Choking Death of Philadelphia Nursing Home Resident leads to Pennsylvania Attorney General Taking over DNA Testing

A hair discovered on a paper wipe found lodged in the throat of Cheryl Yewdall, a 50 year-old Philadelphia nursing home resident with cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities, was recently ordered by a judge to be sent out for private DNA testing as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the woman’s mysterious choking death in 2022. Before evidence could be sent to the lab, the Pennsylvania AG’s office stepped in to take control of the testing.

The Pennsylvania attorney general’s office has involved itself in the DNA testing of a hair discovered on a wipe removed from the trachea of a Philadelphia nursing home resident who later died, says an article in U.S. News & World Report.

Stuck to a wipe pulled from the windpipe of 50 year-old Philadelphia nursing home resident Cheryl Yewdall prior to her death, the hair was discovered by a pathologist for Yewdall’s family after having apparently been missed by Philadelphia investigators. The wrongful death attorney for the family requested a judge order DNA testing of the hair, which could potentially shed light on whether Yewdall’s death was an accident or a homicide.

According to the article, the state attorney general’s office originally appeared unwilling to get involved with the DNA testing; however, after Philadelphia was subpoenaed to turn over the evidence to a laboratory of the family’s choosing, the AG’s office took control of the evidence and will see the testing performed as ordered. The family’s wrongful death attorney subsequently withdrew his demand for private DNA testing, citing “pending criminal investigation” as the reason.

The investigation began nearly three years ago after Yewdall, a resident of the Merakey Woodhaven facility in Philadelphia, died five days after she was discovered lying face down on the floor of the facility, lips blue, lying in a pool of urine. At the hospital a 7-by-10-inch wipe was pulled from her airway; the medical examiner could not determine how the wipe appeared in Yewdall’s throat. Yewdall’s mother, convinced an extreme incident of nursing home malpractice had occurred, subsequently secured a wrongful death attorney and filed a $15 million lawsuit against Merakey Woodhaven. Charges have yet to be filed.

Merakey has denied all allegations of nursing home malpractice related to Yewdall’s death. In response to the wrongful death attorney’s claim that a Merakey employee forced the wipe into Yewdall’s throat, Merakey argued that the type of wipe discovered is not used at Woodhaven and instead was likely inserted into the victim’s throat after leaving the facility, perhaps by the EMTs who rushed Yewdall to the hospital. The wrongful death attorney in turn said that an expert will testify that the wipe was present when EMTs arrived on the scene.

The wrongful death attorney has previously contended that Yewdall, whose gag reflex functioned normally despite her cerebal palsy, could not have inserted the wipe into her own throat; moreover, the wrongful death attorney contended, the strand of black hair on the wipe could not have come from Yewdall, as a recent photograph of the victim showed her with mostly gray hair.

Certain incidents previously discovered by the family implicate Merakey Woodhaven as having subjected Yewdall to nursing home malpractice, such as allowing her broken leg to go undiagnosed for weeks and also including an alleged falling event that left Yewdall with a black eye and swollen cheek. Most damning is an audio recording of Yewdall saying, “Listen to me, a———. Settle down baby. I’m going to kill you if you don’t settle down. I’m going to kill you, a———.” According to the wrongful death attorney, Yewdall, who suffered from a condition called echolalia that caused her to repeat things she overheard, heard these threats at Marakey Woodhaven.

A trial has been set for next year.

Battling Nursing Home Malpractice and Wrongful Death

Attorney Brian P. Murphy is committed to combating nursing home malpractice in Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing homes. No Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing home resident should suffer abuse or negligence or live in fear of nursing home wrongful death. Attorney Brian Murphy has years of experience as a Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney. He is committed to bringing his clients’ nursing home malpractice cases to successful resolutions. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.

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Elderly Resident Tied to Her Recliner With a Bedsheet by Two New Jersey Nursing Home Workers, says Attorney General

Two employees of a New Jersey nursing home have been named in a 10-count indictment accusing them of assaulting a 93-year-old woman they were meant to be caring for at the home, says a Patch.com article.

