The Kentucky Supreme Court reversed a Court of Appeals decision that had upheld the dismissal of a wrongful death lawsuit against a nursing home, rejecting the facility's claim of immunity under Kentucky's COVID-19 statute. The December 18, 2025 ruling in *Jackson v. Mayfield KY OPCO, LLC* allows the case to proceed against Mayfield Health and Rehabilitation and related defendants.
Hollie Jackson, serving as administrator of his late mother's estate, filed the lawsuit against Mayfield KY OPCO, LLC, which operates Mayfield Health and Rehabilitation, along with several other defendants including Clearview Healthcare Management KY, LLC, individual staff members Crystal Janes, Hughes Ash, and Susan Allen, RN, and The Portopiccolo Group, LLC.
The case centers on the death of Emma Hayes, who was 85 years old when she was admitted to the Mayfield nursing home on February 6, 2018. According to court documents, Hayes was wheelchair-bound and required 24-hour monitoring and assistance with all aspects of daily life due to her advanced age and numerous serious health conditions. Her medical conditions included congestive heart failure, non-Alzheimer's dementia, epilepsy, syncope, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, osteoarthritis, arteriosclerotic heart disease, diabetes, cholelithiasis, arteriosclerotic peripheral vascular disease, arteriosclerotic cerebrovascular disease, and pulmonary hypertension.
The original lawsuit was filed in Graves Circuit Court under case number 21-CI-00367. The circuit court granted summary judgment in favor of the nursing home defendants, finding that Mayfield was entitled to immunity under KRS 39A.275, Kentucky's COVID immunity statute. This statute was enacted during the pandemic to provide certain protections for healthcare facilities and providers.
The Court of Appeals affirmed the circuit court's dismissal in case number 2023-CA-0260, upholding the lower court's finding that the nursing home was protected by the COVID immunity statute. This led Jackson to appeal to the Kentucky Supreme Court.
In the Supreme Court case, numbered 2024-SC-0180-DG, Chief Justice Lambert authored the court's opinion reversing the lower courts' decisions. The opinion, which is designated "TO BE PUBLISHED," indicates that it will serve as binding precedent for future cases.
The Supreme Court held that the circuit court erred by granting summary judgment in favor of the nursing home defendants. The court specifically found that Mayfield was not entitled to immunity under KRS 39A.275, rejecting the facility's defense based on the COVID immunity statute.
The ruling represents a significant victory for families seeking to hold nursing homes accountable for alleged negligence. By rejecting the broad application of COVID immunity protections, the Supreme Court clarified that such statutes do not provide blanket protection for all healthcare-related claims during the pandemic period.
The case will now return to the lower court for further proceedings. The Supreme Court's order to "reverse and remand" means that the circuit court must reconsider the case without the protection of the immunity statute that previously led to dismissal.
This decision comes at a time when nursing home care and accountability have received increased scrutiny, particularly following concerns about care quality during the COVID-19 pandemic. The ruling suggests that Kentucky courts will take a more restrictive view of immunity protections for long-term care facilities.
The defendants in the case include not only the nursing home facility itself but also its management company and individual staff members, indicating that the lawsuit may involve claims of both institutional negligence and individual professional misconduct.
For Jackson and other families in similar situations, the ruling provides hope that they can pursue justice through the court system despite facilities' attempts to claim broad immunity protections. The case highlights the ongoing legal battles over the scope of pandemic-era immunity statutes and their application to healthcare providers.
The Supreme Court's decision to publish the opinion indicates its importance as precedent for future cases involving similar immunity claims by healthcare facilities in Kentucky. The ruling may influence how lower courts interpret and apply COVID immunity statutes in wrongful death and negligence cases against nursing homes and other healthcare providers.
As the case returns to the circuit court level, Jackson will have the opportunity to present evidence and arguments regarding the alleged negligence that led to his mother's death. The facility and other defendants will need to defend their care on the merits rather than relying on statutory immunity protections.