Their father left Laguna Honda on July 8 and died on July 25 at Seton, the complaint states. He was 80 years old.
“They noticed a quick decline and he died really quickly after,” Stebner said, adding that Pham required assistance for just about every aspect of daily living. “There are laws and regulations that say what exactly is to be done if someone is transferred and we alleged they did not prepare him for this. If people with dementia are moved, even to a different building, they can go downhill immediately.”
Stebner’s firm initially filed three lawsuits alleging transfer trauma led to wrongful death after the hospital began transferring patients. Two of those cases were dismissed, and Pham’s case ended with a settlement.
“Although defendants knew of conditions that made [Pham] unable to provide for his own basic needs as described herein, defendants recklessly and egregiously denied and withheld goods or services necessary to meet [Pham]’s basic needs,” the complaint reads.
In November 2025, San Francisco agreed to pay $5.8 million in a class action settlement over elder abuse claims at Laguna Honda between 2016 and 2019.
A sign points to the main entrance to the Laguna Honda Hospital in San Francisco on Jan. 31, 2023. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)
The Department of Public Health, which runs Laguna Honda, declined to comment and referred KQED to the city attorney’s office.
“We believe the proposed settlement is an appropriate resolution given the inherent costs of continued litigation,” said Jen Kwart, a spokesperson for the San Francisco City Attorney.
Stebner said the settlement with the Pham family is the last remaining lawsuit her firm has closed stemming from the turmoil at Laguna Honda while it faced potential closure.
“I’m hoping that by filing all these lawsuits that the families can hold the city and county accountable and I hope we did do that,” Stebner said. “And hopefully this journey is over.”