LAKE WORTH BEACH, FL — A Palm Beach County woman has sued Palm Beach Nursing Center LLC, alleging that staff at the nursing home failed to prevent her from developing bedsores and contracting scabies during her residency, according to a complaint filed Friday in the 15th Judicial Circuit.
The complaint, filed July 10 in Palm Beach County Circuit Court on behalf of Harriett Allen, brings a single count under Chapter 400 of the Florida Statutes, which sets standards for nursing home operations and residents' rights. The case, Allen v. Palm Beach Nursing Center LLC, was docketed as case number 502026CA007724XXXAMB and assigned to Division AI in the Civil Division.
Allen is represented by the law firm Ford, Dean & Rotundo, P.A., based in North Miami Beach. Attorney Michael J. Rotundo signed the complaint. The filing seeks damages in excess of $50,000, exclusive of interest and costs, and demands a jury trial.
According to the complaint, Allen is an adult Palm Beach County resident who was over 60 years old and, the filing alleges, was suffering from the infirmities of aging to the extent that she was impaired in her ability to adequately provide for her own care and protection. The complaint identifies the defendant as the licensee and owner of Palm Beach Nursing Center, which the filing describes as a nursing home located in Palm Beach County.
The lawsuit alleges that during Allen's residency at the facility, staff and employees failed to develop an adequate care plan and failed to properly monitor and supervise her care and treatment. As a direct result of those alleged acts and omissions, the complaint claims, Allen developed skin breakdown and bedsores and contracted scabies.
The complaint lists a series of specific alleged failures. According to the filing, staff failed to properly supervise and monitor Allen, failed to follow doctor's orders, failed to maintain adequate records, failed to notify her family and physicians of significant changes in her health status, failed to timely transfer her to a hospital when her condition allegedly deteriorated, and failed to implement a program of turning, repositioning and offloading to prevent skin breakdown. The complaint also alleges inadequate staffing, inadequate training, and failure to protect Allen's dignity and privacy.
The lawsuit is brought under Florida Statute Section 400.022, which sets out nursing home residents' rights, including the right to adequate and appropriate healthcare and protective and support services, the right to be free from mental and physical abuse, and the right to be treated courteously, fairly, and with dignity. Under the statute, the complaint alleges the defendant has both direct responsibility and vicarious liability for the acts and omissions of its employees, agents, consultants, and independent contractors.
The complaint states that because it is based solely on custodial care issues, the pre-suit requirements of Chapter 766, which govern medical malpractice claims, do not apply. The filing also alleges that the defendant failed to respond to a pre-suit notice of intent and failed to provide a copy of Allen's nursing home chart upon written request, which, the complaint contends, waives the good faith certificate and pre-suit requirements under Florida Statutes Chapter 400.
The complaint seeks compensatory damages for alleged loss of dignity, humiliation, bodily injury, pain and suffering, disability, physical impairment, disfigurement, mental anguish, inconvenience, loss of capacity to enjoy life, discomfort, aggravation of existing conditions, and medical, hospital, and nursing expenses. Allen also seeks prejudgment interest and reserves the right to amend the complaint to allege punitive damages at a later date.
Boca Post reviewed the complaint, Allen v. Palm Beach Nursing Center LLC, Case No. 502026CA007724XXXAMB, filed July 10, 2026 in the 15th Judicial Circuit in and for Palm Beach County. The filing reviewed by Boca Post does not include a response from the defendant. The allegations have not been proven in court.
Boca Post’s Palm Beach County Lawsuits coverage documents recent civil complaints and court filings from communities throughout the county. Learn more about nursing home negligence cases.
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