The facts about Charlotte Dean:* Nov. 1, 1993 — Teresa Tucker is named Ms. Dean’s guardian* September 2001 — Ms. Dean is admitted to the Country Crossing Assisted Living home* October 2004 — Hutcheson Medical Center physician recommends Ms. Dean have a feeding tube, but Ms. Tucker does not consent* Aug. 31, 2005 — Hutcheson Medical Center physician orders wound care for Ms. Dean* Sept. 3, 2005 — Nurses at County Crossing began providing care, note Ms. Dean only weighs 45 pounds* Jan. 10, 2006 — Hutcheson Medical Center nurses document stage 3 skin ulcers and re-scheduled a visit for Jan. 17* Jan. 18, 2006 — Country Crossing workers report Ms. Dean stopped breathing and called 911* Jan. 19, 2006 — Ms. Dean diedSource: Legal papers filed in the Walker County Clerk of Courts
Residents called to jury duty were dismissed Monday morning after a lawsuit that claims a Marion County assisted living facility was responsible for the death of a disabled adult was reset for a later date.
State Court Judge Donny Peppers said the case was continued “due to pretrial publicity and weather conditions.”
The date for the next hearing is not yet set but will come up either in March or the next court session, he said.
The lawsuit was filed by Teresa Tucker, the legal guardian and estate owner of Charlotte Dean, a disabled woman who died in January 2006. It was filed against Travis Thompson, owner of Country Crossing Assisted Living, where Ms. Dean died, and Hutcheson Medical Center, the hospital that treated Ms. Dean, reports show.
Ms. Tucker claims Ms. Dean died because of “neglect and abuse” committed by the medical professionals, while Hutcheson Medical Center staff members say they adhered to the standard care required for someone in her condition, reports show.
After a local Chattanooga television station aired photos that were part of the evidence against the defendants in the case, the plaintiff’s attorney requested an injunction against “possibly tainted jurors,” according to the report filed Friday.
The photos were aired Wednesday, and potential jurors could have seen the evidence and already drawn their own conclusions, Judge Peppers said.
Hutcheson Medical Center’s attorney, Robert Berry, said the plaintiffs asked to have the case continued, and he could not comment on the case.
Arch Farrar, one of the attorneys representing Ms. Tucker, said he couldn’t comment on pending litigation. Another of her attorneys, Kenneth Bruce, did not return calls asking for comment.
Ms. Tucker originally filed suit on March 2, 2006, after Ms. Dean was reported to have stopped breathing on Jan. 18, 2006, and was rushed to the hospital, reports show. She died the next day.
Early in October 2004, Ms. Dean was admitted to Hutcheson Medical Center, where a physician said she needed a feeding tube for nutrition, records show.
But Ms. Tucker did not consent to the placement of the tube, records show.
One year later, doctors ordered special wound care for Ms. Dean’s bed sores, which were recorded as stage 3 skin ulcers, records show. At the time, nurses noted she weighed only 45 pounds.