The Glenmaura Senior Living lawsuit is a medical malpractice case filed in the Lackawanna County Court of Common Pleas as Williams v. Glenmaura Senior Living at Montage, LLC, No. 21-CV-1494. It is best known for a November 2022 ruling by Judge Terrence R. Nealon refusing to list settling co-defendants on the trial verdict slip.1Tort Talk. Judge Nealon of Lackawanna County Rules on Verdict Slip Issue in Medical Malpractice Case
What the Case Involves
The plaintiff, identified in court records by the surname Williams, sued Glenmaura Senior Living at Montage, LLC along with several co-defendants. The specific underlying facts of the malpractice claim, including the identity of the decedent and the alleged conduct, are not detailed in the available court records or reporting. Some of the co-defendants settled with the plaintiff before trial through Joint Tortfeasor Agreements and were granted voluntary discontinuance.1Tort Talk. Judge Nealon of Lackawanna County Rules on Verdict Slip Issue in Medical Malpractice Case
The November 2022 Verdict Slip Ruling
After the settlements, a remaining non-settling defendant asked the court to keep the settling defendants on the verdict slip so the jury could apportion fault to them and potentially reduce the non-settling defendant’s share of liability. Judge Nealon denied the motion and, on November 7, 2022, denied reconsideration.1Tort Talk. Judge Nealon of Lackawanna County Rules on Verdict Slip Issue in Medical Malpractice Case
The reasoning turned on a rule of Pennsylvania trial procedure. There is no automatic right to have settling co-defendants placed on the verdict slip. A trial court must first find actual evidence of the settling party’s liability, which in a medical malpractice case means expert testimony that the settling defendants owed a duty of care, breached it, and caused harm.
The court found the plaintiff had no admissible expert testimony against the settling defendants, and any attempt to introduce such testimony at trial would amount to hearsay. Without admissible proof of their liability, the settling defendants could not be placed before the jury for fault allocation.1Tort Talk. Judge Nealon of Lackawanna County Rules on Verdict Slip Issue in Medical Malpractice Case
Why the Ruling Matters
The practical effect for the non-settling defendant is significant. In Pennsylvania, settling out of a case does not automatically turn a former defendant into a target the jury can assign blame to at trial. The party who wants a settled defendant on the verdict slip has to come forward with admissible evidence, typically expert testimony in a malpractice case, showing that the settled party was actually liable. If that evidence is missing, the remaining defendant faces the jury alone on the question of fault.
About the Facility
Glenmaura Senior Living is an assisted living facility in Moosic, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania, near Montage Mountain, operated by Glenmaura Senior Living At Montage LLC.2Assisted Living Magazine. Glenmaura Senior Living
Separate from the lawsuit, the facility has drawn recurring regulatory scrutiny. It holds License No. 228450, valid through December 2026. Since 2021, it has undergone 18 inspections producing 43 citations and 4 complaints, a rate of inspections with citations roughly 38 percent above the state average for assisted living residences, though its total citations per year fall below the state average.3The Care Audit. Glenmaura Senior Living
Recent inspections have flagged medication administration errors, incomplete staff training, unsafe storage, and failure to follow prescriber orders (January 2024, 14 deficiencies); fire incident reporting failures, unqualified staff, unsecured poisonous materials, and medication record errors (March 2025, 8 deficiencies); two medication-related deficiencies in September 2025; and, in an unannounced renewal inspection in November 2025, 8 violations including failure to report a resident death within the required 24-hour window, hot water temperatures above the 120°F maximum in four resident-accessible areas, and unsecured resident records. The facility submitted a corrective plan after the November 2025 inspection, which the state accepted and determined to be fully implemented as of December 30, 2025.3The Care Audit. Glenmaura Senior Living