Hopkinton woman seeks $1M in damages; claims mother was assaulted at Milford facility

MILFORD ― A Hopkinton woman is alleging a Milford assisted living facility was negligent in the treatment of her mother, and is now suing the facility for $1 million.

Victoria Francis filed a lawsuit in the Worcester County Superior Court, alleging her late mother was sexually assaulted on 14 separate days in September 2021 by a male resident of Cornerstone at Milford, an assisted living facility on Birch Street.

The lawsuit was filed in February.

Francis is seeking $1 million in damages for emotional distress and hospital visit charges.

Cornerstone at Milford is owned by Braintree-based Senior Living Residences, which owns several senior facilities in Massachusetts, New Hampshire and Connecticut.

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Francis alleges the facility did not investigate the assaults, nor did it move the male resident from his apartment across the hall from Francis' mother or stop assigning the residents to sit at the same dining table.

The lawsuit also claims the Milford Police Department spoke with Cornerstone administrators, but afterward did not pursue further investigation.

Staff allegedly told plaintiff her mother was in consensual relationship

Cornerstone at Milford staff told Francis that her mother was in a consensual relationship, according to the court documents. But Francis claims photo and video she possesses prove otherwise, as they show her mother trying to barricade herself inside her room. In addition, she claims that after having her mother evaluated at UMass Memorial Medical Center, medical staff there said her mother did not have the mental capacity to consent to such a relationship.

Francis and her mother's personal estate are represented by Worcester-based Bernstein and Stern, LLC. Francis' attorney, Karen Stern, did not return requests for comment.

Francis is suing on four counts: two for breach of contract and two for negligence.

No hearings appear to be scheduled in the case, but defendants have received the complaints, court records show. Pamela Maloney, Senior Living Residences' marketing director, said the company could not comment on ongoing litigation.

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Francis' mother began living at the senior facility in 2021, with Francis alleging she was afflicted with dementia and high cholesterol, and had a pacemaker. She alleged her mother was not placed in Cornerstone's memory support unit, despite her dementia. Cornerstone staff performed a five-minute cognitive assessment on her mother, and deemed her able to live independently.

Unknown to Francis, she claims, there were no beds available in the memory support unit.

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In addition, despite her mother's physician writing to the facility that she needed to be placed on a special diet, Francis said her mother received the "house diet," according to court documents, and that caused gastrointestinal issues.

As part of the agreement, Francis' mother was to receive two evening safety checks. However, Francis alleged that when her mother fell and was unable to get up one night in July 2021, Cornerstone staff did not perform either of the safety checks, despite Francis' mother pulling an emergency cord in the bathroom and calling for help. The woman was not found until the next morning, when an aide entered the room.

Following the visit to UMass Memorial Medical Center on Sept. 29, 2021, Francis' mother did not return to Cornerstone. She has since died.

Cornerstone at Milford opened in 2014 and features assisted living and offers memory care for those with Alzheimer's disease and related dementia. The facility, at 11 Birch St., was built at the former location of Greenleaf Farm.

This article originally appeared on MetroWest Daily News: Woman's suit claims mother was sexually assaulted at Milford facility