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Two men who lost their mothers to coronavirus have launched a $50 million class action lawsuit against Revera, the operator of the care facilities where their mothers were living when they died.
The lead plaintiffs, Peter Masucci and Tonino Ricci, each say that their mother caught COVID-19 while living at the Ontario care home. They allege in their proposed Revera class action lawsuit that the operators of the home failed to keep their and others’ loved ones safe from the pandemic.
“The elderly are the most vulnerable in society and they rely on the care and assistance of professionals, whom they pay, to ensure their safety,” said one of the lawyers representing the plaintiffs in a press release. “It is our belief that the defendant was negligent in protecting their residents.”
CTV News reports that a Waterloo-area nursing home run by Revera has suffered the brunt of the COVID-19 epidemic. The region recently reported that nearly 150 residents of the home had contracted coronavirus and 51 staff members. Additionally, over half of the area’s 68 coronavirus deaths have reportedly occurred at the home.
According to the Revera class action lawsuit, the operator failed to provide the facilities adequate testing resources and failed to follow sanitation protocols. In addition, the plaintiffs say that Revera failed to tell residents and their loved ones of measures that would have kept them safe during the coronavirus outbreak.
The law firm representing the plaintiffs states on its website that Revera and other facilities have had “ample warning to prepare for the effects of this pandemic.”
“This specific pandemic has illuminated the shortfalls within our nursing homes that have been going on for years,” states the website.
The proposed Revera COVID-19 class action lawsuit seeks to represent residents of Revera operated nursing homes in Ontario, who lived in the facilities since at least Jan. 1, 2020, as well as residents’ families.
“There are more victims out there,” Plaintiff Peter Masucci said in a press release issued by the law firm representing him and the proposed Class. “They simply didn’t do enough for their staff, or in testing rollout or isolation of infected individuals.”
For its part, a representative for Revera has said that it is reviewing the matter and will respond.
“Right now, we are focusing our efforts on caring for our residents and protecting our residents and employees from the pandemic,” said the representative in a statement reported by CTV News. “We offer our most sincere condolences to the families and friends of the people we have lost to COVID-19.”
Coronavirus Class Action Lawsuits Piling Up Against Nursing Homes
Nursing homes have become a hotbed for COVID-19 transmission. The elderly, as well as those with underlying health conditions, are particularly susceptible to contracting the disease and suffering severe complications. In addition, residents and the loved ones of residents have reported that nursing home operators are failing to properly protect those in their facilities.
“When our elderly are infected, they tend to experience the symptoms on a larger scale than those younger individuals. They may also have several comorbidities which require a specific type of care,” notes the plaintiffs’ law firm’s website. “What is also compounding the many problems in these facilities is that occasionally management has failed to properly protect the staff with PPE equipment or develop in-house processes which mitigate against risks.”
Another COVID-19 class action lawsuit was recently filed against an Ontario nursing home operator alleging its facilities failed to follow proper practices that would have stopped the spread of the virus. Further, the plaintiff says that residents who contracted coronavirus were neglected, being allowed to die alone in their rooms without notifying their family members that they had even become ill.
Quebec’s nursing homes have also been hit with COVID-19 class action lawsuits alleging facility operators failed to properly care for residents. CBC News recently reported that approximately half of all coronavirus deaths have occurred in the province’s public care homes. Plaintiffs allege that a number of practices exacerbated the problem in Quebec, including forcing nursing home employees to work at several facilities during the same time period.
“We need to do better,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a recent daily briefing. “Because we are failing our parents, our grandparents, our elders – the greatest generation who built this country. We need to care for them properly.”
Have you or a loved one been affected by the spread of COVID-19 at a senior care facility? Tell us what happened in the comment section below!
The plaintiffs are represented by Diamond and Diamond Lawyers.
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