Wrongful death lawsuit filed against Granby House

The son of a man who died in March 2024 while living at the Granby House filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the long-term skilled nursing facility today in Newton County Circuit Court.

The lawsuit was filed by Ronald Baruth, son of John Dupre, on behalf of himself and his brother, Steven Baruth.

Listed as the defendant is Granby House owner Granby No. 1 Inc.

Baruth, who is represented by Jeffrey J. Carey of the Gori Law Firm of Edwardsville, Illinois, is asking for damages and costs for wrongful death and lost chance of survival and is asking for a jury trial.

From the petition:

Defendant owned, operated, managed, and/or controlled the facility where Decedent resided, and at all times acted by and through its administrators, employees, agents, nurses, nurse aides, and other staff acting within the course and scope of their agency and employment.

At all pertinent times, Defendant held itself out as competent to provide nursing, custodial, and medical-related care to vulnerable residents, including Decedent, and undertook to provide such care.

Decedent had numerous diagnoses and risk factors documented in the medical records, including repeated falls, physical disabilities, history of TIA, unsteadiness, pacemaker, muscle weakness, BPH, hypertension, protein malnutrition/underweight, recent right femur fracture, and pressure injuries.

During Decedent’s residence, Defendant failed to implement and maintain appropriate individualized assessment, care planning, monitoring, and interventions necessary to reduce foreseeable risks and to provide the level of care required by Decedent’s condition.

Among other deficiencies, Defendant failed to timely and adequately assess and address Decedent’s fall risk, mobility and activity needs, pain management needs, nutritional needs and malnutrition, and skin integrity/pressure injury risks; and failed to maintain adequate wound documentation and monitoring.

As a result of Defendant’s acts and omissions, Decedent suffered avoidable decline, injuries, complications, and ultimately death in March 2024, as more fully described below and the decedent was first injured in the County of Newton, State of Missouri.