Atascadero grad’s parents awarded $7.7 million
April 20, 2013
A San Luis Obispo County jury awarded the parents of an Atascadero grad who died in 2010 during a struggle with her caregivers $7.7 million. [Tribune]
The jury’s award is $2.2 million more than the $5 million the plaintiffs, Kathleen Reed and Alexander Arcady, had requested during the trial.
Lauren Arcady, 33, died at the end of a 15 minute struggle with her caregivers, her parents’ attorney James Murphy said in court. After she stopped breathing, the two caregivers failed to perform CPR and waited roughly five minutes before calling 911.
Attorneys for Genesis, now known as Novelles Developmental Services, argued that Lauren Arcady died from a heart condition fueled by large doses of prescription drugs combined with an adrenaline rush.
The two caregivers from Genesis Developmental Services spent the daytime hours with Arcady who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia, suffered from seizures, was prone to self-injurious behavior and had mild mental retardation.
Caregivers Vanessa Gonzales and Cristina Camacho were never charged with a crime.
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