Elder Abuse & Neglect Attorney
National Representation for Older Adults Harmed in Care Settings
Elder abuse and neglect can occur in nursing homes, assisted living communities, home health arrangements, hospitals, and other settings where an older adult depends on someone else for care, supervision, or protection. The legal issue is not always simple negligence. Depending on what happened and the law of the state involved, a case may involve negligent care, intentional abuse, financial exploitation, medical negligence, or another civil claim.
At McHugh Fuller Law Group, we have spent more than 20 years representing vulnerable people and families against nursing homes, medical providers, corporations, and other institutional defendants. Our work is rooted in a simple principle: older adults deserve dignity, safety, and accountability when the people or organizations entrusted with their care cause harm.
If you believe an older loved one has been abused or neglected, don’t wait to get answers. Call our elder abuse attorneys at (601) 255-0240 for a free consultation.
because they deserve to be heard
We fight for the rights of those who cannot fight for themselves. Let us help you.
What Elder Abuse and Neglect Can Look Like
The CDC describes elder abuse as an intentional act or failure to act by a caregiver or other trusted person that causes or creates a risk of harm to an older adult. State laws use their own definitions, protected-age thresholds, and legal standards, so the precise claim depends on where the conduct occurred.
Common forms of mistreatment include:
- Physical abuse: Hitting, pushing, kicking, inappropriate restraint, or other intentional force that causes injury or pain.
- Emotional or psychological abuse: Threats, humiliation, intimidation, isolation, harassment, or other conduct that causes fear or emotional distress.
- Sexual abuse: Forced or unwanted sexual contact, including conduct involving a person who cannot legally or meaningfully consent.
- Financial exploitation: Unauthorized or improper use of an older adult's money, property, benefits, accounts, or other assets.
- Neglect: Failure to meet basic needs such as food, water, hygiene, supervision, safe living conditions, medication, or necessary medical care.
Neglect can produce visible injuries such as bedsores, falls, infections, malnutrition, dehydration, or untreated medical problems. Our broader nursing home abuse and neglect practice addresses many of these institutional-care failures.
meet your advocates.
Founding attorneys Jim McHugh and Mike Fuller have gone up against hospitals, corporations, and national defense firms - and won. Their work has led to millions recovered and real accountability.
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How Much Does It Cost To Hire An Attorney?You don’t pay us any fees up front. We work on a contingency fee basis which means we only get paid if we win.
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How Do I Know If I Have A Case?If you think you may have a case, please reach out and give us a call or contact us through our website anytime. At McHugh Fuller, we don’t believe in automated answering machines, you’ll always talk to a real person.
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How Long Does The Process Take?Every case is different, but lawsuits often take years depending on the complexity of and willingness of the defendant to settle.
get the legal voice you and your family deserve.
What to Do If You Suspect Elder Abuse or Neglect
Safety comes first. If an older adult is in immediate danger or needs emergency medical attention, call 911 or seek emergency care.
For non-emergency concerns, suspected elder abuse can generally be reported to Adult Protective Services, law enforcement, or another state-designated agency. Reporting procedures and mandatory-reporting laws vary by state.
Families can also preserve information that may later help explain what happened:
- Write down dates, names, conversations, and specific observations
- Photograph visible injuries or unsafe conditions when appropriate
- Request medical and facility records
- Preserve bills, account statements, powers of attorney, or other financial documents when exploitation is suspected
- Keep copies of incident reports, hospital discharge records, and communications with staff
- Identify witnesses who observed the resident's condition or treatment
Avoid altering records or taking documents you do not have a right to possess. An attorney can help determine which records should be requested formally and what additional evidence may need to be preserved.
Because your loved ones deserve the best
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Proven Track Record
Successfully resolved more than a thousand cases for our clients
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$91,500,000 Verdict Wrongful Death Case
Lawyers with over $100 Million in combined verdicts
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Trial Lawyers Here to Help
Decades of combined experience taking cases all the way to trial, if necessary
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$1.2 Million Arbitration Nursing Home Abuse -
$91,500,000 + Verdict Wrongful Death Case
How an Elder Abuse Claim Is Investigated
A meaningful investigation goes beyond the injury itself. Depending on the case, attorneys may compare medical records, care plans, staffing records, incident reports, regulatory findings, witness accounts, financial documents, and internal facility records.
In a neglect case, the investigation may ask whether the resident's needs were identified, whether the care plan was followed, whether staffing or training problems affected care, and whether delays contributed to the injury. In a financial exploitation matter, the analysis may focus instead on authority, consent, capacity, transactions, account access, and who benefited.
Cases involving dehydration or malnutrition may require detailed review of clinical records, weight trends, intake documentation, care planning, and medical consequences.
The evidence needed therefore depends on the type of mistreatment. A nationwide elder abuse practice should not force every case into the same negligence template.
State Law Can Change the Deadline and the Available Recovery
Families should not assume that every elder abuse claim has the same filing period.
Depending on the jurisdiction and facts, different deadlines may apply to ordinary negligence, statutory elder abuse, medical malpractice, wrongful death, financial exploitation, or claims against particular institutions. Some states also impose pre-suit requirements, notice rules, damage limitations, or specific rules about who may sue on behalf of an injured or deceased person.
The damages potentially available also vary. Depending on state law and the evidence, a civil claim may address medical expenses, pain and suffering, emotional harm, financial losses, disability, costs associated with additional care, or damages arising from a wrongful death. Punitive or exemplary damages may be available only under particular standards and are not automatic.
Early review matters because the correct deadline cannot responsibly be determined from the phrase "elder abuse" alone.
A Record Built in Nursing Home and Vulnerable-Adult Litigation
McHugh Fuller Law Group has successfully resolved more than a thousand cases for clients and families. The firm's record includes a $91.5 million jury verdict in a nursing home wrongful death case, more than $100 million in combined verdicts, and a $1.2 million arbitration result in a nursing home abuse matter.
Founding attorneys Jim McHugh and Mike Fuller have spent their careers litigating against hospitals, corporations, nursing home operators, and national defense firms. Jim McHugh has supervised and litigated thousands of nursing home cases, while the firm's attorneys bring decades of combined trial experience.
The firm's work has also been featured in Time, CNBC, ABC, NPR, The Wall Street Journal, and The Hill.
Past results do not guarantee the outcome of a future case. They do show the firm's history of litigating serious claims involving vulnerable people and well-resourced institutional defendants.
Talk to an Elder Abuse & Neglect Lawyer
If you are concerned that an older loved one has been harmed by abuse, neglect, exploitation, or unsafe care, you do not need to determine the legal theory before asking for help. The first step is understanding what happened, where it happened, and what evidence may exist.
McHugh Fuller Law Group offers free, no-obligation consultations and represents nursing home abuse and neglect clients nationwide. The law that applies will depend on the state and the specific facts of the case.
Contact us online to request a free review of your family's situation.
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