Retirement Home Ordered to Pay $1.7 Million in Death
A jury Tuesday ordered a Fullerton retirement home to pay $1.7 million to the daughter of a deceased former resident who suffered a stroke in her room but wasn’t discovered for 15 hours.
The award follows a two-week trial in which family members of Bernice Czohara, 82, claimed that the Morningside retirement home contributed to her death.
Jurors agreed that Morningside was negligent. But they divided over claims that it acted recklessly and committed fraud and elder abuse.
Despite the mixed verdict, the woman’s daughter, Debbie Louis, said she hopes “it sends a message to people who are considering moving their relatives into these types of places. You don’t always get what you’re promised.”
Jim Parrett, a lawyer for Morningside, said, “We definitely feel this was a verdict based on sympathy as opposed to the facts of the case. Obviously, we don’t agree with the overall verdict, but we’re pleased the jury [didn’t] find [Morningside] guilty of fraud or recklessness.”
According to the suit, Louis found her mother one evening two years ago on the floor, naked, with a broken shoulder and unable to reach the phone.
Start your day right
Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
