The family of an elderly woman who died in a trailer fire set by her roommate is accusing the rehabilitation center that sent her there of wrongful death and elder abuse.

A lawsuit was filed in District Court on Monday by James English, Bree Hillje and Lacy Pearson on behalf of their mother, Deborah English. It accuses Torrey Pines Rehabilitation Hospital of negligence, wrongful death and elder abuse.

A representative from the rehabilitation center declined to comment.

In March 2024, Betty Lurenz set fire to a trailer she was living in with three other elderly women, according to the Metropolitan Police Department. Surveillance video showed Lurenz setting the living room on fire in two places with a lit piece of paper before going outside, according to her arrest report.

Deborah English, who had arthritis, back and leg pain, and alcohol-induced dementia, required assistance to exit her room and was trapped, the lawsuit said.

She suffered third-degree burns on 6 percent of her body and was taken to University Medical Center in critical condition, according to the complaint.

English died at age 74 on April 22, 2024, the complaint said.

Lurenz was arrested on March 18 on suspicion of three counts of attempted murder and one count of arson. She died at age 87 on July 27, 2024, and the case was dismissed.

Negligent care

Beyond the day of English’s death, the lawsuit lays out a series of allegations about Torrey Pines Rehabilitation Center’s care for English and her transfer to the trailer home.

English was originally admitted to Torrey Pines Rehabilitation Hospital in July 2016 before going to a group home and a hospital in the years afterward. She was re-admitted in November 2020, at which point her family “expressed concern about her prior group home where she was unsupervised,” the complaint said.

When her family was planning to take her to her brother’s funeral in California, administrators at the rehabilitation hospital assured the family that she would not be moved to a group home.

“I give you my word this will not happen. Deborah can attend her brother’s funeral and will always have a bedroom available here at Torrey Pines,” an administrator said in January 2024, according to the complaint.

But at the end of that month, the facility did move her to a group home operated by LNO’s Independent Living, the complaint said. Administrators told the family she would have her medicine monitored, meals prepared and 24/7 supervision.

According to the lawsuit, the family had no choice in the move.

From Feb. 19 to March 18, 2024, James English and Bree Hillje continuously asked both facilities to transfer their mother back to Torrey Pines Rehabilitation Hospital to no avail, the complaint said.

‘Unlicensed facility’

When James English visited the LNO facility in February, he was “alarmed” to see it was nothing like what was promised, the complaint said.

“Despite being promised Deborah would be transferred to a ‘group home,’ Torrey Pines transferred decedent to an unlicensed doublewide trailer home,” the complaint said.

The facility housed four elderly women with no supervision, the complaint said.

The complaint said the family was told that a house manager was checking on English, but there was no house manager.

The family had repeatedly told Torrey Pines that English needed assistance, and the lawsuit said the center had assured them of such.

“Torrey Pines knew or reasonably should have known that decedent required monitoring, assistance and supervision,” the complaint said.

But LNO was told by Torrey Pines that English could take care of herself, the complaint said.

The lawsuit said that Deborah English was “deprived of food and services (administering of medications) which were necessary to maintain her physical and mental health.”

Issues with money, identification

Between Feb. 1, 2024, and her death, English did not receive any funds from her Social Security benefits, the complaint said. LNO said it believed the funds were going directly to Torrey Pines and that it had never been paid by the rehabilitation center.

The first month of LNO was paid by Torrey Pines with funds from English, according to the complaint. The complaint said it was unclear how Torrey Pines had access to English’s funds, as she had no picture identification or bank account. Medicaid billing showed Torrey Pines receiving funds from Medicaid, the complaint said.

In February 2024, LNO told the family that English had no funds and James English sent money. LNO was also trying to get the woman on food stamps, the complaint said. The family was under the impression the facility was providing meals for her, according to the complaint.

Deborah English was not given any form of identification when she was transferred out of Torrey Pines, the complaint said.

The rehabilitation center also did not send LNO any of English’s medical records, the complaint said. As a result, University Medical Center was unaware of her prior issues and conditions, “which adversely affected her treatment, care and survivability,” the complaint said.

While James English was at UMC, Torrey Pines Rehabilitation Hospital did not return calls from him or UMC, the complaint said.

She lost everything in the fire and LNO did not have insurance, according to the lawsuit.

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X.