Family of 75-year-old nursing home beating victim planning lawsuit

Police say a 20-year-old man assaulted the victim on video

DETROIT – Legal action is expected on behalf of the family of an assault victim against the nursing home he was a resident of.

“This case is just a terrific case you’ve seen the video you’ve seen my client to Norman Bledso being virtually tortured on,” said attorney Geoffery Fieger.

READ: Detroit police make arrest after nursing home assault video surfaces

Fieger represents the family of 75-year-old Norman Bledso. He said there’s no excuse for what happened to the senior at Westwood Rehabilitation Nursing Center. Police said he was attacked by 20-year-old Jayden Hayden.

“They’re upset, they’re the ones that contacted me he’s, he’s incommunicado cutter right now in terms of the injuries that he suffered. I think the number one question though more than anything else is why wasn’t Norman Bledsoe protected? Why, in a nursing home, would you put a 20 year old mentally ill person? How did he get there? He looked like a bodybuilder on the tape, and he was using Norman as a punching bag,” Fieger said.

Police have officially started an investigation into a second video on Hayden’s YouTube channel that may suggest there have been other victims.

MORE: Detroit police investigate second video appearing to show person being beaten inside nursing home

“I have not seen any other videos, other than the one in which my client Norman was tortured. But if this is a regularly occurring offense. This is really a terrible, terrible development,” Fieger said.

The mindset of Hayden during the attack is also being questioned.

“Hayden set up his, his, iPhone so we could record on the camera and then post it to social media in tumbling ahead plus 75 year old man in a nursing home, breaking four of his fingers, breaking his nose, his ribs. We’re going to file suit against the nursing home for allowing this travesty in this this shocking,” Fieger said.

Local 4 reached out to the nursing home to see if they had any statement regarding this lawsuit. At the time of publication, no one has yet to return any calls.

Hayden is facing several assault charges, but investigators indeed find out that there were more victims, you can expect more charges to come.


About the Author:

Victor Williams joined Local 4 News in October of 2019 after working for WOIO in Cleveland, OH, WLOX News in Biloxi, MS, and WBBJ in Jackson, TN. Victor developed a love for journalism after realizing he was a great speaker and writer at an early age.