West Virginia Jury Awards $91.5 Million in Nursing Home Death

A jury in Kanawha County, West Virginia has awarded $91.5 million in damages to the family of an 87-year-old woman who died after her stay at a Charleston nursing home.

The jury ruled that Heartland of Charleston failed to feed and care for Dorothy Douglas, who died of dehydration complications after she left.

Lawyers for her son, Tom Douglas, argued that during a three-week stay at Heartland while awaiting an opening in another nursing home, staffers confined her to a wheelchair even though she could walk. Heartland workers testified that the place was so grossly understaffed that it was impossible to properly care for all residents.

Charlie Johns, a lawyer for Heartland owner ManorCare Inc., said nurses did all they could to care for Dorothy Douglas.