Sapphire Nursing at Wappingers Hit With More Than $6.8 Million Understaffing Verdict, What the Jury Decided and What Residents Should Know

A Dutchess County, New York jury returned a verdict of more than $6.8 million against Sapphire Nursing at Wappingers, LLC in a certified class action over nursing home understaffing. The verdict was reported as rendered on Wednesday, October 14, 2026, after a seven-day trial, and announced by plaintiffs’ counsel on Friday, October 16.

• Damages: More than $3.2 million in compensatory damages and $3.6 million in punitive damages.
• Who is liable: The facility, plus four owners found liable as “controlling owners”: Machla Abramczyk, Esther Farkovits, Richard Platschek and Robert Schuck. The punitive award was reported against the facility and Platschek.
• No claim form. This is a verdict in an existing class action, not a settlement. No claims process or payment date has been announced.
• Not final. The defendants say the verdict goes against the weight of the evidence and they are pursuing post-trial remedies.

Verdict at a Glance

Detail	What the record shows
Case	Schmidt v. Sapphire Nursing at Wappingers, LLC, et al.
Court and index no.	New York Supreme Court, Dutchess County, Index No. 2019-52328
Lead plaintiff	Susan Schmidt, administrator of the estate of her mother, Regina Pinkall
Facility	Sapphire Nursing at Wappingers (formerly Elant at Wappingers Falls), a 62-bed home in Wappingers Falls
Main statute	N.Y. Public Health Law § 2801-d
Class certified	May 14, 2024
Class opt-out deadline	December 5, 2024 (passed)
Class period	April 27, 2017 through March 7, 2020, per the official class notice
Verdict	More than $6.8 million
Compensatory damages	More than $3.2 million
Punitive damages	$3.6 million, against Sapphire Nursing and Richard Platschek
Owners found liable	Abramczyk, Farkovits, Platschek and Schuck
Class counsel	Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll (Leslie Kroeger, lead trial attorney)
Notice administrator	Epiq
Claim form	None
Distribution date	None announced
Official website	sapphireatwappingersclassaction.com

Accuracy note: The verdict figures and the jury’s findings come from plaintiffs’ counsel’s announcement, Law360 and trade coverage. The filed verdict form and judgment were not available. Some sources date the verdict October 16, but that was the date of the announcement, not the verdict.

What the Lawsuit Alleged

Susan Schmidt filed the case on June 21, 2019, on behalf of her mother, Regina Pinkall, a resident of the facility, and other residents. Pinkall died in April 2021, and Schmidt continued as administrator of her estate. The complaint alleged that care deteriorated after new operators took over in April 2017 and that the home did not employ enough nurses and aides to meet residents’ needs.

According to the class notice and coverage of the case, residents allegedly did not consistently receive:

• timely bathing, cleaning and dressing;
• help with meals and timely medication;
• incontinence care and changes of soiled clothing and bedding; and
• appropriate nursing attention to health and safety.

The class website also posts a New York State Department of Health inspection report dated April 4, 2018. It is background, not proof of the claims decided at trial.

What the defense argued

Facility managers and administrators told the jury the owners were trying to recruit and retain nurses after taking over. The four owners, who hold roughly 33%, 33%, 20% and 13% of the facility, argued they should not be personally responsible for the debts or actions of a limited liability company. The court ruled against them on liability and allowed punitive damages to go to the jury, according to Insurance Journal’s report. The defendants have told Law360 the verdict is against the weight of the evidence.

What the Jury Found

According to Cohen Milstein, the jury returned a verdict for the class on all claims and found the facility deprived residents of their right to sufficient staffing under state and federal law. The firm also reports the jury found the home understaffed every day of the class period.

Component	Reported amount	Notes
Compensatory damages	More than $3.2 million	Reported against the facility and its owners
Punitive damages	$3.6 million	Against Sapphire Nursing and Richard Platschek
Total	More than $6.8 million

These are plaintiff-side descriptions. The verdict sheet, the way compensatory damages are allocated among class members, and the final judgment will confirm the details.

The Law Behind the Case

New York Public Health Law § 2801-d

Section 2801-d gives nursing home residents a private right to sue when a facility deprives them of a right or benefit created for their well-being by contract, statute, regulation or code. Key features:

• It reaches deprivations under state and federal law, which is how staffing violations can be tried as a statutory deprivation.
• It recognizes physical, emotional and financial injury, as well as death.
• It provides for a minimum compensatory award tied to the facility’s daily per-patient rate for each day an injury exists, subject to the statute’s conditions.
• It allows punitive damages where the deprivation was willful or in reckless disregard of residents’ lawful rights.

Why staffing rules mattered

New York adopted formal minimum nurse-staffing requirements in 2021 (Public Health Law § 2895-b), though enforcement was delayed because of labor shortages. This case concerns a period before those rules took effect, and the jury decided under § 2801-d whether staffing fell short of what residents were entitled to under applicable law.

Class actions under CPLR Article 9

The court certified the residents’ § 2801-d claims as a class action under Article 9 of New York’s Civil Practice Law and Rules. Class treatment lets the common question, whether staffing was inadequate across the class period, be decided once for all class members. Under CPLR 909, the court decides class counsel’s attorney’s fees based on the reasonable value of the legal services. A class settlement requires court approval under CPLR 908, but this case went to verdict instead.

Owners and personal liability

Ordinarily, a limited liability company’s owners are not personally liable for the company’s obligations. Here, the jury found four individuals liable as controlling owners of the facility. That finding is among the most significant parts of the verdict, and it is one of the issues most likely to be challenged. The legal basis for the controlling-owner finding should be confirmed from the court’s charge and judgment before it is described in more detail.

