The family of a deceased resident has filed a lawsuit against an assisted living facility and its management company, alleging severe negligence that led to the wrongful death of their loved one. The complaint was filed by Amy Dickens, representing the Estate of Earl Dickens, in the Circuit Court of the Sixth Judicial Circuit in Pinellas County, Florida on September 16, 2024, against Palm Lake Village Housing Corporation and Angels Care Health Systems, Inc.
According to the complaint, Earl Dickens was admitted to Magnolia Gardens Assisted Living Facility for care and supervision due to ongoing medical conditions and cognitive changes. The plaintiff alleges that both Palm Lake Village Housing Corporation (the licensee) and Angels Care Health Systems (the management company) failed to provide adequate care and supervision, leading to multiple preventable injuries including skin breakdowns, falls, malnutrition, dehydration, and ultimately blunt head trauma from a fall. These injuries allegedly contributed directly to Earl Dickens' death on January 5, 2024.
Amy Dickens claims that her father was highly vulnerable and dependent on the facility's staff for daily activities and safety. Despite this dependency, she asserts that the defendants neglected their duty of care through various failures such as improper assessment of risks like falls and infections, inadequate preventive measures for skin breakdowns and pressure ulcers, insufficient nutrition and hydration provision, lack of proper documentation of injuries, failure to inform family members about serious changes in condition, among other lapses.
The lawsuit seeks damages exceeding $50,000 exclusive of costs and attorney’s fees. The plaintiff is demanding compensation for medical bills and expenses incurred due to the alleged negligence leading up to Earl Dickens' death. Additionally, they are seeking funeral expenses along with damages for mental pain and suffering endured by the survivors due to loss of companionship and support from Earl Dickens.
The legal action aims at holding both Palm Lake Village Housing Corporation and Angels Care Health Systems accountable under Chapter 429 of Florida Statutes which governs standards for operating assisted living facilities. The plaintiff contends that both entities had non-delegable duties towards ensuring reasonable operation of the facility along with providing reasonable care to residents but failed grossly in fulfilling these obligations.
Representing Amy Dickens is Ryan G. Dwyer from Senior Justice Law Firm based in Boca Raton. The case has been assigned Case Number: 24-004156-CI under Judge Sherwood Coleman.