Autumn Lake Healthcare Lawsuit: Verdicts, Fines, and Citations

Autumn Lake Healthcare, a New Jersey-based operator of roughly 60 nursing and rehabilitation facilities across five states, has faced a $1.5 million wrongful death jury verdict, about $2.18 million in cumulative federal penalties, repeated state fines for understaffing, and multiple “immediate jeopardy” citations at individual locations. The Autumn Lake Healthcare lawsuit that draws the most attention is the 2024 Alice Manor verdict in Baltimore, but the fuller picture involves negligence suits at several facilities and a steady record of regulatory findings.¹²

The $1.5 Million Alice Manor Verdict

In February 2024, a Baltimore City Circuit Court jury found Autumn Lake Healthcare at Alice Manor liable for negligence and medical malpractice in the death of Nelson Anderson and awarded $1.5 million. Anderson was admitted in January 2019 and died in May 2021.³

The suit, filed by Rose Anderson on behalf of the estate, alleged that staff failed to regularly turn and reposition Anderson, that a stage 4 pressure ulcer developed, and that he died from a bone infection at the base of his spine. The complaint also alleged systemic understaffing and inadequate care. The defense argued Anderson’s underlying health conditions caused the ulcer and his death, not negligence. Reza Davani served as lead trial counsel for the plaintiff.³⁴

No public record of a post-verdict appeal or settlement has surfaced as of 2026.

Other Negligence Suits Against Autumn Lake Facilities

Public complaint records show additional negligence suits filed against several Autumn Lake locations, though allegations, filing dates, and outcomes are not disclosed in available records. Cases identified so far include:

Alice Manor in Baltimore: at least two more suits beyond Anderson, including Wainwright v. Alice Operator, LLC and Robinson v. Alice Operator, LLC.
Oakview in Silver Spring, Maryland: Cho v. Oakview Operator LLC and Gall v. Autumn Lake Healthcare at Oakview.
Bridgepark in Maryland: Jolly v. Alana Healthcare LLC and Huntley v. Bridge Park Operations LLC.
Denton, Maryland: Chase v. Denton Operator, LLC.
Cherry Lane: Burch v. Cherry Lane Operating Group LLC.
Hartley Hall: Benton v. Autumn Lake Healthcare at Hartley Hall.

Federal Fines Since Autumn Lake Began Operating

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has issued 68 penalty actions against Autumn Lake facilities, totaling roughly $2.18 million. The fines span Maryland, New Jersey, Wisconsin, and Connecticut.²

The largest single penalties:

$213,315 at Autumn Lake Healthcare at Berkeley Heights, New Jersey (2024).
$196,215 at Autumn Lake Healthcare at Pikesville, Maryland (2022).
$193,375 at Autumn Lake Healthcare at Greenfield, Wisconsin (2024).
$133,601 at Autumn Lake Healthcare at South Haven (2021).
$126,048 at Greenfield again (2021).
$120,715 at Autumn Lake Healthcare at Parkville, Maryland (2021).
$120,167 at The Subacute at Autumn Lake Healthcare in Voorhees, New Jersey (2025).

The Greenfield location has been fined nine times since 2018, accumulating more than $670,000 on its own. State agencies in Maryland and Connecticut have added smaller penalties, generally in the $5,000 to $15,000 range.²⁵

Immediate Jeopardy Citations

An “immediate jeopardy” finding is the most serious category federal inspectors use, meaning conditions pose an immediate risk of serious harm or death. Autumn Lake has received several.

On December 13, 2025, Autumn Lake Healthcare at Greenfield in Milwaukee was cited for failing to protect residents from abuse, including physical, mental, and sexual abuse, as well as neglect. Inspectors found five deficiencies and imposed a $26,925 fine.⁶ Six days later, Autumn Lake Healthcare at Chesapeake Woods in Cambridge, Maryland received an immediate jeopardy citation for failing to keep the facility free from accident hazards and provide adequate supervision.¹

In September 2025, The Subacute at Autumn Lake Healthcare in Voorhees was cited at the immediate jeopardy level for failing to provide appropriate treatment and care according to physician orders and resident preferences. And in August 2019, Autumn Lake Healthcare at Arcola in Silver Spring, Maryland drew an immediate jeopardy finding for two violations: denying residents a dignified existence and refusing to allow a resident to return to the facility after hospitalization.⁷

New Jersey Staffing Penalties

New Jersey has cited multiple Autumn Lake locations for failing to meet the state’s legally mandated nurse-to-resident staffing ratios. These are separate from the federal fines.

