Commonwealth v. Life Care Centers of America, Inc.
Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court
926 N.E.2d 206 (2010)
- Written by Sean Carroll, JD
Facts
Life Care Centers of America, Inc. (Life Care) (defendant) operated a nursing home. A resident at the home died after falling down the stairs. The resident had been trying to leave the building in her wheelchair and was not wearing the required security bracelet. Life Care was indicted for involuntary manslaughter, a crime that required wanton or reckless conduct. Although certain Life Care employees might have been negligent, no individual Life Care employee was liable for a crime because none acted with wanton or reckless conduct. Despite this, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (plaintiff) argued that the negligence of multiple Life Care employees could be aggregated to form the necessary criminal conduct on the part of Life Care.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Cowin, J.)
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