Question 1

Why Trust Hughey Law Firm to Seek Justice for Your Loved One in Columbia?

Accepted Answer

Hughey Law Firm handles several practice areas, but elder abuse and neglect cases have a special place in our firm’s mission. We have represented elderly clients for years and feel a duty to get justice for the most vulnerable in our South Carolina communities.

If you hire Hughey Law Firm for your elder abuse case in Columbia, you should anticipate:

An experienced team of attorneys: Whether your loved one suffered abuse in a nursing home, assisted living facility, hospital, or another type of facility, our team is ready to hold liable parties accountable. Our attorneys have handled many types of elder abuse cases, and we understand every legal and practical aspect of this practice area.
An accomplished firm: Clients often measure a law firm by the financial recoveries they have gotten in the past, which is completely fair. Our field is all about results, and Hughey Law Firm has recovered more than $205 million for our clients over the years.
Compassionate client service: Our attorneys truly serve our clients. You’ll experience our service-oriented culture through the compassion we show you. And while you get nothing but compassion and respect, we will adopt an aggressive, relentless tact towards those who harmed your loved one.
A team that knows and cares about South Carolina: The Palmetto State is our home turf. We have a personal connection to fellow South Carolinians, including those who reside and work in Columbia. It is our mission to make South Carolina a safer state, and holding liable parties accountable for elder abuse helps us work toward that goal.
Financial support for your case: Hughey Law Firm’s record of victories has put us on solid footing. We can fund the entire cost of clients’ cases, and that is what we’ll do for your loved one’s elder abuse case in Columbia.

Question 2

How Our Firm Will Seek Justice for Your Loved One?

Accepted Answer

Our legal team serving Columbia will handle every step of your elder abuse case, including:

Identifying all liable parties: Nursing homes and assisted living facilities are generally liable when a resident suffers abuse under their watch. Other parties, including individual abusers, may also be liable.
Securing evidence of abuse: We will secure any witness accounts, video footage, victim accounts, logs and records, and other evidence that suggests abuse occurred. We may also hire experts to testify about symptoms of abuse that your loved one has displayed.
Documenting your loved one’s damages: Medical records, images of injuries, expert accounts, and invoices for relocation-related services may prove your loved one’s damages. Because each case of elder abuse is unique, the documentation of abuse varies from case to case.
Calculating the cost of your loved one’s damages: Hughey Law Firm will calculate a definitive cost for your loved one’s damages. This includes damages they’ve already suffered and likely future damages.
Leading settlement talks: Our attorneys will represent your loved one in settlement negotiations.
Completing a trial, if we need to: If it is in your loved one’s interests to take the case to trial, we will. Though trials are less common than settlements, Hughey Law Firm follows the best path for our clients.

Question 3

When Has Someone Suffered Abuse?

Accepted Answer

There is a fine line between neglect and abuse. Remember that even if your loved one’s treatment in a Columbia elder care facility doesn’t qualify as abuse, it may qualify as neglect. Neither abuse nor neglect is acceptable, and both are grounds for legal action.

Elder abuse involves any knowing, intentional, or negligent act by a caregiver or any other person that causes harm or a serious risk of harm to a vulnerable adult.

The types of elder abuse include:

Emotional abuse: We will also consider psychological abuse in this category. These types of abuse can include verbal threats of violence, threats of withholding caregiving services, name-calling, ignoring, and other acts that intentionally cause distress.
Physical abuse: One of the more obvious and provable forms of abuse, physical abuse can include slapping, burning, punching, pinching, shoving, and other physical acts that cause harm. Physical abuse can be especially harmful because it also causes psychological distress.
Sexual abuse: Any inappropriate sexual contact without an elderly person’s consent qualifies as sexual abuse. Caregivers who bathe an elderly person must exercise the greatest discretion and only engage in appropriate touching.
Financial abuse: Forms of elder financial abuse include theft of property, theft of funds, forcing the elderly person to give up their money or property, and overbilling.

Question 4

What to Do After Discovering That a Loved One Has Suffered Abuse?

Accepted Answer

Your loved one’s safety is paramount. If you have not already removed your loved one from a facility where they may have suffered mistreatment, you may want to relocate them as soon as possible.

If it is not possible to relocate your loved one immediately, you may:

Alert administrators at the elder care facility that you suspect mistreatment, which may lead the facility to take extra protective measures
Spend as much time as possible around your loved one.
Try and have other loved ones spend time with your elderly loved one.
Demand that the facility update you on your loved one’s health and safety

Once you have ensured your loved one’s safety, you should consider hiring a personal injury attorney from Hughey Law Firm. We can advise you on the legal aspects of your case and any measures that may help keep your loved one safe.

Question 5

We Will Work to Prove That an Elder Care Facility Failed Your Loved One?

Accepted Answer

Any elder care facility that allows abuse, knowingly or not, has failed its residents. In legal terms, such facilities are negligent because they fail to take reasonable protective measures for their residents.

Hughey Law Firm will work to prove that:

The elder care facility owed your loved one a duty of care and protection
The elder care facility failed to honor its duty of care
The breached duty of care caused your loved one to suffer harm
Your loved one has suffered identifiable damages because of the elder care facility’s failure

By completing this sequence, we will show that the liable facility is responsible for your loved one’s damages.

Columbia Elder Abuse Attorneys

Columbia Elder Abuse Guide

Why You Want Our Firm to Handle Your Columbia Elder Abuse Case

Elder Abuse and Mental Health

Identifying and Addressing Mental Health-Related Elder Abuse

Elder Abuse by Caregivers

Professional caregivers

Family caregivers

Legal Protections and Support for Elders

Physical, Mental, and Sexual Elder Abuse

Financial Exploitation and Elder Abuse

Elder Abuse in Institutional Settings

Legal Rights of Residents and Steps to Take When Abuse is Suspected

Why Victims and Their Families Need the Help of Our Columbia Elder Abuse Lawyers Immediately

Experience in Elder Law

Immediate Protection and Intervention

Comprehensive Case Management

Maximizing Compensation

Emotional and Psychological Support

Prevention of Further Abuse

The Hughey Law Firm Is Standing By

Client Testimonial

Hughey Law Firm – Charleston Office

Speak with an experienced elder abuse attorney to see if you may be eligible for compensation.