Polk County Jury Awards $114 Million against Nursing Home

A Polk County jury has handed down a $114 million verdict in a nursing home abuse case that resulted in an elderly woman's death.

This could be the largest verdict ever in Polk County.

Juanita Jackson, 76, was placed in IHS of Florida, Auburndale, in March 2003 for rehabilitation. The company is now known as Auburndale Oaks Healthcare Center. Trans Healthcare Inc. and Trans Healthcare Management operated the nursing home at that time.

The suit contended that the nursing home staff knew Jackson was at risk for falls but did not put proper preventative measures in place and she fell within two weeks of being admitted. She suffered a closed head trauma and fractured her upper arm, injuries from which she never fully recovered, according to the suit.

When Jackson's family moved her from IHS in May 2003, she had become malnourished and dehydrated and had multiple bedsores. She died July 6, 2003.

The case was filed in the Tenth Judicial Circuit Court in Polk County in 2004
Polk County Jury Awards $114 Million in Nursing Home Lawsuit