As announced by the state attorney general’s office in July, Maria Alcantara, 53, and Joseph Robles, 23, both workers at Alcoeur Gardens, a memory care facility in Toms River, are charged with tying the elderly resident to a recliner with a bed sheet in mid-January and then not checking on her, according to court documents. Beyond this charge of blatant nursing home malpractice, Alcantara and Robles are accused of creating false records saying they checked on her every 30 minutes when they neglected to do so, according to state investigators.

This sort of falsification of records is a lesser known type of nursing home malpractice called false charting. Nursing home workers engage in false charting for the purpose of concealing mistakes and hiding neglect. False charting unfortunately enables workers to engage in prolonged poor care, endangering the health and well-being of residents. This particular type of nursing home malpractice can have the following negative impact on vulnerable elderly residents:

• the neglect and worsening of illnesses
• nursing home falls and injuries
• in extreme cases, death, requiring the involvement of a wrongful death attorney

The nursing home malpractice charges against Alcantara and Robles were made following an investigation by the Office of Insurance Fraud Prevention’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. In total, the accused employees have been jointly charged with ten counts of nursing home malpractice, including:

• two counts of neglect
• two counts of criminal restraint
• two counts of assault on an institutionalized or elderly person
• two counts of endangering an elderly person
• one count each of destruction, falsification, or alteration of medical records

According to the article, both Alcantara and Robles have pleaded not guilty.

“When we place our loved ones in the care of others, we rightfully expect that they will be treated with compassion, respect, and dignity,” said Attorney General Matthew Platkin. “We have a duty to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and we will advocate for them and prosecute those who exploit and mistreat vulnerable members of our society.”

Fighting Against Elder Abuse, Substandard Care, and Wrongful Death

Attorney Brian P. Murphy strives to uphold the safety and the rights of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and New Jersey nursing home residents. Your loved one living in a Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing home should be protected from assault and from any dangerous circumstance caused by false charting or any sort of nursing home malpractice. As an experienced nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, Brian Murphy holds accountable those Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing homes responsible for any sort of negligence and abuse. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, or if you need guidance in choosing a nursing home, call Brian Murphy today.

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Elder Abuse and Neglect Investigations Are Staggeringly Slow in Pennsylvania, often with Tragic Result

Many of Pennsylvania’s agencies responsible for protecting older adults are failing to investigate complaints of elder abuse and neglect within a safe timeframe, says a Spotlight PA article. State regulations mandate that Pennsylvania’s 52 county protective services agencies, called Area Agencies on Aging, which are tasked with investigating allegations of elder abuse, must complete investigations within 20 days. According to data collected by a Spotlight PA investigation, certain of these county agencies have taken as much as five times longer than the 20 days to achieve determinations in abuse and neglect investigations.

What’s more, says the article, is that there has also been an astounding 91 percent increase in deaths of elderly Pennsylvanians during open investigations since 2018, a circumstance that would seem to require the involvement of wrongful death attorneys; however, accountability for these deaths is practically impossible to determine as the Department of Aging, which oversees the state’s agencies, does not track causes of death, and state’s agencies aren’t required to report it.

Reform and transparency are demanded immediately, says the article, especially as the number of adults aged 60 and over in the state continues to grow (projected by 2030 to outnumber every other age group). Apparently some new legislation introduced by State Rep. Lou Schmitt (R., Blair) would require the Department of Aging to make public the compliance status of every Pennsylvania county agency; meanwhile, Pennsylvania Secretary of Aging Jason Kavulich has told the agencies his office is formulating a plan to publish more performance information about them.

“We as a department have to do better,” said Kavulich.

