Kosieradzki-Smith Law Firm Reaches $10 million Settlement for Elderly Care Rape Case

By Kosieradzki Smith Law Firm / April 9, 2014

Caregiver Andrew Merzwski, 30, was found guilty in January 2014 for raping a elderly nursing home patient at Edgewood Vista in Hermantown, MN. He was sentenced to a 53-month prison term.

Now, the Kosieradzki-Smith Law Firm, representing the victim, has reached a $10 million dollar settlement with Merzwski in a civil lawsuit stemming from the incident.

“This is a clarion call to other wrongdoers, that you will not get away with this kind of abuse of vulnerable adults without paying a serious price,” the Minneapolis Star Tribune quoted Mark Koseriadzki.

In January 2013, while employed at the nursing home, Merzwksi entered the room of an elderly patient with early signs of dementia. He gave her drugs with the intention of impairing her and proceeded to rape the resident while she was in her bed. The elderly victim told her daughter about the rape, and the daughter immediately contacted the police.

This incident highlights a serious lack of regulatory oversight of assisted-living facilities. Earlier last month, state lawmakers urged the Minnesota Department of Health to review its investigation of the incident last year.

To read more about this story from the Minneapolis Star Tribune: Click Here

The Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm represents clients in cases involving catastrophic injury caused by nursing homes and other care facilities that fail to provide proper care. If you believe your loved one has been harmed due neglect or abuse in a nursing home, take action and contact the Kosieradzki • Smith Law Firm online or call us toll-free at (877) 552-2873 to set up a no-cost, no-obligation consultation.