Jury Awards 5 Million Dollar Punitive Judgment Against Philadelphia Nursing Home
A Philadelphia jury last week awarded a judgment that included $5 million in punitive damages against Jeanes Hospital and a Wyncote nursing home in what has been described as a very rare award of punitive damages in such a case. The case was brought by the estate of a man who ultimately died after developing bedsores while at both facilities.
The damages - $1.5 million against Jeanes and $3.5 million against the Hillcrest Convalescent Home were awarded to the widow of Joe N. Blango. The awards will go to Mr. Blango’s estate.
It has been widely thought and commented on by experts in the filed of Philadelphia Nursing Home Negligence litigation that this award may very well be the first of kits kind in the greater Philadelphia area.
Rebecca Harmon, a spokeswoman for Temple University Health System, which owns Jeanes, said Temple would appeal the verdict stating "There is not one shred of evidence to support any liability in this case as it relates to Jeanes Hospital, and the contemplation of punitive damages is simply inexplicable," she said in an e-mail. "We're very proud of the high-quality care provided to patients each and every day at Jeanes Hospital."
