Flood of Lies: The St. Rita's Nursing Home Tragedy

by James Cobb

Overview

INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER BOOK AWARDS BEST REGIONAL NONFICTION OF THE SOUTH GOLD MEDAL

"When an elderly couple is charged with murder in the drowning deaths of thirty-five bed-ridden residents of St. Rita's Nursing Home, an emotional edge-of-your-seat thriller takes off like a shot! The players: a wily and profane defense lawyer, a ferocious prosecutor, vengeful families of the victims, and a ravenous media that brands the defendants 'Monsters of Hurricane Katrina.' My advice—block out enough time to read this wonderful book in one sitting."
—John Berendt, Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

"A passionate and personal book, artfully constructed."
—Washington Post

"A war story of jurisprudence. . . . a book you wish wouldn't end."
—Daily Beast

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781455621309
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	07/06/2015
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

James A. Cobb is a lawyer and lecturer well known for his role as the defense attorney in the case State of Louisiana vs. Salvador and Mabel Mangano. He grew up in New Orleans and remained in the city to earn both his bachelor of arts and his law degree from Tulane University. After graduating, Cobb practiced law in Louisiana and became a managing partner at the firm Emmett, Cobb, Waits & Henning. Concerned about the quality of healthcare in nursing homes and hospitals, Cobb was essential in challenging Gov. Edwin Edwards's approval of unfit facilities during the hospital certification scandal. Although the governor was acquitted, the case raised public awareness about the need for quality treatment and adequate healthcare options for the elderly. In 2005, when Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, the deaths of thirty-five senior citizens at the St. Rita's Nursing Home became the center of a media frenzy. The owners of the nursing home, Sal and Mabel Mangano, were charged with negligence, cruelty to the elderly, and homicide. As their defense attorney, Cobb successfully proved that the Manganos had not intentionally risked the lives of their patients when they decided not to evacuate. Cobb's defense gained a complete acquittal for the Manganos. In addition to his law practice, Cobb has served as an adjunct professor at Tulane University Law School, focusing his lectures mainly on healthcare law. He is the director for the Tulane University Trial Advocacy Program and has taught trial advocacy at many universities, including Southern Methodist University and San Diego State University. He also presents a weeklong trial-advocacy seminar at Harvard University every year. For Cobb's work as a lecturer, he has received the Tulane University Teaching Award and the Monte M. Lemann Distinguished Teaching Award. In 2007, the Louisiana Nursing Home Association presented him with the Better Life Award for his work improving the lives of the elderly in nursing homes. Cobb lives in New Orleans with his wife and two children.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 Has the Jury Reached a Verdict? 11

Chapter 2 Whataburger Meltdown 21

Chapter 3 Divine Intervention? 27

Chapter 4 Facts Are Stubborn Things 35

Chapter 5 St. Rita, Pray for Us 39

Chapter 6 Sophie's Choice 47

Chapter 7 Wall of Water 51

Chapter 8 Everything's Going to Be Okay 63

Chapter 9 Nancy Grace Strikes 69

Chapter 10 Broken Promises 75

Chapter 11 "Step Aside, Mr. Cobb" 83

Chapter 12 Punching Back 89

Chapter 13 Media Madness 95

Chapter 14 Cocktails and Chianti 105

Chapter 15 "Hi Diane, This Is Chris" 113

Chapter 16 Saved by a Loaf of Bread 119

Chapter 17 Gone Too Soon 129

Chapter 18 "I Love You, Grandpa" 133

Chapter 19 A Promise, Not a Threat 139

Chapter 20 Barbarians at the Gate 151

Chapter 21 Army Corps: "It's Our Fault" 161

Chapter 22 The Hammer Falls 171

Chapter 23 Unlit Charcoal Briquette 179

Chapter 24 A Secret Deal 187

Chapter 25 Fighting for the Advantage 197

Chapter 26 What Would Jesus Do? 205

Chapter 27 Stacked Deck 217

Chapter 28 "At Each Other's Throats" 225

Chapter 29 Picking a Jury 233

Chapter 30 My Cousin Vinny 249

Chapter 31 Evidence Through a Looking Glass 257

Chapter 32 Toe to Toe with Governor Blanco 271

Chapter 33 "Nice, Very Nice" 279

Chapter 34 A Courageous South African 289

Chapter 35 "I'm Going to Be Positive, Judge." 301

Chapter 36 A Room Full of Tears 311

Epilogue 321

Acknowledgments 327

Author's Note 329

Index 331