Bell Nunnally Arbitration Team Scores Big Defense Victory for National Rehabilitation Hospital

On April 9, 2020, Partners Jay Wallace and Alana Ackels with associate Katie Beaird and paralegal Kate Campbell obtained a complete defense victory on behalf of a national rehabilitation hospital in a personal injury arbitration in which the claimant sought over $3.3M in damages. The team successfully defended the hospital on claims of negligence and gross negligence filed by a nurse who claimed she was assaulted by a patient. The nurse argued that the hospital staff failed to properly manage a difficult patient and, as a result, she was assaulted and suffered brain and spinal injuries with associated mental deficits, seizures and paralysis. The Bell Nunnally team prevailed at arbitration by demonstrating that the hospital staff exercised the highest level of care and implemented its guidelines on patient management in textbook fashion. Ultimately, they proved that the hospital’s management of the patient was done in accordance with industry standards and it provided a safe workplace for its employees, including the claimant.