Richmond Pines to pay $1.4M settlement
Sandra D. and
"The allegations in this case were particularly egregious," family attorney
Specifically, the lawsuit alleged, caregivers during Snipes's weekslong stay at Richmond Pines in 2011 continued to administer blood-thinning medication 22 times after they had been given orders not to. As a result of that and a fall, Nutt said, Snipes suffered "a near-fatal bleed" that sent her to the emergency room "at the family's insistence."
Left bedbound and under siege by constant bouts of pneumonia, Snipes died in
Earlier this month, attorneys for the owners of Richmond Pines --
McQueen, the lawsuit says, "was acting in the course and scope of his duties (as) an agent and employee of
The family agreed to the settlement on
Nutt said Thursday that all claims against
Written orders from her surgeon stipulated that Snipes was to receive a blood thinner until markers in her blood reached a certain level. They did, but the shots continued, and no employees sought to determine whether a blood test had been performed or was due, according to the lawsuit.
Even when employees dropped Snipes helping her back to bed after physiotherapy, they informed no superior and never noted the fall in her records.
After the incident, Snipes's family members began to see a decline in Snipes's health, as well as bruising. By the end of
In May, nursing staff ignored repeated demands by the family that Snipes be taken to the emergency room. One theorized that Snipes was merely "depressed" and not ill.
When Snipes's finally was taken to the ER, doctors discovered internal bleeding, serious anemia and a dislocated hip.
The admission generated another hip surgery, rehabilitation efforts at a facility other than Richmond Pines and eventual in-home care.
Family attorney Nutt said expert testimony lay responsibility for Snipes's death at Richmond Pines' door, even though she died four years after leaving the facility.
McQueen, who worked at Richmond Pines at the time of Snipes' admission, has practiced family medicine in
Representatives of
A spokeswoman for the
Earlier this year, federal regulators from CMS forbade Richmond Pines from filing for Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements as a result of a series of infractions documented by inspectors. Nursing home owners also have racked up tens of thousands of dollars in fines as a result of those infractions.
Medicare and Medicaid are federal insurance programs that finance care for the elderly and poor, respectively.
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