Attorney General Letitia James files lawsuit against White Plains and New York City nursing homes
NEW YORK -- State Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the owners and operators of four nursing homes, accusing them of fraud and neglect of residents.
James says residents suffered from dehydration, malnutrition and an increased risk of death.
And now, their family members say they want lasting change to keep others safe.
Albert Dunn's family remembers him as a dad and grandpa, full of joy. But Dunn's daughter, Marie, says when she visited him at the Martine Center for Rehabilitation and Nursing in White Plains in February of 2020, "The diaper, when I walked over to him, it was soaking wet."
She didn't see that smile. She said she saw that her father was being neglected.
"My dad was literally halfway off the bed and the room smelled, such a stench," Marie Dunn said.
The Dunns are one of several families teaming with the attorney general to sue Centers Health Care. That's the company that owns and operates Martine and the two New York City nursing homes named in the suit -- the Beth Abraham Center in the Bronx and the Holliswood Center in Queens.
Families say their loved ones developed infections and sepsis from untreated bed sores and sustained life-changing injuries from falls.
"This is a notice to all nursing home operators and owners to get their house, their nursing homes, in order," James said.
The suit also says the owners diverted more than $83 million in Medicare and Medicaid funds to enrich themselves and their family and friends, rather than using the money on much-needed staff and resident care.
In a statement to CBS New York, a spokesperson for Centers Health Care said, "Centers Health Care prides itself on its commitment to patient care. Centers denies the New York attorney general's allegations wholeheartedly and attempted to resolve this matter out of court. We will fight these spurious claims with the facts on our side. Beyond that, Centers Health Care will not comment on ongoing litigation."
When asked what can be done to ensure that this doesn't happen at other facilities, James said, "We'll be having conversations with members of the state Legislature, as well as the speaker."
Marie Dunn says in October of 2021 she found Albert malnourished with severely chapped lips, so she had him taken to a hospital.
She says doctors told her he had sepsis, and he died at the hospital a few days later.
"And that's because Martine Center, the staff at Martine Center, they were neglectful," Marie Dunn said.
The suit seeks to ban the nursing homes from taking in new residents until they're appropriately staffed, and to return the $83 million to Medicaid.