Nursing Home Negligence

Court Describes Establishing Medical Negligence Under Maryland Law

Published on: April 15, 2025 | by Arfaa Law Group

When nursing home patients report an injury, the response they receive can mean the difference between life and death. In high-risk environments such as rehabilitation centers, providers have a legal and ethical duty to act swiftly and competently when signs of trauma emerge. A recent case from a Maryland court illustrates the tragic consequences that may follow when that duty is allegedly breached. If you suspect that a loved one was harmed due to negligence in a nursing or rehabilitation facility, a knowledgeable Baltimore medical malpractice attorney can help assess your potential claims.

Factual Background and Procedural History

It is alleged that the decedent, following a below-the-knee amputation, was transferred to a rehabilitation facility operated by the defendant. The transfer occurred on or about January 7 or 8, 2017, and it is reported that shortly thereafter, the decedent told her daughter that she had been dropped by facility staff. Allegedly, the exact location or circumstances of the fall were unclear, but the plaintiff maintained that the critical issue was the facility’s response after the incident was reported.

It is reported that no diagnostic imaging, such as x-rays or scans, was performed on the decedent between the time of the alleged fall and January 10, 2017. On that date, the decedent was found unresponsive and was transferred to a local hospital, where she passed away the following day. Plaintiff, acting as personal representative of the decedent’s estate, filed suit against the facility, alleging medical malpractice and negligence, and later amended the complaint to reflect the proper defendant. Continue Reading ›

Baltimore Jury Awards $1.8 Million in Nursing Home Malpractice Case

Published on: February 22, 2024 | by Arfaa Law Group

Many people in Baltimore entrust the care of their loved ones to nursing homes, with the anticipating that they will receive attentive care. Sadly, many nursing home residents are neglected, and such neglect often results in significant bodily injuries. When it does, it often constitutes grounds for pursuing malpractice claims against the nursing home. In a recent Baltimore nursing home malpractice case, a jury delivered a substantial verdict for the plaintiff, demonstrating that nursing homes will be held accountable for the harm they cause. If you or a loved one sustained injuries due to the carelessness of a nursing home, it is wise to confer with a Baltimore medical malpractice attorney regarding your rights.

The Case Against the Baltimore Nursing Home

Reportedly, a Baltimore City jury awarded damages in the amount of $1.5 million to a deceased Baltimore nursing home resident’s estate in a negligence and medical malpractice lawsuit. The jury found in favor of the plaintiff, represented by the personal representative for the estate, against the nursing home, alleging negligence in the care and treatment of the deceased individual, which led to his death.

Allegedly, the complaint stated that the resident died from a bone infection caused by pressure wounds that developed due to the nursing home staff’s failure to turn and reposition him, resulting in a stage 4 pressure ulcer. The complaint also highlighted staffing concerns and allegations of negligence, including the failure to treat the resident’s wounds and implement safety precautions. The nursing home denied the allegations, attributing the resident’s health conditions to the pressure ulcer and subsequent death, but the jury ultimately rejected their arguments, finding in favor of the plaintiff. Continue Reading ›

Nursing Home Faces Wrongful Death Lawsuit

Published on: May 28, 2019 | by Arfaa Law Group

Deciding to put someone you love in a nursing home is a difficult decision, but you do it with the expectation that your family member will be taken care of. Sadly, this is not always the case. Abuse and neglect are common at far too many nursing homes. If your loved one has suffered harm due to a nursing home’s negligence, you need to consult an experienced Baltimore medical malpractice attorney who can help pinpoint what happened and figure out how to proceed.

A man recently filed a claim against a South Carolina nursing home claiming that his brother died due to improper care. Sadly, this type of thing happens in Maryland as well. According to the complaint, the man’s brother had been living at the nursing home since 2015 and was subject to ongoing neglect and dangerous conditions throughout his time there. The suit claims that the patient suffered a number of injuries including severe pressure sores, ulcers and skin breakdown because of substandard care, which ultimately delayed his chemotherapy treatment for pinoblastoma. The lawsuit is one of many wrongful death and medical malpractice claims that have been filed against the nursing home over the past few years.

Since nursing homes normally offer medical care to residents, medical malpractice claims may come up in nursing home settings. In Maryland, medical malpractice is any act or omission by a physician during treatment of a patient that departs from the standard norms of practice in the medical community and causes injury to the patient. In the context of a nursing home, medical malpractice takes place when the facility breaches the duty of care owed to the patient, resulting in harm to that patient. For example, allowing a resident to develop bedsores would be an example of nursing home negligence because a facility providing proper care would understand what precautions need to be taken in order to prevent bedsores in the first place. It is important to note that medical malpractice can also take place if the nursing home did not act when there was a duty to do so.
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Court of Appeals Discusses What Constitutes a “Medical Injury” in Maryland

Published on: February 15, 2018 | by Arfaa Law Group

If you or your loved one has suffered harm while in a nursing home, you may be entitled to compensation. At Arfaa Law Group, our Baltimore nursing home negligence attorneys can examine the facts of your case and determine if malpractice took place.

The Court of Appeals of Maryland, Maryland’s highest court, has partially restored a case alleging a nursing home allowed a patient to fall twice in the same day, holding it was inappropriately directed to arbitration because the negligence claims in the case did not involve any aspect of medical malpractice. Thus, it was not subject to alternative dispute resolution, as the lower courts had held.

The issue in the case was whether claims for negligence and related claims have alleged a “medical injury” within the meaning of Maryland medical malpractice law, specifically, the Health Care Malpractice Claims Act (HCA).

What Constitutes an Allegation of Medical Malpractice in Maryland

Published on: October 26, 2017 | by Arfaa Law Group

If you have been injured in a nursing home facility or rehabilitation center, it is important to reach out to a skilled Baltimore nursing malpractice attorney as soon as possible. Even if at first glance, your case does not seem like a medical malpractice claim – the reality is that it might be. If it is a medical malpractice claim, you need to be prepared to follow a variety of procedural guidelines. At Arfaa Law Group, we understand the nuances of this area of the law and can put our knowledge to use in your case.

The Maryland Court of Appeals granted review in a number of cases earlier this year. One of these cases addresses the issue of what constitutes an allegation of medical malpractice that invokes the Maryland Health Claims Act.

In the case at hand, the plaintiff was admitted to the nursing rehabilitation center to be treated for rehabilitation after back surgery. Two days later, the plaintiff’s mattress came loose from her bed and came sliding off the bed frame, causing the plaintiff to fall onto the floor. The rehabilitation center used a mechanical lift to put the woman back in bed, since the center is a ‘no lift’ facility. Unfortunately, the nurse who was using the mechanical lift used it incorrectly and ended up releasing the net too soon, causing the patient to drop to the floor.