The Village of Humber Heights Class Action
Will Davidson LLP has issued a class action against the Village of Humber Heights, a retirement home located in Toronto, Ontario owned and operated by Schlegel Villages Inc. The team responsible for this class action is Gary Will, Managing Partner, assisted by Gordon Marsden, Partner, and Michael Reid, Senior Law Clerk.
Information About the Representative Plaintiff
Patricia Korchuk is the representative plaintiff in the action. Her mother, Ann Sulyma passed away on May 17, 2020. Unlike many of her fellow residents, she did not die of COVID-19.
“My mother did not die from COVID but instead, she died senselessly from starvation and neglect. She had no mental stimulus from staff as they were afraid to go into her room and staffing was extremely limited, leaving her isolated and to completely fend for herself which she could not do as she was no longer mobile. On the evening her first great-granddaughter was born (April 23), my mother was rushed to the hospital from what was claimed to be hypoxia and the doctor said she would die. She never came out again. She never touched food again. She died shortly thereafter at the hospital.”
“When I received [the] call the light in my heart completely dimmed. I lost my “anchor” in life, my purpose, my confidant, my very best friend – my beautiful mother Anne Sulyma passed away. She was my world and I will never be the same.”
“They assured us that she would be very well protected and always kept safe. They outright lied. Within the two years she was there we had numerous complaints which were addressed over and over but to no avail. They always told us what they thought we wanted to hear but there was never any follow up. ”
“We learned that Schlegel Village Humber Heights knew about COVID-19 at the beginning of January 2020 but did absolutely nothing to prepare their staff nor the residents for what was to come in a very short period of time – death sentences for those who could do nothing for themselves.”
“It is imperative that there be justice and accountability for all of these people, including my mother, who did not have to die this way. Schlegel Village Humber Heights not only had a legal obligation to keep the residents safe and protected, but they had a moral obligation. Each resident within this LTC facility deserved to go out of this world with dignity and respect – within their lifetime they earned it.”
Patricia’s Plea to the Government of Ontario
Don’t let all of these lives that have been lost be in vain and have died needlessly suffer even more indignation and disrespect by our Government allowing this to continue. The families who have been left behind and who will have an empty chair at the holidays are fighting to try and make some sense of all of this – but instead we only feel abandoned by our Government and guilty because we could nothing about any of this. I love my mother with all of my heart and all the money in the world will never make up for this loss but it is my obligation and responsibility to her – as it is YOURS – that we look after those that are forthcoming into these facilities. Remember, it could be you or yours next. You have the means to stop these type of atrocities – step up and do something about it! End these privately funded nursing homes from ever allowing this to happen again.
Contact Us to Learn More About Our Village of Humber Heights Class Action
Anyone that has information about this case or if you are a resident or a family member of a resident you can contact Gary Will at gwill@willdavidson.ca ( 905-815-5802) or Michael Reid at mreid@willdavidson.ca (905-337-9748) for a free consultation.
Will Davidson LLP’s class action lawyers work on a contingency basis, meaning you will not be charged hourly or upfront legal fees for our services. Instead, our lawyers will accept a percentage of the final settlement as payment. This payment structure allows us to offer access to justice to all Ontarians, regardless of their economic situation. Reach out today to learn more.
Learn More About the Humber Heights COVID-19 Outbreak
McClean’s – The Untold Story of the Pandemic in Canada – Chapter 3 – Canada’s Shame
Coronavirus: 7 dead, 37 cases at Humber Heights retirement home in Toronto
Six more residents at Humber Heights succumb to COVID-19
Class action launched on behalf of residents at 96 Ontario long-term care facilities
Top 30 Ontario long-term care homes with most reported violations