Elderly residents of seven Louisiana nursing homes who were sent in 2021 to ride out Hurricane Ida in a crowded, ill-equipped warehouse are being offered shares of a nearly $9 million settlement after they sued.
Retired state judge William “Rusty” Knight told The Times-Picayune of New Orleans that all the 427 former residents who filed legal claims are being sent letters outlining the proposed settlement. Knight said amounts differ based on patients’ individual circumstances.
People who don’t contest the amount offered can expect to receive money within a few weeks. A hearing for those who want to fight the settlement will be held in January.
“It’s been a longer road getting here than we wanted it to be,” Knight said. “Nobody’s getting what they should. quite frankly, because there’s not enough money.”
Bob Dean Jr., 70, owned seven nursing homes in New Orleans and southeast Louisiana. As Ida approached, Dean moved hundreds of residents into a building in the town of Independence, roughly 70 miles northwest of New Orleans.
Authorities said conditions at the warehouse deteriorated rapidly after the powerful storm hit on Aug. 29, 2021.
They found ill and elderly bedridden people on mattresses on the wet floor, some crying for help, some