Portland nursing home with state’s deadliest virus outbreak sued

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — The daughter of a woman who died after contracting the coronavirus at a Portland long-term care facility has filed a $1.8 million lawsuit, claiming elder abuse.

Angela Brown says her 75-year-old mother, Judith Jones, contracted coronavirus and died because of Healthcare at Foster Creek’s negligence, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported.

In the complaint, Brown listed problems state investigators found at the nursing home, now connected to 29 deaths and 119 cases of COVID-19. The Oregon Department of Human Services recently suspended the home’s license.

The Oregon Department of Human Services suspended the home’s license earlier this month.

Foster Creek is run by Benicia Senior Living and is owned by St. Jude Operating Company. A Benicia co-owner didn't immediately respond to a request for comment and St. Jude representatives couldn't be reached.

Jones, who had dementia, lived in a locked unit at Foster Creek. For Brown, that afforded some comfort, because staff said workers weren’t going from unit to unit, the lawsuit says. But state inspectors’ findings said the outbreak’s spread to the locked unit was likely due to staff working across units.

On April 18, Jones was taken to a hospital emergency room with a fever, according to the lawsuit. She tested positive for the coronavirus and died April 25.