Suspecting Nursing Home Malpractice and Elder Abuse

If you suspect your loved one living at a Pennsylvania or New Jersey nursing home is the victim of nursing home malpractice in the form of abuse or neglect, it is good practice to inform the nursing home administrator as well as your state’s Department of Health/Ombudsman’s Office, and certainly a state investigator, whose number is required to be made available to you by the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania or New Jersey nursing home. It is also imperative to contact a nursing home malpractice attorney immediately. While an investigation of the accusation of nursing home malpractice will be put into motion, having an experienced nursing home malpractice or wrongful death attorney available to you will be indispensible throughout the process, as he or she can inform you of pertinent matters of the law while also working on your behalf to ensure a comprehensive nursing home malpractice investigation is conducted.

Fighting Against Elder Abuse, Nursing Home Malpractice, and Wrongful Death

Attorney Brian P. Murphy strives to uphold the safety and the rights of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and New Jersey nursing home residents. Your loved one living in a Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing home should live without concern about being subjected to abuse, neglect, or any sort of nursing home malpractice. As an experienced nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, Brian Murphy holds accountable those Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing homes responsible for poor care. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, or if you need guidance in choosing a nursing home, call Brian Murphy today.

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New Jersey Nursing Home Worker Indicted for Assaulting Resident with Bleach Spray

New Jersey nursing home worker indicted by a grand jury for abuse of a patient after spraying an elderly resident with bleach, says a Patch.com article. According to the article, Simone Goldsboro, 34, a worker at Dwellside Care & Rehab in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, sprayed bleach on a female nursing home resident’s face and body, a shocking act of nursing home malpractice. Goldsboro furthermore “purposely or recklessly” caused bodily injury by pulling the resident’s hair and aggressively undressing her, said the New Jersey Office of the Attorney General (OAG). Goldsboro was charged last August with aggravated assault for the incident of nursing home malpractice.

According to an affidavit referenced in the article, police received word that a Dwellside worker had reportedly been routinely assaulting a patient; they responded by meeting at the home with the aforementioned victim’s daughter, who claimed to have witnessed nursing home malpractice in the form of abuse against her mother. The daughter shared with the authorities a video recording she had made showing Goldsboro pulling her mother’s hair, yanking a shirt over her head and face, and using a spray bottle to spray a liquid—later determined to be bleach—directly onto the patient’s face and body.

This incident of nursing home malpractice illustrates classic physical nursing home abuse. Physical abuse occurs when a nursing home staff member (or even another nursing home resident) uses deliberate physical action against a nursing home resident. Common types of physical nursing home abuse involve hitting, shoving, kicking, hair pulling, and more. If your loved one lives in a nursing home, it is important to watch for signs of physical abuse, including unexplained bruises, burns, scratches, or bone fractures, or uncharacteristic displays of anger, depression, or violence. Unchecked nursing home abuse can lead to serious injury or even death, unfortunately requiring the intervention of a wrongful death attorney.

 Fighting Nursing Home Neglect, Elder Abuse, and Wrongful Death

Attorney Brian P. Murphy is dedicated to ensuring negligent Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing homes be held responsible for incidents of nursing home malpractice. As an experienced nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, Brian Murphy fights untiringly to uphold the rights and preserve the health and safety of Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing home residents. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.

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DNA Testing Could Give Answers in Mysterious Wrongful Death of Philadelphia Nursing Home Resident Found with a Disinfectant Wipe Lodged in Her Throat

In January 2022, Cheryl Yewdall, a 50 year-old Philadelphia nursing home resident with cerebral palsy and intellectual disabilities, died after a paper towel or disinfecting wipe was discovered lodged in her trachea. The woman’s mother secured a wrongful death attorney and filed a lawsuit against Merakey Woodhaven, where her daughter lived since she was ten. New DNA evidence could shed new light on the case.

The family of a Philadelphia nursing home resident who died after choking on a paper towel or disinfecting wipe has requested DNA testing on a hair stuck to the wipe, says a Bowling Green Daily News article. A single black hair, apparently missed by homicide investigators who were unable determine if the death was a homicide or an accident, has been discovered via magnification of police evidence photos by a pathologist for the victim’s family; the family subsequently contacted a judge to request DNA testing of the hair.

