Days after Texas Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson passed away, her family’s attorney said they plan to pursue legal action after accusing a Dallas-based health care facility of medical neglect.
Johnson was 89 years old when she died at her residence on Dec. 31.
During a press conference on Thursday, attorney Les Weisbrod said Johnson’s death was caused by an infection in the spine “acquired” at the Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation, adding that she was “left in her own feces.”
On Sept. 21, about ten days after she underwent back surgery, Johnson called her son Kirk because she was not getting assistance from her nurses. When Johnson contacted him, he was slated to meet her case worker at the facility that afternoon.
The family claims when Kirk arrived, he said Johnson was “screaming out in pain and for help.” He sought out the institute’s CEO, and when both of them returned to Johnson’s room, the nurses were clearing her feces, WFAA reported. The day the situation happened, Kirk got a voicemail from a manager at the facility issuing an apology, he claims.
The family believes that the inaction led to the infection. In addition, a lab report revealed “organisms directly related to feces” on the surgery wound, the press release claims.
“She was expected to go home and be fine and instead she got this infection at the Baylor Institute of Rehabilitation because they didn’t protect her wound properly,” said Weisbrod.
Johnson had to get surgery again and was transported to a skilled nursing facility in mid-October. She then started to receive hospice care at her home last month. Weisbrod added she was on antibiotics until she perished.
Weisbrod, who has been friends with Johnson for more than 50 years, said Johnson asked him to pursue a lawsuit weeks before her passing. The facility released a statement saying that they are working with the family on this matter.
Johnson is touted as a leader in her community, and many political figures, including President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and Rep. Cori Bush, acknowledged her legacy as a titan in public service.
“At a young age, she witnessed and experienced the profound effects of segregation and decided she would not stay on the sidelines in the fight for justice,” Harris said in a statement. “She would go on to have a trailblazing career — from becoming the first Black chief psychiatric nurse at the Dallas Veterans Affairs Hospital and the first Black woman elected to public office in Dallas, to serving in the state legislature, becoming the first Black person to represent Dallas in Congress, and making history as the first registered nurse elected to the House of Representatives.”
Johnson represented the Texas 30th District in the U.S. House for 30 years from 1993 until last year.
