A Chatham County nursing facility has been accused of negligence for allegedly failing to respond to and protect a resident from instances of abuse, according to a civil suit filed in Chatham County Superior Court on Sept. 14.
The complaint alleges Riverview Health and Rehabilitation Center sought to cover-up “repeated abuse and neglect” sustained by the plaintiff, referred to in the suit as Jane Doe due to the sensitive nature of the allegations. She is represented by Savannah attorney Chadrick Mance of The Mance Law Firm. Doe is legally incapacitated and Doe’s legal guardian, Katrina Best, is also listed as a plaintiff in the suit.
“This case matters because every family in America will likely have to deal with some sort of nursing facility,
or skilled nursing facility,” Mance said at a press conference on the case Monday morning, “And people need to know that they have rights, they have voices, and they have the right to justice.”
Plaintiffs in the case are seeking a jury trial, special, non-economic damages and punitive damages. Multiple attempts to contact Riverview representatives, including voicemails and emails, went without response Monday. This story will be updated if responses are received.
The complaint lists two primary incidents of alleged neglect and abuse.
One incident claims a certified nursing assistant, employed through an agency, threw a “mechanical lift pad” at Doe while Doe “cried out in distress,” the complaint states. The complaint says Riverview failed to immediately remove the staff member, failed to conduct a proper investigation and failed to provide Doe with a prompt medical assessment.
The second incident describes a resident, identified as “Resident 64,” entering Doe’s room and forcing her into nonconsensual sexual activity. Doe’s guardian was notified of the incident by Riverview on Feb. 5, 2025. Best said she only found out because of a Georgia Department of Community Health report on the incident.
“It’s just unbelievable how a facility could cover up something,” Best said at the press conference.
The report was part of a February 2025 routine survey of the site, which resulted in a statement of deficiencies to Riverview in which the incident of alleged sexual assault was cited. The DCH report also resulted in an “immediate jeopardy” classification for Riverview, which is given when noncompliance poses risk of serious harm, according to the state’s Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services Manual.
“On Feb. 5, 2025, a determination was made that a situation in which the facility's noncompliance with one or more requirements of participation had caused, or had the likelihood to cause, serious injury, harm, impairment, or death to residents,” the report states.
The legal complaint also states that Resident 64 had another incident of “aggressive sexual conduct” toward a different resident in a facility common area. Riverview failed to initiate “close monitoring, implement appropriate supervision or separate Resident 64 to protect other residents from harm,” the complaint claims.
Best said learning of the incidents was “very disturbing.”
The complaint also includes a sworn affidavit from Jaime Verger, a registered nurse and president of legal nursing consultant firm The Verger Group. Verger reviewed the DCH report along with Georgia law regulating nursing care.
Verger's review concluded there was systemic failure within Riverview.
"In my professional nursing opinion, the totality of the materials reviewed demonstrates failuresnot only at the level of individual caregivers but also within the systems responsible for ensuringresident safety, regulatory compliance, abuse prevention, mandatory reporting, effectiveinvestigation, clinical assessment, behavioral intervention, nursing oversight, and administrativeaccountability," Verger said in the affidavit.
Mance said Monday he hopes raising awareness of the issues will ultimately lead to reform in the industry. The lawyer added that the lawsuit was also about changing the culture of the industry.
“We intend to step up. This is not just about this family. I love them to death, like y'all are my family,” Mance said, “But I intend to change this culture of neglect, and I'm going to do it.”
Evan Lasseter is the City of Savannah and Chatham County government reporter for the Savannah Morning News. You can reach him at ELasseter@savannahnow.com.
This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Lawsuit alleges negligence, abuse at Chatham County nursing facility
