The company that owns The Village of St. Clair long term care home is facing a $110,000,000 class action lawsuit.
Will Davidson LLP issued the lawsuit on behalf of all residents of the 19 long-term care facilities and nine retirement homes owned by Schlegel Villages in Ontario.
The lawsuit claims Schlegel Villages Inc. failed to protect residents from COVID-19 and left residents with inadequate care in respect of basic necessities.
The Village at St. Clair was declared COVID-19 free on Friday after managing an outbreak since December 8, 2020. Over the course of the outbreak, the Windsor Essex County Health Unit said there were 177 residents and 143 staff members who tested positive for COVID-19. According to the provincial data, 63 residents died after contracting the virus during the outbreak.
“The gross negligence of Schlegel Villages at The Village of St. Clair is reflected in the fact that they allowed a significant outbreak of Covid-19 on December 8, 2020. It is simply inexcusable that senior management were not better prepared to protect vulnerable residents more than 9 months into the pandemic,” said Gary Will, lead counsel on the case.
In an emailed statement to BlackburnNews.com, the Director of Communications with Schlegel Villages stated staff followed all public health directives throughout the course of the pandemic.
"Our efforts at all times, whether during the COVID-19 pandemic or in the regular daily lives of our Villages, are deeply rooted in the best service and care possible for the residents we serve. The entire care sector across the country has faced immense and unprecedented challenges during the pandemic. Our teams have faced these challenges and followed every guidance of Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health," said Director of Communications Kristian Partington.
The company is not making any further comments regarding the lawsuit.
"As for any allegations, we will address them through the proper legal processes," said Partington.