Deaths caused by Sun Healthcare reported to Gov't

Why didn't The Orange County Register and Los Angeles Times print the fact we reported deaths in Sun Healthcare's SunBridge Newport on Superior Avenue in 2003? I also personally called and wrote to both the Dept of Justice via the Calif State Attorney General's office, Claude Vanderwold and Dept of Health, Jackie Lincer, and told them patients were "dropping like flies" from Sun's neglect, abuse, the CEO's willful misconduct, yet they did nothing until the 5th patient I knew died, Richard Laga, in December, 2003. It was too late for my mother, Evelyn Calvert, who was already in an acute care hospital with MRSA from Sun.

I believe there is widespread corruption in this industry or at least amongst the CEO of Sun Healthcare. My mother's physician, Dr Stoney, told me to fear Sun's CEO for being the whistleblower, that they'd "plant a gun or drugs in your car" if I continue to pursue truth behind the wrongful death of my mother. I was also threatened by my former late corrupt attorney Daniel Leipold in mediation that they'd harm me. I was witness to 5 deaths they caused, I reported them, yet they were never held accountable. Some who died didn't have family to puruse litigation.

When I attempted to hire another attorney, Keith Wisbaum in July, 2006, to have the settlement set aside he wrongfully charged me $2,500, spoke with Daniel Leipold then refused to file what was needed in court, just too busy he said. Months later he called within minutes of Matros losing a bid at a retaining order against me, giving me a message that I could call him at anytime if I needed anything. They feared me! Because it was what I knew as a witness that scared them.

Put all together my case is a perfect example of how big corporation politics work. Ask Julie Campbell, employee of Sun, just how this happened. I do not believe she'd lie for the former CEO of Sun Healthcare, Richard K Matros any longer. Nor will Dr Stoney!

Evelyn Calvert 1928-2004

November, 2003

My mother's physician and Sun Healthcare's Medical Director of the Sunbridge Newport Rehab facility, Dr L Scott Stoney, met with Richard Matros at a Lakers game where Matros asked if the families were really mad at him. Dr Stoney said yes, and the Calvert family would be suing for harm done when the blood pressure monitor broke in October and caused her to have a large stroke. He warned Matros that the families were savvy and he couldn't tell them black was blue and they'd go away, they found out about the Califonia state injunction and were pursuing criminal charges against him. Dr Stoney gave a message for myself, Debbie Calvert, "tell her she'd be better off taking pix of Matros and his high priced prostitutes at the Lakers games rather than suing Sun in the court system". Dr Stoney said Matros promised he could even
introduce him to the owner of the Laker's, Jerry Buss!

I realize now this was a message from Dr Stoney, our star witness, that Sun Healthcare's CEO had my attorney in his pockets and it didn't matter if I sued, his loyalty was to Matros and Sun. I sued that former attorney for malpractice and he died 2 weeks later. He had dropped wrongful death without consulting any medical professional nor myself. He ignored my numerous emails that Dr Stoney was glad we were suing and willing to testify. It was obviously a sham representation and I have the evidence to prove it.

This shows how the CEO of Sun Heatlhcare operated in a criminal fashion to avoid prosecution. 

Sun Healthcare was cited by the Dept of Health for lack of staffing May 28th, June 3,5,6,9,12,13,14,15,28 and 29th, 2003.  Then on July 6th patient Richard Laga left the facility for an acute care hospital due to gangrene of the foot.  He died by Christmas from this gangrene.  The Dept of Health cited Sun for his death, but did not fine them $100,000.  Why?  They also didn't consider this in the settlement in Sept, 2005, with the Dept of Justice for violating their injunction.  Why?

June 4, 2003, Sun's employee Tom Greenwald met with OSHPD's employee Chuck DeCapite who wrote in his field report posted on this site, "THE NEED AND URGENCY WAS DISCUSSED THIS DATE, NO EXCEPTIONS". In regard to replacing the May 15, 2003 condemned HVAC system to patient rooms.  This was never done and my mother suffered horribly from their lack of concern.

All this stinks of corruption.

The Dept of Justice knew from me the first week in June, 2003, that Sun was violating their 2001 State Injunction and should have filed contempt proceedings but did not. 

Second degree murder should be charged to both Sun and the DOJ who allowed these conditions to kill 4 patients I watched die:  Richard Laga, Betty Harness, the man in Rm 2-B Oct 2003 and my mother, Evelyn Calvert.

Read the medical records for yourself and ask:  Why did this happen?

CANHR sues Sun Healthcare, settles out of court

CANHR, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization filed a lawsuit charging Sun with unlawful business practices, unfair and fraudulent business practices, and false advertising (California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform v. Sun Healthcare Group Inc. 2003). The lawsuit alleged that Sunbridge facilities in California were more than 1 million hours on aggregate below the state's 3.2 nursing hprd direct care requirement, which resulted in a savings of more than $15 million by not meeting the staffing standard in 2000. The litigation was settled out of court in 2004 and the settlement results were not made public.

OSHPD and more

Don Morey, legal rep for OSHPD, says this and other field reports are missing from their records when I requested the copy of their file in 2010. They were purged from the public records. Why?
This looks like fraud to me. Sun's top officers were facing a possible firing over their handling of this facility in Newport Beach so it was in their best interest to bury these records!

This field report states "the need and urgency was discussed this date ~NO exceptions!" The HVAC system had been condemned by OSHPD on May 15, 2003. And never replaced for over 2 years. Sun sold this facility November 30, 2003, after killing 5 patients, so as to divest themselves from this liability.

The California Dept of Health, via Jackie Lincer, shut down this facility in December, 2003, not allowing my mother to return after a month long stay at a local acute care hospital, Hoag. She also refused any new admittances for six months until staff could be properly trained, due to these deaths. I have documents confirming this.

Does the Dept of Health even communicate with OSHPD? When there is a state injunction against Sun Healthcare why wasn't this facility held to a higher standard of care and this equipment immediately required to have been replaced in instead of allowing it to kill my mother, Evelyn Calvert? Sounds like corruption to me.

Sun Healthcare Group Inc admitted fraud in my wrongful death lawsuit mediation, stating they admitted to under staffing most every day she resided in their facility from August 1, 2002 until Decmber 11, 2003. This was in violation of an existing 2001 Calif state injunction yet the Dept of Justice turned a blind eye. I was thretened by my corrupt attorney for the CEO that they were also punishing me for writting too many complaining letters and deducting $20,000 from our settlement. After mediation I refused to sign confidential disclosures after being coerced into signing by a corrupt attorney. The CEO of Sun, Rick Matros, threatened me if I pursued the case to a jury trial I'd be "harmed". And that I wasn't getting the keys to his Bentley. I sued my attorney who passed on those threats for malpractice and he died 2 weeks after learning I'd retained Andres & Andres to sue him. I won that case against his estate in 2008. Daniel Leipold was his name, and I believe he was a stooge for Sun Healthcare. Another attorney I paid to legally help me, Keith Wiesbaum, was also on Sun's side giving me the message not to sue Leipold and Matros was a dangeros man.