A Michigan disabilities group is requesting an injunction against a nursing home that would force the facility to hand over records.
The Michigan Protection and Advocacy Service is tasked with investigating allegations of abuse against people with disabilities. In the latest in a series of legal maneuvers, it filed a motion against Medilodge of Grand Blanc in Grand Blanc, MI last week. If granted, the injunction would require Medilodge to turn over records related to a lawsuit filed by MPAS, which is investigating a complaint.
That complaint, sent to MPAS last year, said that a Medilodge resident with impairments caused by a stroke did not receive adequate treatment, and died as a result. The state group requested documents from Medilodge relating to that case and other complaints, which the provider has refused to turn over.
MPAS filed a lawsuit after repeated attempts at collecting the documents from the facility’s attorney, MLive.com reported. When documents were eventually handed over to MPAS, they were incomplete, the group said.
McKnight’s request for comment on MPAS’ motion from Medilodge of Grand Blanc was not returned by production deadline on Tuesday.
“Medilodge facilities have a long history of interfering with plaintiff’s right to receive timely access to records by wholly ignoring plaintiff’s requests or delaying the production of records for extended periods of time, often exceeding several months,” a brief filed in support of the injunction reads. “Even when records are provided after lengthy delays, they are often minimal and incomplete as here.”
