Paul M. da Costa Testified on Behalf of COVID-19 Victims

Last week, on January 25th, 2021, the New Jersey Assembly Military & Veterans Affairs Committee convened to have testimony and debate regarding two new bills that were introduced as a response to the tragic toll COVID-19 had on residents of the Menlo Park and Paramus Veterans Memorial Homes. Our Partner, Paul M. da Costa, who had previously testified before a joint session of the New Jersey Senate Health & Human Services and Assembly Aging & Senior Services Committees on August 13, 2020, once again testified on behalf of his numerous clients who lost loved ones due to COVID-19 at the Menlo Park and Paramus Veterans Memorial Homes.

Mr. da Costa provided testimony in support of the bills, but in doing so emphasized that the bills were only one step in the grand scheme of numerous steps needed to be taken on the long road forward to full accountability. He emphasized that the Committee, and the Legislature as a whole, should conduct investigative hearings to shine the brightest light possible on this very darkest of situations. After Mr. da Costa’s testimony, Assembly Danielson agreed with his calls for investigative hearings. This marks the third time Mr. da Costa has testified in front of the New Jersey Legislature in regard to his representation of the clients. In December 2018, he testified before the Senate Health & Human Services Committee at a hearing convened to investigate the Adenovirus outbreak at The Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation where 36 pediatric patients contracted the virus and 11 of the 36 passed away due to complication of the virus. After the hearing, the Legislature passed a bill that was signed by Governor Murphy that, among other things, required long-term care facilities to have infectious disease outbreak plans. 

Mr. da Costa, testified on behalf of his more than 90 clients, both families of residents and employees, who were the victims of gross negligence and reckless conduct amidst the COVID-19 pandemic at the Menlo Park and Paramus Veterans Memorial Homes. Mr. da Costa’s testimony starts at 01:18:30 and the full recording of the meeting can be found here.

If you or a loved one have suffered illness or injuries, or have lost a loved one, after contracting COVID-19 at long-term care facilities, please contact Paul M. da Costa, Esq. of Sarno da Costa D’Aniello Maceri LLC. You can schedule a consultation via email (pdacosta@sarnolawfirm.com) or call 973-274-5200. Mr. da Costa heads the medical malpractice and personal injury department at Sarno da Costa D’Aniello Maceri LLC and has extensive experience representing victims of infectious disease outbreaks at long-term care facilities, including the families whose children suffered from the Adenovirus outbreak at The Wanaque Center for Nursing and Rehabilitation.

Our offices have fully adapted to handle all matters respecting social distancing, office sanitizing and capable of addressing many matters remotely by virtual connectivity.