BENTONVILLE, AR – On February 4, 2025, a seven-day trial in Camden ended with Plaintiff Sheila Whitney winning a $6.6 million verdict. She won against Ouachita Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, a local nursing home, for causing the death of her mother, 77-year-old Lillie Whitney in 2016.

Certified nursing assistants (CNAs) from the nursing home testified and described the dreadful working conditions and short staffing at the facility. They said that it prevented them from performing their duties and caring for nursing home residents, including Lillie Whitney, who stayed in the facility from January 2015 until her death in August 2016.

Sheila Whitney's lawyers demonstrated to the jury those horrible working conditions caused malnutrition and severe dehydration to Lillie Whitney. The jury heard evidence that the 77-year-old victim developed 18 bedsores over her body due to the lack of care. Evidence used in the case said the bedsores on Lillie Whitney's body had also become infested with maggots. However, the nursing home failed to report this incident to the Office of Long-Term Care, an agency of the Arkansas Department of Human Services. The operators of the nursing home said that the maggots did not cause Lillie Whitney any harm. The jury also received evidence that the nursing home also failed to report a previous incident involving maggots and a different resident the year before.

After hearing all the evidence, the jury ruled in Ms. Whitney's favor. They returned a verdict of $2.2 million in compensatory damages and $4.4 million in punitive damages for the defendants' failure to improve conditions in the facility despite numerous warnings. The court also said that the state of care in the facility poses a danger to residents. The Camden facility is one of many Arkansas nursing homes operated by a group of companies based in Alexandria, LA.

If a loved one has been injured or died due to the negligence or actions of a nursing home facility, Bautista LeRoy LLC can help you. Our skilled and tenacious personal injury attorneys can protect your rights and help you and your family get justice and the compensation you deserve. Our firm specializes in nursing home neglect and abuse cases, offering compassionate, personalized legal representation for victims and their families. Contact Bautista LeRoy LLC today at 479-208-6614 to discuss your situation or send us an email on our Contact Page.