QUINCY, Ill. (WAND) – A man who lost his father in a Legionnaires’ disease outbreak has dropped a civil suit.
A coroner’s investigation determined Legionella bacteria was a factor in the death of Valdemar “Roy” Dehn, who had other health problems when he died in October 2017 at the Illinois Veterans’ Home in Quincy, WGEM reports. Matthew Dehn’s attorney, Steve Jambois, filed the suit seeking damages, but said he dropped the suit when a law changed in Illinois.
The law change makes it possible to collect more damages from the Illinois Court of Claims – as much as $2 million instead of the previous $100,000 limit. Jambois told the station the civil suit was an “alternate way” to collect damages and is no longer needed. A lawsuit against the state of Illinois will still be filed, and the attorney believes it will move faster with the civil suit dropped.
Dehn has filed two lawsuits against Illinois, WGEM says. The Dehn family is one of 11 to sue the state and claim negligence in the deaths of loved ones.