In January 2022, workers at Philadelphia’s Merakey Woodhaven found 50 year-old resident Cheryl Yewdall face down on the floor, in a pool of urine, her lips blue—circumstances indicative of nursing home malpractice. A 7-by-10-inch paper towel or cleaning wipe was discovered blocking her airway. Following an investigation, the question of how the wipe got into her throat remains a mystery. After contacting a wrongful death attorney, Yewdall’s mother filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the home.

According to the news article, the wrongful death attorney and a second lawyer filed a motion on June 21 that included a photograph of Yewdall with mostly gray hair. The black hair on the wipe—and even the wipe itself—might contain DNA not belonging to Yewdall, contends the wrongful death attorney. The article says that, thus far, no indication of a willingness to conduct DNA testing has been shown.

The nursing home has denied any responsibility for Yewdall’s death. The suit filed by the wrongful death attorney for Yewdall’s family accuses a staff member at Marakey Woodhaven of jamming the paper towel/cleaning wipe down her throat. While Yewdall suffered from cerebral palsy, her medical records indicated a normal functioning of her gag reflex, suggestive of the fact that Yewdall could not have inserted the wad of paper into her own windpipe; furthermore, previous incidents indicative of nursing home malpractice support the lawsuit’s accusations:

• In early 2021, Yewdall suffered an undiagnosed broken leg for weeks. When it was finally discovered, the physician-ordered leg immobilizer went unimplemented.
• Later that year, Yewdall suffered a black eye and swollen cheek, which the facility claimed was the result of a fall.
• Most significantly, an audio recording of Yewdall—who has a condition known as echolalia, which involves the repeating of other people’s words and phrases—reveals her saying, “Listen to me, a———. Settle down baby. I’m going to kill you if you don’t settle down. I’m going to kill you, a———.” According to the lawsuit, these words were overheard by Yewdall at Marakey Woodhaven.

Taking Nursing Homes to Task for Wrongful Death

Attorney Brian P. Murphy is committed to fighting against nursing home malpractice in Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing homes. No Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing home resident should be subjected to the abusive and negligent acts that amount to nursing home malpractice, and no one should live in fear of nursing home wrongful death. Attorney Brian Murphy has years of experience coming up against Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing homes in matters of nursing home malpractice and as a wrongful death attorney. He is dedicated to successfully resolving his clients’ cases. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.

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Tougher Sanctions Are Needed against New Jersey Nursing Homes that Repeatedly Put Residents at Risk, Says New Report

New Jersey has failed at holding the worst nursing home operators accountable for repeatedly subjecting residents to nursing home malpractice, says NJ.com. The article cites a long-awaited report by the New Jersey Task Force on Long-Term Care Quality and Safety, which calls for a sweeping transformation of the nursing home system in New Jersey.

Released in late May, the 74-page report called for tougher sanctions against nursing homes that repeatedly neglect to meet staffing and safety standards that safeguard against nursing home malpractice. The task force was created in 2020 to investigate what factors contributed to the shocking number of nursing home deaths in New Jersey during the pandemic—over 16,250 people through March 2022. The study concluded in August of last year, meaning 10 months elapsed before its findings became public.

Among its recommendations for the state’s nursing home industry—such as making facilities less like hospitals and more home-like, and making it easier for elderly citizens to receive support while staying in their own homes—the task force gave particular attention to those New Jersey nursing home operators recurrently cited for violations amounting to nursing home malpractice.

“There is a group of chronically poor performing facilities that consistently fail to provide high-quality, safe care, in some cases for many years,” said the report, which called for more resources to be dedicated to oversight and intervention. For operators guilty of such incidences of nursing home malpractice as violating the state’s minimum staffing law and other health and safety codes, the report suggested taking such actions as halting admissions, appointing a monitor, and imposing substantial fines.

This report comes on the heels of the March independent report on New Jersey’s response to the pandemic, which called the state’s nursing home response to Department of Health directives “inconsistent and confused,” allowing COVID-19 to run rampant in its nursing homes.

According to the article, another suggestion put forth in the report includes holding the nursing home industry more accountable for how it spends its money, and insisting on more detailed, verifiable, and transparent information about any person or entity that owns any part of a nursing home.

