Legionnaires' Disease

Published on: December 13, 2024

Florida Classroom Vacated Following Beloved Teacher’s Legionnaires’ Disease Death.

Seven elementary school classrooms in Pinellas County, Florida, were vacated this month after a beloved teacher died from Legionnaires’ Disease.

Katherine Pennington, a kindergarten teacher employed by the Pinellas County School District, died on Nov. 24 after testing positive for Legionella bacteria. As of Wednesday morning, it is unclear where Pennington may have been exposed to the bacteria.

This month, as a precaution, the students were moved from the building where Pennington taught to other classrooms on the campus while the school’s air systems and water systems were checked. In a statement to the public, the Pinellas County School District announced that an environmental company was cleaning the building.

Published on: August 13, 2024

Outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease prompts warnings to the public. What to Know.

By Leesfield & Partners

Health officials in New Hampshire are warning the public about Legionnaires’ Disease after five confirmed cases at a single resort.

The five cases are believed to have been contracted between June and July at a resort in the downtown area of Lincoln, New Hampshire. The source of the bacteria, officials told local news outlets, can be linked to water droplets from a nearby cooling tower. The cooling tower is still in operation, leaving health officials to warn the public about a continued risk if they are in the area.

The Centers for Disease Control defines an outbreak of Legionnaires’ Disease as two or more cases identified within 12 months at the same location.

Published on: July 16, 2024

Man’s family awarded $2 million in lawsuit after he died from burn at Kentucky motel. What do places like hotels and rental properties owe customers?

By Leesfield & Partners

The family of a 76-year-old Kentucky man was awarded over $2 million this month after his death from a burning incident in a motel shower, according to news outlets.

The incident happened in 2021 while the man was on a business trip. When he got in the shower, hot water estimated in the lawsuit to be 150 degrees Fahrenheit scalded him. The man fell and was unable to get up until coworkers who heard him screaming rushed into the bathroom to help. The man had third-degree burns following the incident and died seven months later after spending most of his time in and out of hospitals. Third-degree burns affect the deeper layers of the skin and burn down to the fatty tissue. They require immediate medical attention.

The lawsuit filed on behalf of the grieving family did not specify what caused the water to come out at 150 degrees. A judgment filed earlier this month stated that the hotel failed to properly inspect and maintain the property in a reasonably safe condition.

Published on: June 21, 2024

Leesfield & Partners continues to represent clients in Legionnaires’ Disease cases, closing out one last month and continuing work on multiple others

By Leesfield & Partners

Leesfield & Partners attorneys secured a settlement for a woman who contracted Legionnaires’ Disease following a stay at a Florida hotel where she routinely used the hot tub.

The woman began experiencing symptoms the day she checked out from the hotel, including swelling all over her body, attorneys said in court records. She broke out in a fever ranging from 101 to 103 degrees Fahrenheit and was diagnosed at the hospital with multifocal pneumonia and Legionnaires’ Disease. While she was in the hospital, the woman went into septic shock.

Records from the state department of health showed the hotel failed to maintain minimum chlorine levels in the jacuzzi. Leesfield & Partners attorneys also discovered that the hotel failed to maintain the hot tub in accordance with industry standards. As a result of her exposure, the woman suffered an acute kidney injury. To this day, the woman suffers from regular bouts of pain and fatigue.

Published on: January 19, 2023

Leesfield & Partners settles back to back Legionnaires’ Disease cases against Resort

By Leesfield & Partners

Leesfield & Partners reached two six-figure settlements in Legionnaires’ Disease cases against the same Resort. Ira Leesfield and attorneys with the firm argued that the resort was negligent in failing to properly maintain and sanitize its water systems, including decorative water features, which led to the spread of the bacteria and the infection of guests.

Our two clients, one from Florida and the other from Maryland, did not know each other and their stay did not overlap in time. Nonetheless, both were infected, contracted the disease and experienced a very similar onset of symptoms. First they began experiencing generalized body soreness, extreme fatigue, chills, difficulty breathing, and high fever. They went to the hospital within days of returning from the resort and were admitted with pneumonia and double pneumonia respectively. Infectious disease doctors consulted with both clients and upon further testing, a diagnosis of Legionnaires’ Disease was made.

Maryland and Florida’s Department of Health officials investigated the potential source of the infection and quickly zeroed in on a Florida resort as the potential source. Within days Health officials inspected the resort and found the Legionella bacteria in one of the many decorative water features of the resort. Within ten months of being retained, Leesfield & Partners secured a six-figure settlement for each client.