Report examines eight lawsuits filed against Ashley Gardens Alzheimer’s Special Care Center since 2017
GEORGETOWN, S.C. (September 28, 2026) – Evans Moore, LLC co-founder James B. Moore III was featured in a Live 5 News investigative report on the care record at Ashley Gardens Alzheimer’s Special Care Center in West Ashley. The report, produced by Live 5 Investigates reporters Emily Johnson and Jeff McGee, reviewed eight lawsuits filed against the 66-bed memory care facility since 2017, along with years of state inspection records.
Evans Moore represents the family of John Sease, who was admitted to Ashley Gardens on March 12, 2024. According to the report, his family was told within about a week that he had a spiral fracture and multiple fractured ribs. A physician at Roper St. Francis noted the injury was inconsistent with a fall. The facility’s director at the time reported a possible aggravated assault to the Charleston Police Department. No arrests were made. Sease died six months later.
“They thought they had found probably the best facility to care for him,” Moore said in the report. “Unfortunately, within about a week of him being there, they were advised of this news of this injury.”
“It’s about accountability, it’s about finding out what happened; it’s about preventing other family members from going through the same thing,” Moore said.
Why Cases Like This Are Difficult to Bring
Residents in memory care often cannot describe what happened to them, which makes these cases harder to investigate and harder to prosecute. Moore addressed that directly in the report.
“I hope that there’ll be criminal accountability, but this is something that we see so often when you have victims that are unable to speak,” he said.
He also spoke about the limits of the state’s oversight process. The South Carolina Department of Public Health confirmed to Live 5 News that it has never taken enforcement action against the facility, though inspection records reviewed by the station document repeated violations between 2023 and 2026.
“They’re doing the best that they can, but they can’t do it all,” Moore said of the department. “It’s rare that we see real accountability through that process.”
Ashley Gardens has been under new management since June 2024. Its new executive director told Live 5 News the facility has added staff, training, and auditing procedures since she arrived.
Nursing home negligence is one of the practice areas Evans Moore handles across South Carolina. These cases often start the same way, with a family that carefully chose a facility and then received a call they did not expect.
“This family trusted this facility, paid them a lot of money to send their family member there to get a higher level of care that they can provide, and this happened within a week,” Moore said.
The full Live 5 Investigates report is available at:
About Evans Moore, LLC
Evans Moore, LLC is a South Carolina trial firm representing people in serious injury, wrongful death, and civil rights cases. Founding partners Scott C. Evans and James B. Moore III have recovered more than $200 million in verdicts and settlements and handle each case as a team. The firm’s practice areas include nursing home negligence (nursing home abuse), medical malpractice, car and truck collisions, sexual misconduct, and premises liability. Evans Moore has offices in Georgetown, Charleston, and Pawleys Island.
Contact
Evans Moore, LLC | 635 E Bay St f, Charleston, SC 29403
(843) 639-4051 | evansmoorelaw.com
charleston nursing home negligence lawyer
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