Workers File Lawsuit Against Former Leaders Of Holyoke Soldiers' Home

Employees of a state-run veterans' home are suing several of the facility's former leaders for their handling of a deadly coronavirus outbreak early in the pandemic.

The federal class-action lawsuit says leaders of the Holyoke Soldiers' Home, including former home superintendent Bennett Walsh and former medical director Dr. David Clinton, ignored federal health guidance and forced employees to work in "inhumane conditions" during the outbreak last spring that killed at least 77 resident veterans.

Both Walsh and Clinton are facing criminal neglect charges.

The suit says the former leadership team made "a series of criminally catastrophic decisions" that led to the deaths of dozens of veterans, which were detailed in the state's report released last June.

The lawsuit says employees were forced to care for sick and dying veterans while working through positive COVID-19 diagnoses, placing both the veterans and employees at increased risk.

In addition, the complaint says the leaders of the home refused to provide employees with personal protective equipment and the necessary medication needed for the infected veterans. According to the state, another 84 veterans and 80 staff also contracted COVID-19 at the time; all have since clinically recovered.

The lead plaintiff in the lawsuit is certified nursing assistant Kwesi Ablordeppey.

According to The Associated Press, an attorney for Clinton said his client denied the allegations.

“He denies all allegations of wrongdoing and the evidence that will be presented in this case and the other cases will establish that he is not at any fault for the tragedies that unfolded at the Soldiers’ Home as a result of COVID-19," wrote John Lawler in an email to The Associated Press.

This is the third lawsuit taken against state and home leaders in connection to the home's response to the pandemic. Previous lawsuits were filed by family members of the veterans who died during the outbreak. The suit seeks unspecified damages to address the suffering and trauma the employees have endured as a result of the decisions of the home's leaders.

The Associated Press contributed additional reporting.