When nursing homes repeatedly fail to meet standards for staffing, health, and safety, it is the vulnerable residents who pay the price. Conditions are established that can lead to a host of issues equating to nursing home malpractice, including nursing home illnesses, injuries, and even death. If you’re concerned nursing home malpractice is occurring in your loved one’s nursing home don’t wait to contact a nursing home malpractice or a wrongful death attorney.

Advocating for Your Loved One against Nursing Home Abuse, Neglect, and Wrongful Death

Attorney Brian P. Murphy is dedicated to protecting the safety and preserving the rights of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing home residents. Your loved one living in a nursing home should not fear that their home’s negligence will result in illness or wrongful death. Attorney Brian Murphy has years of experience fighting negligent nursing homes in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and New Jersey. As a seasoned nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, he holds accountable the Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing homes responsible for elder abuse, neglect, and other types of nursing home malpractice. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, or if you need guidance in choosing a nursing home, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.

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Former Pennsylvania Nursing Home Aide Sentenced for Stealing Jewelry from Dementia Patients 

In a shocking incident of nursing home malpractice, a former nursing aide of a Pennsylvania nursing home has been sentenced to time in jail for stealing jewelry from dementia patients, says an article on triblive.com. Christina Louise Ankney, of Allegheny County, has pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of theft and receiving stolen property related to two incidents that took place while she was subcontracted to work as an aide at Redstone Highlands in Murrysville, Pennsylvania.

According to the article, Ankney stole rings from two patients and later pawned them at a local pawn shop for cash. Two of the rings she’d pawned were wedding and engagement rings wrested from the fingers of a patient who suffered from a condition that left her hands in a constant state of contraction.

“For Ankney to steal the two rings…she would have had to forcefully pry (the victim’s fingers) open and physically keep them open long enough for her to pull the two rings from her fingers, a task that most likely caused (the victim) discomfort,” said an officer quoted in the criminal complaint about the incident of nursing home malpractice.

A tip to police about the pawning led authorities to identify the missing rings and confirm Ankney as the person who had pawned them.

As penalty for the theft equating to nursing home malpractice, Ankney was sentenced to serve 306 days to 23 months in jail and to pay $9,500 in restitution to one victim’s family and $130 to Redstone Highlands.

Beyond this incident of nursing home malpractice, Ankney is separately the subject of a federal indictment for allegedly stealing mail while employed by the U.S. Postal Service in 2022.

Nursing home theft is a type of nursing home abuse, and when it happens, an incident of nursing home malpractice has occurred. If you suspect your loved one living in a nursing home has been victimized by nursing home theft, don’t hesitate to report it. For any questions about what to do if you suspect elder abuse or what steps to take if you need a wrongful death attorney, you should contact a nursing home malpractice attorney immediately.

Fighting Against Nursing Home Malpractice and Wrongful Death

Attorney Brian P. Murphy endeavors to protect the safety and rights of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and New Jersey nursing home residents. Your loved one living in a Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing home should not need to worry that his or her person items are at risk of being stolen or that he or she should be subjected to any sort of nursing home malpractice, especially any sort that would require securing a wrongful death attorney. As an experienced nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, Brian Murphy holds accountable those Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing homes responsible for every kind of negligence and abuse. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, or if you need guidance in choosing a nursing home, call Brian Murphy today.

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Staff Requirements are Falling Short for Most Pennsylvania and New Jersey Nursing Homes, Says Analysis

In 2026, federal staffing minimums will be implemented in an effort to address staffing shortages that contribute to incidences of nursing home malpractice. Few facilities in Pennsylvania and New Jersey are close to meeting these minimums, a new report finds.

The majority of Pennsylvania and New Jersey nursing homes don’t meet the staffing requirements drafted under a new rule from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a Philly Voice article says. According to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis, under 20 percent of Pennsylvania nursing homes and only 15 percent of New Jersey nursing homes meet certain staffing requirements due to take effect in 2026.

