Coronavirus: New lawsuit filed in connection with deadly outbreak at Life Care Center

KING COUNTY, Wash. — A new lawsuit has been filed against Life Care Center of Kirkland in connection with the deadly coronavirus outbreak.

Dozens of cases at the facility resulted in it being labeled as a hotspot early on in the outbreak and cases have continued to grow since then.

Plus, 43 deaths have been connected to the facility.

The new lawsuit accuses the care facility of putting profits over people, alleging families were lied to about the confirmed cases.

It also alleges that the facility put off protective action by waiting several weeks to quarantine a patient suspected of having the virus.

In response to the lawsuit, Life Care sent KIRO 7 this statement, “Our hearts go out to this family and the loss they have suffered during this unprecedented viral outbreak. We are unable to comment on specific legal cases that are pending, but we wish this and all families peace. The loss of any of our residents at Life Care Center of Kirkland is felt deeply by us."

Last week, federal inspectors issued the facility a $611,000 fine for its handling of the outbreak.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said the facility no longer met the requirements for participation as a provider of services in its programs and gave the facility until September to get back into full compliance.

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