Nursing Home Nurses Fired for Making a Report

Several nurses have filed a wrongful termination lawsuit against the Pittsfield Township nursing home. Three former employees claim to have been fired because they reported patient abuse and neglect. The report was made by the three nurses because they had actually found maggots on one of the patients inside of the nursing home.

Three certified nursing aides, Nikenda Morton, Wanda Mosley, and Latasha Bryant have filed the lawsuit on November 22^nd. The three former employees worked at Whitehall healthcare Center, a nursing home for those who cannot take proper care of themselves. During their time working at this nursing home, the three nurses were involved in an investigation after making reports of a resident who fell and had maggots around her vaginal area.

Morton claims that one of her patients was at a risk of falling but Morton had suffered from an injury and could not lift more than 10 pounds at the time which is why she alerted the management. However, when the resident fell during the month of August in 2011, Morton’s supervisor told her not to write a report about the residents fall. Morton immediately filed a complaint with the state. Morton says she was fired the day after.

Whitehall says that they did fire Morton but not because of her claims. They say she was fired because she was told to stay in the dining room are but instead, she left that particular area. Morton says no one told her to stay in the dining room area and that she was, in fact, fired because of filing a complaint and participating in that ongoing investigation. Bryant and Mosley, who had to help clean up the patient, say they were also fired after cooperating with the investigators.

Bryant says that Whitehall did not want her speaking to the investigators and tried to prohibit her from entering the building while the investigation was ongoing. She says she was suspended on August 27 for supposedly not providing fingerprints. Bryant says she did, in fact, provide fingertips but was still fired on August 29^th.

Mosley says she was fired once the nursing home saw the state’s report and realized that she had made a statement about the maggot discovery and the unsanitary conditions at the nursing home. Mosley made complaints about failing to provide hygiene to the resident who need the help.

This lawsuit being made against Whitehall is asking for compensation for economic injury, loss of employment, distress, humiliation, and the cost of court and attorney fees.

Employment lawyer in Los Angeles, Eric Grover, has said, “After the state’s report confirmed the employees concerns for poor patient care and unsanitary conditions, it became apparent that these terminated employees actually care about the quality life of the residents, by doing the right thing and reporting it. No elderly person should ever have to endure conditions such as these patients have.”