A Cook County jury has hit a North Side nursing home with a $12.2 million verdict, finding that negligent care contributed to the death of 79-year-old Shirley Adams. The case centered on pressure wounds that her attorneys say were allowed to fester until they became badly infected, forcing repeated surgeries and painful treatments in the final stretch of her life.
Verdict and trial
The case was tried over three days in the Circuit Court of Cook County, with jurors deliberating for about 90 minutes before returning the award, according to Levin & Perconti. The jury found Lakeview Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, LLC, and its management company, Infinity Healthcare Management of Illinois, LLC, liable for the preventable wounds and infections that led to Adams’s death, the firm said. Plaintiff attorney Paul Connery described what Adams endured as the result of “inexcusable, basically non-existent, nursing care,” according to the firm’s account.
Family's account of decline
Adams was admitted to Lakeview in June 2021 and developed pressure wounds within three months that her family says went untreated, as reported by FOX 32 Chicago. Relatives moved her to a different facility in November 2021, but by then the damage was done. She underwent more than 20 surgical procedures and daily wound care before dying in February 2023 from complications tied to infected pressure sores, the station reported. The family’s lawsuit accused Lakeview of chronic understaffing and weak oversight that allowed the wounds to worsen into serious infections, triggering the cascade of operations.
State records show prior violations
The Illinois Department of Public Health’s third-quarter 2024 violator report lists Lakeview Rehab & Nursing Center at 735 West Diversey with multiple violations and penalties, including a July 2024 action that assessed roughly $27,200 in fines, according to the state report. The file identifies the licensee as Lakeview Rehabilitation and Nursing Center, LLC, and cites failures tied to resident care and oversight. Those enforcement actions offer a public paper trail of concerns at the facility that line up with the family’s allegations.
Legal significance
Levin & Perconti characterized the $12.2 million award as the largest nursing home verdict in Illinois history and argued it sends a clear message about accountability for long-term care providers. The outcome and key details were also reported by FOX 32 Chicago, which noted the jury found the facility’s negligence led to Adams’s painful final months. Attorneys for the family said the decision brings them a step closer to closure while throwing a spotlight on staffing and oversight issues that advocates and regulators have been warning about for years.
For other families watching from the sidelines, the verdict is likely to turn up the heat on nursing-home staffing and care standards across the city. Court records and any post-trial filings will show whether the award survives intact or gets reshaped by appeals and motions in the months ahead.
