Massachusetts reaches $56 million settlement in deadly Holyoke Soldiers' Home COVID-19 outbreak
ABC News
The state of Massachusetts has reached a $56 million settlement with the families of the veterans who died during the facility's widespread COVID-19 outbreak.
Massachusetts has reached a $56 million settlement with the families of the dozens of veterans who died and were sickened during the state-run facility's widespread COVID-19 outbreak in the early months of the pandemic, Gov. Charlie Baker announced Thursday.
“The COVID-19 outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home was a terrible tragedy. While we know nothing can bring back those who were lost, we hope that this settlement brings a sense of closure to the loved ones of the veterans,” Baker said in a press release.
Tom Lesser, the lawyer for the plaintiffs, told ABC News that the outbreak resulted in more than 160 veterans contracting the virus between March 1 and June 23, 2020, with at least 84 veterans ultimately dying from the infection.
The agreement is subject to approval by the federal district court for Massachusetts, and the terms of the settlement will cover veterans who lived at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home at any time between March 1, 2020 and June 23, 2020, and who became ill or died from COVID during that period.
