abuse claiming that, as a result of understaffing and undertraining at the hospital, Worsham suffered a fall, breaking her hip. In a case nearly devoid of analysis, the Worsham court held that allegations of inadequate staffing were nothing more than allegations of “professional negligence” and … Read More