Following the pandemic, during which over 167,000 nursing home residents died, a severe drop in nursing home staff occurred. Subsequent reports of neglect, abuse, and nursing home malpractice followed. The CMS rule, proposed last year and released in finalized form in April, seeks to help resolve the low staffing that results in nursing home malpractice as well as tragic deadly incidents that require the intervention of a wrongful death attorney.

The finalized CMS rule will require a total nurse staffing standard of 3.48 hours per resident day (HPRD), which needs to include 0.55 HPRD for registered nurses and 2.45 HPRD for nurse aides. According to the Philly Voice article, the KFF analysis shows the following data related to Pennsylvania and New Jersey nursing homes vis-à-vis the staffing requirements:

• Pennsylvania – Only 18 percent of nursing homes currently provide the 2.45 HPRD from nurse aids, while 56 percent of homes meet the total nursing standard and under 70 percent meet the 0.55 HPRD for RNs.
• New Jersey – In New Jersey, 19 percent of nursing homes meet the minimum 2.45 HPRD from nurse aides, while 55 percent meet the registered nurse staffing standards, and just over 50 percent meet the total nursing standard.

Low staffing in nursing homes interferes with workers’ and nurses’ ability to adequately perform tasks and give care to vulnerable nursing home residents, which equates to nursing home malpractice in the following forms:

• Malnutrition and dehydration from inadequate provision of food and water
• Poor nursing home hygiene and the development/deterioration of bed sores
• Increased nursing home falls  and medication errors
• Nursing home illnesses
• Nursing home infections
• Nursing home injuries
• Wrongful death, necessitating the involvement of a wrongful death attorney

If you are worried about staffing levels at your loved one’s nursing home, or if you suspect injuries, illnesses, or wrongful death has occurred as a result of poor nursing home staffing, don’t hesistate—contact a nursing home malpractice or wrongful death attorney right away.

Holding Nursing Homes Responsible for Poor Staffing Levels

Your loved one living in a Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing home should not need to tolerate circumstances of nursing home malpractice related to low staffing, especially those that compromise their health and safety or subject them to the possibility of wrongful death. As a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, Brian P. Murphy is committed to fighting for the health and safety of Philadelphia/PA and NJ nursing home residents. With extensive experience as a wrongful death attorney fighting negligent nursing homes in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Brian Murphy is committed to successfully resolving his clients’ nursing home malpractice cases. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.

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Pennsylvania Nurse Charged with Multiple Nursing Home Murders Gets Life in Prison

The Pennsylvania nurse who gave high—and in many cases, lethal—doses of insulin to several of her patients has pled guilty to three counts of murder as well as other charges and received a life sentence in prison, says an NBC Philadelphia article.

Initially charged with the deaths of two nursing home patients while injuring a third, former nurse Heather Pressdee, 41, was ultimately found to be involved in the deaths of at least 17 patients ranging from 43 to 104 years of age in nursing homes across four Pennsylvania counties between 2020 and 2023, said prosecutors. Following the original charges against her, subsequent investigations resulted in multiple other charges being brought against her by wrongful death attorneys.

A recent lawsuit brought by a wrongful death attorney was filed in April against Armstrong Rehabilitation and Nursing Facility in Kittanning, Pennsylvania, and its parent company, Armstrong SNF Operator LLC. The suit charged the home with nine counts of nursing home malpractice for neglecting to prevent the hiring of Pressdee in spite of her dismissals from other homes, for failing to prevent the death of a 90 year-old woman who’d been given an overdose of insulin administered by Pressdee, and for neglecting to report or act on reports related to suspected abuse.

At her hearing in Butler County, Pressdee pled guilty to three counts of first-degree murder and 19 counts of attempted murder, and received three consecutive life sentences, as well as another consecutive term of 380-760 years in prison.

According to prosecutors, Pressdee allegedly administered the high doses of insulin to her patients—including those who were not diabetic—during quiet, low-staffed overnight shifts, in order to avoid the swift hospitalization of her victims. The NBC Philadelphia article said Pressdee’s coworkers had frequently taken issue with the former nurse’s professional conduct and witnessed her showing contempt for her patients and saying disparaging things about them.

