2 new lawsuits filed against Butler nursing home where nurse allegedly killed patients with insulin

BUTLER COUNTY, Pa. — A Butler County nursing home is being sued by the families of two patients who died while under the care of former nurse Heather Pressdee.

Pressdee is criminally charged in relation to the deaths of Irene Simons, 78, and Sandra Lincoln, 82, along with the deaths or injuries of over a dozen other patients across five different care facilities between 2020 and 2023. According to the Pennsylvania Attorney General, she’s accused of intentionally administering excessive amounts of insulin to patients, typically during overnight shifts when staffing was low. She’s charged for the mistreatment of 22 patients in total, 17 of whom died.

>>> Local nurse accused of killing patients with intentional doses of insulin facing more charges

Family members who represent Simons’ and Lincoln’s estates filed separate lawsuits last week against Sunnyview Operating LLC and Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center, located in Butler. Lincoln’s lawsuit also includes Premier Healthcare Management, LLC as a defendant.

The wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of Simons argues Sunnyview acted in ways that were negligent, careless or reckless by failing to protect Simons from harm or injury and failing to recognize Pressdee posed a risk to residents, among other actions or lack of actions.

The lawsuit alleges “Despite her alarming history of resident abuse at ten prior facilities including causing injuries and/or deaths of at least sixteen residents at the other facilities…. Defendant Sunnyview nevertheless hired Heather Presssdee as a Unit Manager.”

After Simons’ death, the lawsuit claims Pressdee sent flowers and a handwritten note to the funeral home and also sent the family a sympathy card reading, “Words can’t say how sorry I am for the loss of Irene. She was one of a kind. She was an amazing women. (heart) Heather.”

Months later, Pressdee admitted to injecting Simons with insulin once and again when she did not immediately die.

The lawsuit contains five counts, including negligence, vicarious liability and infliction of emotional distress. Under each out the lawsuit reads “Sunnyview’s conduct was outrageous, willful, wanton and reckless.”

Simon’s family seeks damages and a jury trial.

The wrongful death lawsuit filed on behalf of Lincoln also argues that Sunnyview was negligent in hiring Pressdee and is vicariously liable for the acts of its staff. It argues that staff at Sunnyview were negligent by failing to prevent Pressdee from administering unnecessary insulin to Lincoln, failing to inform the Pennsylvania Department of Health of unusual deaths at the facility and failing to report or act on reports regarding suspected abuse, among other claims.

According to the lawsuit, a CNA heard Pressdee say Ms. Lincoln “needed to die” 50 minutes before she was pronounced dead. The lawsuit claims Pressdee called Lincoln’s daughter and said her mother was “actively dying” 40 minutes after making that claim. According to the Attorney General’s Office, Pressdee later confessed to administering insulin to the victim and when it did not work, she administered one syringe of air into the woman’s PICC line in an effort to create an air embolism.

Lincoln’s family is seeking damages in excess of $35,000 and demands a trial by jury.

This is the third lawsuit filed against Sunnyview. The family of Nicholas Cymbol filed a wrongful death lawsuit at the end of March. This suit argues Sunnyview administration failed to investigate Pressdee following the string of suspicious deaths in its facility.

>> Another wrongful death lawsuit filed after local nurse allegedly killed patients with insulin

Wrongful death suits have also been filed against other facilities where Pressdee worked, including Guardian Healthcare and its facility in Lower Burrell, Belair Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center.

>> Wrongful death lawsuits filed against former nurse accused of killing patients with insulin

In those lawsuits, the families of Jack Allen Rogers and Norman Paul Hendrickson and claim their deaths were directly caused by Pressdee.

You can see the wrongful death lawsuits filed on behalf of Simon and Lincoln in full below.

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