Jury Finding Understaffing Caused Nursing Home Resident’s Death Supported by Evidence, Tennessee High Court Rules

“In an employment setting, if there is too much work required of too few employees, either the work will not get done or the quality of the work will be diminished,” a unanimous Tennessee Supreme Court stated, upholding a jury verdict against a nursing home’s corporate manager for the wrongful death of one of the home’s residents. Wilson v. Americare Sys. et al., 397 S.W.3d 552 (Tenn. 2013). Reversing the Tennessee Court of Appeals, the Court ruled the jury verdict was supported by sufficient evidence showing that the insufficient staffing levels led to deviations in the standards of care and ultimately caused the resident’s death. The Court returned the case to the Court of Appeals to review the $5 million punitive damages award against the management company.