A lawsuit filed in federal court by the families of five residents who died of COVID-19 at the Southeastern Veterans’ Center in Spring City alleges that the state-run nursing home failed to protect them and numerous other residents who succumbed to the virus during the first wave of the pandemic, writes William Bender for The Philadelphia Inquirer.

The Pennsylvania Department of Military and Veterans Affairs is named as one of the defendants in the suit. The other defendants are former SEVC commandant Rohan Blackwood and SEVC director of nursing Deborah Mullane.

The pair was suspended in May after a report uncovered the high number of coronavirus deaths that occurred at the nursing home.

The residents of SEVC “dedicated their lives to protect this nation,” said the plaintiffs’ lawyer Robert Daley. “When it came time to protect these veterans and their spouses, Southeastern Veterans’ Center failed to take the necessary precautions regarding the COVID-19 outbreak.”

The lawsuit alleges that SEVC officials did not follow official guidelines to slow the spread of COVID-19. It is seeking damages for wrongful death, negligence, and civil rights violations.

Read more about the lawsuit in The Philadelphia Inquirer here.