GALLATIN, Tenn. (WTVF) — It was another emotional day in a Gallatin courtroom, in the wrongful death lawsuit involving a Sumner County nursing home. In a stunning development, on day six of the jury trial many of the witnesses called by the Gallatin Center for Rehabilitation and Healing are directly contradicting many of the plaintiff's witnesses.
The Gallatin nursing home claims they did all they could to prevent COVID from entering their doors.
"We cared so much for them, and if anybody only knew what we went through as a facility, for them, you wouldn’t understand all this," said Freda Keen, the Medical Records Director for the facility.
However, last week attorneys for the family of Ruth Summers who died from COVID-19 allege it was negligence that ultimately caused the death of their mother and grandmother.
"She gets on the phone, I need you to go to work. I don’t have anybody to take your spot. I’m sorry, what. I’m sick. I need you to go to work, I don’t have anybody to take your spot," testified Kay Holmes, a former nurse at the facility.
Holmes told the jury last week, she had to work at the Gallatin Center for Rehabilitation and healing while she may have been sick with COVID. Monday, the jury heard contradictory claims from current and former employees.
"Most of the employees, when they think they’re going home, they’re okay with it. But that morning, she’s the only one on that morning that really insisted on working," testified Keen.
Keen served as the health screener that day. She maintains Kay Holmes insisted on working, not the other way around. Her supervisor, Sarabeth Pryor, testified she never threatened firing Holmes if she refused to comply.
"That’s not my call. I would never, never threaten anybody’s job but I would also be very mindful and like — I’m not going to let her work if she’s actually sick as a dog," said Pryor.
So who's telling the truth? The nurse forced to work or the other employees that say it never happened?
The jury will have the difficult and unenviable task of deciding who's the most credible when this all comes to a close.
Testimony for the defendant will continue Tuesday. You can watch the proceedings live on all of NewsChannel 5's streaming platforms.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Chris.Davis@NewsChannel5.com.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
