Salem group home lawsuit settled for $1.325 million
Five Salem residents whose houses were attacked by a resident of a now-closed group home nearby have settled their lawsuits against the operating company.
The case was resolved Nov. 15 for $1.325 million, to be split among the five plaintiffs.
Patricia Anderson, Linda and Stanley Motyl, and Shaun and Joseph Formica Jr., who all live on West Road, filed separate lawsuits against Key Human Services Inc. in August 2016 after Nicholas Benner, a resident of a group home formerly located at 296 Witch Meadow Road, attempted to break into their homes in May 2015.
The group home was closed at the end of May 2015 after neighbors voiced concerns.
Attorney Kara Burgarella said the cases had been resolved relatively quickly, and they would have started selecting members of the jury on Nov. 27. She said the plaintiffs had filed the lawsuits because they hadn't gotten any answers from Key Human Services regarding what happened that night.
She said the plaintiffs had filed the lawsuits primarily to get the message out about the need for group homes in residential areas to have the proper security measures in place. Such measures would protect not only neighbors but also the residents of the group homes themselves.
Benner, who was 21 at the time, had a history of hospitalizations for severe mental and emotional illness. He left the home without his medication on Witch Meadow Road late on May 1, 2015, and smashed windows in all three homes in the early hours of May 2, threatening to kill Anderson, the Motyls and the Formicas.
According to video testimonials, the plaintiffs sustained mental and emotional injuries as the result of the invasions, and Anderson and Shaun Formica, who was pregnant at the time, incurred physical injuries, as well. Anderson and the Motyls also had to install home security systems.
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