BATON ROUGE, Louisiana (BRPROUD) – Barely ten days ago, more than 800 patients were found in a warehouse in the parish of Tangipahoa.

The Louisiana Department almost immediately ordered the closure of seven retirement homes.

Darlene Franklin was one of those nursing home patients who were taken out of the facility after Hurricane Ida.

On Monday, lawyers representing Darlene Franklin will file a complaint in 19th Judicial District Court on behalf of the hospice patient.

The lawyers released this statement ahead of the 11 a.m. press conference:

Lawyers from Haley & Associates, the law firm Unglesby and Dedrick A. Moore Attorneys at Law have been selected to represent Darlene Franklin. Ms Franklin, a hospice patient, was evacuated to a dirty and stuffy hot warehouse along with hundreds of other medically fragile and elderly residents of Bob Dean’s nursing home. During her days there, Ms. Franklin was cruelly deprived of food and water and forced to sit in her own feces. She was mentally and emotionally tormented by the sounds of her neighbors calling for help, but she and those around her were repeatedly denied the help they desperately needed. They were crammed into a warehouse, dumped like garbage and forced to endure the putrid smell of portable toilets overflowing with human waste as their most basic needs and medical demands were ignored. Additionally, Covid-19 precautions have been sorely ignored as already vulnerable residents have been brought closer and closer. Ms. Franklin was helpless, helpless, and inhumanely treated by those charged with caring for her.

Bob Dean and his facilities have come under scrutiny for numerous incidents including the drowning of a resident, a cocaine overdose and another found covered in fire ants. Surprisingly, two residents died during or shortly after a previous hurricane evacuation to a similar warehouse. The Federal Medicare Nursing Home Compare website shows that most of Dean’s facilities get a star in five, a rating defined as “much below average.” Nonetheless, despite its knowledge of the suffering of the residents, the Louisiana Department of Health continued to authorize it and act as a vicious slum lord for our state’s most vulnerable citizens. LDH knew Dean’s escape plans were insufficient but approved them anyway.

We are committed to achieving justice for Mrs. Franklin and all those who suffered at the hands of Bob Dean. Ron Haley is a nationally recognized civil rights lawyer who fiercely and effectively defends his clients both in the courtroom and in the media. He has appeared on CBS, CNN, and NBC, among other networks, and the stories of his clients have been documented in notable news sources such as The Associated Press and The New York Times. Lewis Unglesby has practiced law for nearly fifty years and has won over twenty-five multi-million dollar jury prizes and over forty-five jury awards exceeding one million dollars. He is certified as a specialist in advocacy and has argued before the Louisiana Supreme Court more than twenty times. Together, Haley and Associates and the law firm Unglesby won a prize of $ 8.2 million in October 2019 for a client with mesothelioma, and a prize of $ 18.9 million in January 2021 for a client with mesothelioma. debilitating effects of head trauma.

The abuse and neglect that Ms. Franklin and so many others have endured can no longer be ignored. We will file a lawsuit tomorrow in 19th Louisiana Judicial District Court on Ms. Franklin’s behalf and we will fight tirelessly for her until justice is served.

There will be a press conference held outside the 19th Judicial District Court on Monday, September 13 at 11:00 a.m. regarding the case.

Ronald S. Haley, Jr., Lewis O. Unglesby, Lance Unglesby,

Jordan Bollinger and Dedrick A. Moore