Punitive damages limits

Punitive damages must be proportionate and are reviewable for excessiveness under due process principles (BMW of North America v. Gore, 517 U.S. 559 (1996); State Farm v. Campbell, 538 U.S. 408 (2003)). Both sides may challenge the $3.6 million award after trial.

Who Is in the Class?

The official class notice says the class includes residents of Sapphire Nursing at Wappingers, or their legal representatives, from April 27, 2017 through March 7, 2020. The court’s May 14, 2024 certification order directed defendants to provide a class list covering April 27, 2017 through March 16, 2020, “as further modified.” Because those end dates differ, anyone whose stay fell between March 8 and March 16, 2020 should confirm with the notice administrator or class counsel.

Class members who did not opt out by December 5, 2024 remain in the class. That deadline has passed. There is no new claim form.

What Happens Next?

1. Post-trial motions. Under CPLR 4404, the defendants can ask the trial judge to set aside the verdict or order a new trial, and they have said they are pursuing such remedies.
2. Judgment. The court enters a judgment, which can carry statutory interest.
3. Appeal. Dutchess County is in the Second Department, so an appeal would go to the Appellate Division, Second Department. A notice of appeal is generally due within 30 days after notice of entry of the judgment.
4. Distribution plan. Only if the verdict is upheld or the parties settle will the court set a process for notifying class members and distributing recovery. That could involve claim forms, proof of residency and attorney’s fees approved by the court.

No distribution date or per-resident amount has been announced. A jury verdict in a class action does not by itself entitle every resident to a particular payment. Collection can also be a separate question that depends on the defendants’ assets and insurance.

What Residents and Families Should Do Now

1. Check the official site for notices about the verdict, judgment and any next steps.
2. Keep your contact information current with the notice administrator, Epiq: Schmidt v. Sapphire Nursing at Wappingers, c/o Epiq, P.O. Box 5855, Portland, OR 97228-5855.
3. Confirm class membership if your stay was near the March 2020 end date.
4. Keep records: medical records, billing, admission documents and any prior class notices.
5. Do not pay anyone to “file a claim.” None exists. Do not contact the court clerk about the class notice, as the official website directs questions to the administrator and class counsel.

Are Damages Taxable?

Compensatory damages received on account of personal physical injury or physical sickness are generally excluded from income under Internal Revenue Code § 104(a)(2), while punitive damages and interest are generally taxable. How this applies to an estate or an individual depends on the final allocation, so ask a tax professional.

Why This Verdict Matters

Most nursing home lawsuits involve one resident and an individual injury. This case used a statutory class action to ask whether staffing for the whole facility fell short, and it ended with punitive damages and owners named personally. Trade coverage notes it may signal new liability risks for operators, but a verdict by one Dutchess County jury is not binding on other courts, and it remains subject to post-trial and appellate review. The findings concern this facility and this evidence, not nursing homes generally.

If you suspect neglect at a facility, these guides cover signs, evidence and claims:

• Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuit Guide: Signs, Evidence and How to Sue
• Nursing Home Abuse Lawsuit 2026: Average $400K Settlements
• Genesis Healthcare Bankruptcy: Nursing Home Residents and Families

Key Dates

Date	Event
April 2017	New operators take over the facility, per the complaint
April 27, 2017	Class period begins, per the class notice
April 4, 2018	State Department of Health inspection report posted on the class website
June 21, 2019	Lawsuit filed
March 7, 2020	Class period ends, per the class notice (order refers to March 16, 2020)
April 2021	Regina Pinkall dies; Schmidt substituted as administrator
May 14, 2024	Class certified
December 5, 2024	Opt-out deadline
October 14, 2026	Jury returns verdict after a seven-day trial
October 16, 2026	Plaintiffs’ counsel announces the verdict
Not announced	Judgment, post-trial rulings, appeal, distribution

Sources

1. Cohen Milstein, “Jury Holds Sapphire Nursing at Wappingers Liable for More Than $6.8M for Egregious Failures in Resident Care” (Oct. 16, 2026): https://www.cohenmilstein.com/jury-holds-sapphire-nursing-at-wappingers-liable-for-more-than-6-8m-for-egregious-failures-in-resident-care/
2. Law360, “NY Nursing Home Hit With $6.8M Verdict In Understaffing Case” (Oct. 16, 2026): https://www.law360.com/personal-injury-medical-malpractice/articles/2539103
3. Insurance Journal, “Jury Awards $6.8 Million in Nursing Home Understaffing Class Action” (Oct. 22, 2026): https://www.insurancejournal.com/news/east/2026/10/22/889774.htm
4. McKnight’s Long-Term Care News, “Understaffing lawsuit signals new liability risks for nursing home operators”: https://www.mcknights.com/news/6-2m-understaffing-lawsuit-signals-new-liability-risks-for-nursing-home-operators
5. Official class website and notice: https://sapphireatwappingersclassaction.com/
6. Decision and Order granting class certification (May 14, 2024): https://sapphireatwappingersclassaction.com/Content/Documents/Decision%20and%20Order.pdf
7. N.Y. Public Health Law § 2801-d: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/PBH/2801-D
8. N.Y. CPLR Article 9 (class actions), CPLR 4404 and CPLR 5513: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/laws/CVP
9. 26 U.S.C. § 104(a)(2): https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/26/104

Disclaimer: This article offers general information about public reporting and court records and is not legal advice. The verdict, judgment and any recovery by class members are separate questions. The defendants dispute the verdict and are pursuing post-trial remedies.

By Israr Ahmad, Legal Content Researcher, AllAboutLawyer.com. Last updated October 22, 2026. This is legal information, not legal advice. The author is not an attorney.