New York Attorney General Sues ‘Troubled’ Home for Mentally Ill To Recover Damages for Injured Residents
New York state Attorney General Eliot Spitzer (D) on Dec. 16 filed a lawsuit against the former operators of Seaport Manor, one of the state's largest homes for mentally ill adults, seeking $12 million in damages to compensate "hundreds" of former residents for neglect and abuse, the New York Times reports. The lawsuit, filed in N.Y. Supreme Court in Brooklyn, accuses Seaport's former operators of "repeatedly engaging" in illegal conduct that put patients in danger; "routinely neglect[ing]" residents in crisis; distributing medications "haphazardly or not at all"; allowing rooms to be infested with rats or bugs; and misappropriating money. The $12 million sought by Spitzer represents the amount paid by Seaport residents between December 1998 and June 2002. The problems at Seaport came to light after a New York Times investigative series examining the state's adult homes revealed that between 1995 and 2001, at least 79 Seaport residents died, including three who committed suicide and two whose bodies were found decomposing. Residents' average age of death was 58, and the state neglected to investigate any of the deaths. After the Times series, Gov. George Pataki's (R) administration moved to revoke Seaport's license, and the home is "now nearly closed." The administration last month announced a plan to progressively eliminate the state's adult homes system over the next 10 years (Levy, New York Times, 12/17).
Problems 'No Longer Tolerated'
State officials said that the "threat of serious financial penalties" is intended to "send a message that dangerous problems" at adult homes for the mentally ill "will no longer be tolerated," the Times reports. "I certainly hope that this [lawsuit] demonstrates to the industry that there is going to be renewed vigor in terms of enforcement," Spitzer said. Spitzer said his office plans to "aggressively pursue" similar lawsuits against other adult homes. In addition to the lawsuit, the U.S. Attorney's office in Manhattan said they are conducting a criminal investigation into Seaport. Former residents of Seaport said they hoped the lawsuit would force other adult home operators to make improvements. "This is fantastic. For the first time, they are doing something besides giving them a slap on the wrist," Karen Burkoff, former vice president of the Seaport residents' council, said (New York Times, 12/17).
