Nursing Home Lawsuit Ends in $160 Million Award

By Daniel Hawn

Published on February 23, 2006

The civil judgment is considered to be one of the highest awards ever made in San Antonio.

The jury found Summit Care Corp., its affiliate, and two employees of the nursing home responsible for the beating.

According to court records, in September 1997 Tranquilino Mendoza was a resident of the Comanche Trail Nursing Center in Big Spring. Nursing home employees assigned him to live with a roommate who, according to plaintiffs' attorneys, had 30 prior incidents of attacking others.

Two days after they began sharing a room, Mendoza was violently attacked by his roommate who used his fists, a water pitcher, and a glass, the lawsuit states. According to the plaintiff's attorneys, Mendoza was severely injured and never fully recovered. Mendoza died within three years following the assault.

After listening to arguments throughout the nearly two-week trial, jurors found in favor of Mendoza's family.

Laurie Weiss, an attorney for the defendants, said that members of Mendoza's family acknowledged during the trial that he was provided with quality care prior to the assault. She also said that medical documents showed Mendoza had completely recovered from his injuries shortly after the incident.

Weiss indicated that she planned to file an appeal on behalf of her clients due to the large size of the award.

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