Families of Fire Victims File Suit

Susy Owen

Attorney

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In Kansas City, the families of five people who were killed last month when their southwest Missouri group home caught fire filed wrongful death lawsuits against the facility and its operators. The suit claimed that they were negligent for not maintaining key safety equipment.

Additionally, three former residents who were injured in the fire filed negligence suits against Joplin River of Life Ministries Inc., owners Robert and Laverne Dupont and administrator Shirley Brannon.

The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. There is disagreement regarding faulty wiring being the cause of the fire. Nonetheless, Aaron Smith, who is representing all of the plaintiffs, said operators should have taken more care, given that many of the group home's residents had physical or mental disabilities.

The lawsuit seeks to recuperate $689,491 in Medicaid payments made to River of Life Ministries, plus damages of about $2.1 million and an unspecified civil penalty for each allegedly fraudulent Medicaid billing made by the company.