In June 2025, the New Jersey Department of Health fined Autumn Lake Healthcare at Vineland $40,000 for staffing shortfalls identified across four surveys over two years. In one survey period the facility missed staffing requirements on 20 of 21 day shifts. Another found noncompliance on every day shift reviewed.⁸

In March 2025, Autumn Lake Healthcare at Southgate in Carneys Point was fined $8,000 after January and February surveys found staffing failures on 13 days across two inspection periods.⁹

Autumn Lake Healthcare at Salem County drew three enforcement actions between December 2025 and January 2026. A November 2025 survey found shortfalls on six of seven days and resulted in a $9,000 penalty assessed at an increased rate of $1,500 per day because these were repeat violations of earlier 2024 citations. A related $14,000 fine from December 2025 is under appeal before New Jersey’s Office of Administrative Law.¹⁰

Facilities With the Worst Records

A few locations account for a disproportionate share of Autumn Lake’s regulatory trouble.

Greenfield in Milwaukee carries a “much below average” health inspection rating with 18 health citations from its most recent standard inspection. Staff turnover runs at 72 percent for all nursing staff and nearly 67 percent for registered nurses, both far above national averages.¹¹

The Subacute at Voorhees also carries a “much below average” rating, with 14 health citations against a national average around 9. It took $130,206 in federal fines across 2024 and 2025, and had three complaint inspections in a single 12-month period. Registered nurse staffing is thin: 21 minutes of RN time per resident per day, compared to a national average of 41 minutes. Total nursing turnover approaches 69 percent.⁵

At Autumn Lake Health Care at Spa Creek in Annapolis, a state survey identified more than two dozen deficiencies, including failure to protect a resident from verbal abuse, failure to administer medication according to a physician’s order, and failure to monitor weight for a resident at risk of weight loss. The facility has accumulated 73 total deficiency citations, including a June 2025 citation for failing to timely report suspected abuse or neglect.¹²¹³

What the Network-Wide Numbers Show

Across all 60 affiliated facilities, Autumn Lake’s averages look less alarming than any single facility above. The three-year average of 0.4 serious deficiencies per home is below the national average of 0.7. Average fines per home ($17,812) fall below the national figure of $31,434. Total nurse staffing averages 3.6 hours per resident per day against a 3.9-hour national average, and nurse turnover of 44.6 percent sits just below the 46.2 percent national number.¹

Those averages obscure the variation. Greenfield, Voorhees, and several Maryland facilities carry much worse records than the network norm, with repeated immediate jeopardy citations, high turnover, and six-figure federal fines. Some Autumn Lake locations operate without major issues; a subset have been the focus of recurring and serious findings.

A Related Case: Maryland Inspection Backlogs

A separate lawsuit does not name Autumn Lake but affects oversight of its Maryland facilities. In Connor v. Maryland Department of Health, filed in May 2024, five nursing home residents representing a class of roughly 9,000 Marylanders with disabilities allege that the state’s failure to conduct required annual nursing home inspections and to investigate complaints on time violates the Americans with Disabilities Act.¹⁴¹⁵¹⁶

As of May 2025, the department had inspected just over half of Maryland’s 220 nursing homes within the preceding 16 months. Because many Autumn Lake facilities are in Maryland, inspection backlogs may have delayed the identification and correction of care problems at those homes.¹⁴

1
ProPublica. Autumn Lake Healthcare Nursing Home Ratings
2
Good Jobs First Violation Tracker. Autumn Lake Healthcare Violation Tracker
3
The Daily Record. Baltimore Jury Awards $1.5 Million in Nursing Home Bed Sore Case
4
KBA Attorneys. KBD Attorneys Securing Justice for Nursing Home Victims
5
Medicare.gov. The Subacute at Autumn Lake Healthcare
6
ProPublica. Autumn Lake Healthcare at Greenfield
7
ProPublica. Autumn Lake Healthcare at Arcola
8
New Jersey Department of Health. Notice of Assessment of Penalties – Autumn Lake Healthcare at Vineland
9
New Jersey Department of Health. Notice of Assessment of Penalties – Autumn Lake Healthcare at Southgate
10
New Jersey Department of Health. Notice of Assessment of Penalties – Autumn Lake Healthcare at Salem County
11
Medicare.gov. Autumn Lake Healthcare at Greenfield
12
WBAL-TV. Nursing Home Care Complaint Process Maryland
13
ProPublica. Autumn Lake Healthcare at Spa Creek
14
Maryland Matters. Judge Says Lawsuit Against Health Department Can Proceed Over Missed Nursing Home Inspections
15
Justice in Aging. Connor, Nevin, Noonan, Dressel, and Hollman v. Maryland Department of Health
16
Medicare Advocacy. MD SNF Oversight Case Proceeds