TORONTO – LEGAL – Diamond and Diamond Lawyers have issued a $100 million class-action lawsuit that now names both Revera and Sienna Senior Living Inc as defendants. The suit is now the largest COVID-19 related class action in the nation.
The new lawsuit is an expansion of a previous filing in April which only included Revera Inc and its subsidiaries. The newly added defendant, Sienna Senior Living Inc., is also a privately-owned provider of accommodation and care services for seniors.
The expanded lawsuit claims an additional $50 million in damages and includes four new representative Plaintiffs, Tracey Rowley, Melody Germain, Scia Shortliffe and Angele Mansfield. The Plaintiffs allege both negligence and breach of contract by the named defendants.
The class action is brought forth on behalf of all persons who have lived, or are currently living, at one of the Revera Retirement Living or Sienna Senior Living residences in Canada. The class also includes the families of these individuals who may seek appropriate damages. The estimated size of the class is upwards of 1000 Plaintiffs.
“We expect there to be hundreds more Plaintiffs to be added,” said Darryl Singer, Head of Commercial and Civil litigation at Diamond and Diamond Lawyers. “We’ve been fielding calls from families across Canada who are grieving and want definitive answers.”
The plaintiffs allege that the facilities lacked both proper sanitation protocols and adequate testing. The action also alleges that measures to keep residents safe were not properly disseminated to residents and their families.
“My father’s life was cut short,” said Plaintiff Angele Mansfield. “They had a duty to him and there were too many cracks in their operations.”
This is the second class-action lawsuit Diamond and Diamond have spearheaded against nursing home facilities. In 2018, the firm formed a coalition with two other injury firms to take on industry giants, Extendicare and Leisureworld Senior Care Corporation.
“It starts at the top of the organization,” said Jeremy Diamond, Senior Partner at Diamond and Diamond. “There needs to be full accountability with regards to the management and operation of each of these homes. The state of some of them is appalling.”
Diamond and Diamond invites those who feel they have experienced insufficient care at the hands of a nursing home facility to contact their firm. The firm expects that further class action suits will be launched in the near future as the pandemic continues to spread across the country.
