60-year-old sues Oregon nursing home; says negligence led to penis removal

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A 60-year-old man whose penis became so infected it was amputated has filed a $9 million lawsuit against an Oregon nursing home, alleging gross negligence.

The lawsuit filed Monday says the man went to Oregon City Health Care Center in December 2013 to recover from a kidney infection. The complaint says staff failed to address the man's complaints about a catheter infection, and that led to gangrene and life-threatening septic shock.

The nursing home, parent company Prestige Care and two nurses are listed as defendants.

Prestige Care told The Oregonian in a statement its usually high-quality care fell short, and it's deeply sorry.

"We've built our organization on delivering the highest level of care for all our patients, so in the rare instance we fall short, we take the issue very seriously," the company told The Oregonian in a statement.

The Oregon Board of Nursing has proposed revoking both nurses' licenses for their treatment in this case and another. The nurses are contesting the move.

As part of the claim, his wife is seeking $1 million for loss of "affection society, assistance and companionship of her husband," the Oregonian reports.