Woman Files $30 Million Negligence Suit Against Rehab Center

A mother is suing a Tennessee drug rehabilitation center for the death of her daughter, The Tennessean recently reported. The mother filed a $32 million negligence and wrongful death suit in August against CRC Health, who owns the New Life Lodge Drug and Alcohol Treatment Center. The lawsuit accuses New Life of transporting her daughter to a hospital in a van that was driven by an employee who lacked medical training.

The daughter become unresponsive on the way to the hospital and died the following day. An attorney representing the plaintiff also filed a separate medical malpractice suit and has filed a motion to consolidate both lawsuits. The motion is anticipated to be considered as early as December 2011.

Attorneys for the defendant filed a motion for summary judgment and requested that the wrongful death/negligence suit be dismissed because this case involved alleged malpractice, not negligence. The attorneys also argued that the legal complaint did not meet the standards required for a malpractice case.

The judge rejected the defense’s motion and allowed the suit to move forward. The defense vowed to file an appeal, which could take months. This lawsuit could significantly impact the future of New Life, which complaint a $10 million renovation and expansion project earlier this year. In addition, the center lost $10 million in state contracts over the past year. Officials at New Lodge declined to comment on the case.

New Life was also hit with a medical malpractice suit in July 2010 by the family of a man who died three days after checking into the facility. There is also an ongoing investigation into the care the facility provided to an 18-year-old man who died in October, nine days after he left New Life. His family believed he was given the wrong medication during his stay at the facility.