Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed After Grandmother Murdered at Senior Care Facility in Santa Clara

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Jul 29, 2024, 17:17 ET

SANTA CLARA, Calif., July 29, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The family of Vera Plares, a 98-year-old woman murdered at the Mission Skilled Nursing & Subacute Center in Santa Clara, CA filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the facility alleging Mission knowingly placed a patient with a violent past in the same room as their cherished grandmother.

According to the complaint, Connie Delucca had a history of being violent at Mission and had a history of prior 5150 holds (a mental illness designation that someone poses a danger to themselves or others.) When Mission negligently placed Vera Plares in the same room as Ms. Delucca, little did Vera or her family know of Ms. Delucca's propensity for violence, or that Mission's decision would prove deadly.

The complaint details that at approximately 6:00 pm on December 13, 2023, while in bed, Vera was brutally attacked. Vera had excruciating bruises on her arms, hands, neck, face, and mouth. She also suffered a chipped tooth and was bleeding from her mouth when she was finally discovered. Vera's blood was later found on Ms. Delucca's cane.

The complaint further alleges that Vera's family was not made immediately aware of the attack. They were not called until three hours later, however Vera was not taken to the hospital for her injuries. The family later learned the staff decided against sending Vera to the emergency room even though a doctor hadn't stepped onto Mission's premises to examine Vera's condition. Her family insisted she be transferred to the emergency room, where she succumbed to her injuries and passed away. The cause of death – "blunt force injury to the head."

"Mission and its co-Defendants' staff completely failed in its responsibility to ensure Vera's right to be safe," said attorney Victoria Gutierrez of Goyette, Ruano + Thompson. "They placed a patient they knew to be violent and dangerous with a completely vulnerable woman. They failed to communicate Vera's health status to her family. They failed to properly examine her after the attack. And they failed to transfer Vera to the emergency room. Mission and its co-Defendants cost Vera her life."

The case is Adam Plares Sr. v. Covenant Care California, Mission Skilled Nursing & Subacute Center, Covenant Care Mission, Suncrest Hospice San Jose, Santa Clara Superior Court, Case No. 24CV440133.

SOURCE Peacock & Bartlett, a.p.c.