$43.5 Million Awarded in Nursing Home Death Case

A jury in Georgia awarded $43.5 million to the daughter of an 80-year-old nursing home resident who died after breaking his hip in a fall at the home.

After a three-day trial, the jury found 62-year-old George Houser, former operator of the Moran Lake Nursing Home and Rehabilitation Center in Rome, liable for the death of Morris Ellison, whose fall resulted from the nursing care facility’s negligence.

Houser is an attorney from Sandy Springs, who owned the Forum Group Corp., the company responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the home.

Ellison had been residing at the nursing home for more than a year prior to his 2007 death, according to court documents.

Houser is also under investigation for Medicare and Medicaid fraud. According to federal prosecutors, Houser and his wife received millions in Medicare and Medicaid payments, which they allegedly used on real estate purchases and other personal expenses, instead of spending it to care for residents at the three nursing homes operated by Forum Group.