Jury awards $705,000 to nursing home manager

DETROIT (AP) -- A jury has awarded $705,000 to a nursing home manager who was fired in 2009 after cooperating with a state investigation of patient mistreatment. The Detroit Free Press reports the Wayne County Circuit Court jury last Thursday awarded the damages to 52-year-old Elizabeth Williamson of Roseville. Williamson's lawyer Robert Fetter describes her as a hero who cooperated with state investigators about violations at Omni Continuing Care in Detroit. The nursing home's lawyer Karen Berkery says an appeal is planned. She says the case was an "inflammatory emotional appeal" that had nothing to do with Williamson's firing. Published: Mon, Jul 18, 2011