BEAUMONT – A hearing was held today on whether to dissolve a pair of temporary restraining orders against two nursing homes, which allegedly failed to evacuate their elderly residents as the remnants of Hurricane Harvey flooded Southeast Texas.
Through the Ferguson Law Firm, the TROs were filed against Senior Care Centers in Jefferson County District Court.
The first TRO was filed on behalf of Rosaria Leboeuf and Harding Guilbeaux on Sept. 8 and also names Jeff Rosetta, administrator of the Lake Arthur Place nursing home, as a respondent.
The second was filed Sept. 14 on behalf of Luz Ramos and Loretta Legg and also names Stephanie Hammond, administrator of the Cypress Glen nursing home, as a respondent.
According to the petitioners, on Aug. 30, five days after Harvey made landfall, Senior Care Centers allegedly failed to “timely evacuate” the “medically fragile residents,” resulting in the tenants having to be evacuated by volunteers in boats as the flood waters rose.
The property subject to the TROs includes: computer systems, medical records, photographs of the rescue, witness statements, email messages, browser history and phone records.
Although no ruling was made following the Sept. 19 hearing, a court official told the Record counsel was going to the scene to survey and the hearing would resume on the morning of Sept. 20.
Ferguson Law attorneys Jane Leger and Paul “Chip” Ferguson represent the petitioners, as well as Jill Pierce of Bradley & Steele in Port Arthur.
Judge Baylor Wortham, 136th District Court, is presiding over the case.
Cause Nos. D-200604 and D-200636