Fighting Against Nursing Home Malpractice and Wrongful Death

Attorney Brian P. Murphy dedicates his practice to upholding the safety and rights of residents in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing homes. Your loved one should never have to endure nursing home negligence or abuse that results in injury, illness, or especially wrongful death. Brian Murphy is experienced in taking to task negligent nursing homes in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and New Jersey. As a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, he holds Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing homes accountable for all types of nursing home malpractice. If you need to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, or need guidance in choosing a nursing home, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.

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Plea Deal Rejected by Federal Judge for Infamous New Jersey Nursing Home Operator

After establishing Skyline Healthcare, Joseph Schwartz’s nursing home chain rapidly expanded; by 2017 the operator was running 95 facilities in 11 states from his office above a New Jersey pizzeria. But thanks to alleged fraud, mismanagement, and serious resident neglect amounting to nursing home malpractice, the empire swiftly crumbled, displacing hundreds of elderly residents and leaving state regulators across the country to pick up the pieces.

A federal judge has rejected the plea deal negotiated for a New Jersey nursing home operator who admitted he devised a $38 million tax scam to finance a massive nursing home chain that collapsed after rampant, unchecked growth, a NJ.com article reports.

Joseph Schwartz, 64, the former CEO of the now-defunct nursing home chain Skyline Healthcare, pleaded guilty in January to failing to pay employment taxes withheld from Skyline employees and also to failing to file annual financial reports related to his employees’ 401k plan with the Department of Labor. Under the terms of Schwartz’s plea deal, which was negotiated between defense counsel and federal prosecutors, he would serve a year and one day in prison and pay $5 million in restitution; however, on May 23, U.S. District Judge Susan Wigenton threw out the plea agreement and said Schwartz has until June 21 to retract his guilty plea. If he does not, sentencing will go as scheduled on July 17.

According to the article, court filings claimed Skyline Healthcare used a number of shell companies that existed only nominally and for the sole purpose of avoiding accountability and liability.

Beyond its failure to pay vendors, utilities, landlords, or wages to its staff, Skyline’s nursing homes subjected residents to a range of undesirable conditions equating to nursing home malpractice, including food shortages, drastic cuts in resources, staffing issues and cuts, and alarming reports of serious neglect including the following instances of nursing home malpractice:

• In Arkansas Skyline facilities: heightened unnecessary falls, unbathed residents, and gross neglect. One serious incidence of nursing home malpractice involved a resident had maggots living in their medical equipment; another involved a resident who was ignored for 45 minutes after falling to the floor and injuring his face.
• In Massachusetts Skyline facilities: drastic staff reductions and the rationing of adult diapers, leaving residents sitting in their own urine and filth, a dangerous example of nursing home malpractice that can lead to bed sores and infection.
• In a Tennessee Skyline facility, a grave incident of nursing home practice involved a resident who’d undergone a leg amputation and was discovered lying in his own feces with maggots and gangrene in his leg. The man died two days later, a circumstance that merits the involvement of a wrongful death attorney.

If you’re concerned about low staffing or serious neglect in your loved one’s nursing home, it is important to reach out to a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney.

Your Advocate against Nursing Home Neglect and Wrongful Death

Attorney Brian P. Murphy is dedicated to protecting the safety and preserving the rights of residents in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, or New Jersey nursing homes. Your loved one should not fear that his or her nursing home will be understaffed or otherwise mismanaged by negligent operators, leading to such consequences of nursing home malpractice as bed sores, injuries, or especially wrongful death. Attorney Brian Murphy is experienced in taking to task negligent nursing homes in Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and New Jersey. As a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, he holds Philadelphia/PA or NJ nursing homes accountable for all types of nursing home malpractice. Should you find yourself needing to contact a nursing home malpractice and wrongful death attorney, or if you need guidance in choosing a nursing home, call Brian Murphy today to discuss your legal options.

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