The families of 119 residents at a state-run veterans nursing home will receive $52.9 million from New Jersey in a settlement over the facility’s handling of a COVID-19 outbreak early on during the pandemic.
The settlement details were first reported and confirmed by NJ Advance Media. The total settlement amount is $52,955,000. The state will pay 60% of the total amount, or $31.7 million within the 90 days of the receipt of all closing papers, according to the report. Each family will receive on average $455,000.
The case stems from accusations against two veterans nursing homes in Menlo Park and Paramus, NJ. Families accused facility administrators of not instituting proper infection prevention measures when the pandemic first began.
They also accused facility leaders of waiting too long before isolating COVID-positive residents, allowing exposed staff to continue working and the state of not conducting timely COVID-19 testing.
The state of New Jersey did enact a broad immunity measure that protected nursing homes during the early pandemic days for their COVID-19 response.
“Cases settle for a variety of reasons. The families of those who have lost their lives to COVID-19 have gone through so much,” a state official told the media organization. “This settlement will hopefully allow them to move forward without years of protracted and uncertain litigation.”
