Southwest
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson’s family, attorney say medical negligence led to her death
The family of late Texas Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson is now intending to file a medical negligence lawsuit against a Dallas-based healthcare provider and rehabilitation facility claiming that she died after getting an infection while lying in her own feces following back surgery.
Johnson, who was the first registered nurse elected to Congress, passed away at age 89 on December 31 at her Dallas home. Les Weisbrod, her family’s attorney and Johnson’s longtime friend, said at a news conference on Thursday that her death certificate listed the Democrat’s cause of death as osteomyelitis of the lumbar spine.
“If she had gotten proper care at that facility, she would be here today,” Johnson’s son Kirk said when talking about the incident that allegedly unfolded at the Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation.
On September 21, her son found her lying in her own feces and urine at the rehabilitation facility, according to a press release from Weisbrod’s office. Kirk Johnson said at the news conference Thursday that he had gone to the facility after his mother called to tell him she was getting no response from the call button. He said he arrived about 10 minutes later.
LONGTIME TEXAS DEMOCRAT EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON DIES
U.S. Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson, D-Texas, introduces state Sen. Royce West at a rally where West announced his bid to run for the U.S. Senate, in Dallas, Monday, July 22, 2019. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)
“Deplorable,” he said. “She was being unattended to. She was screaming out in pain and for help.”
The press release said that when Kirk Johnson couldn’t find any nurses on the floor, he went to the administration office, and the CEO accompanied him to his mother’s room. When they arrived, staff members were cleaning up the feces.
Weisbrod’s office said that Eddie Bernice Johnson’s orthopedic surgeon wrote in his record that Johnson began having “copious purulent drainage from the low lumbar incision” three days after the alleged incident, the Associated Press reports.
The surgeon reportedly performed a surgical repair on the infected wound before Johnson was moved to a nursing facility on October 18 and then to her home on hospice care in mid-December, the AP added, citing the press release.
The news release also said that laboratory wound culture reports showed organisms directly related to feces, according to the AP.
Weisbrod reportedly has given notice to Baylor Scott & White Health System and Baylor Scott & White Institute for Rehabilitation that Johnson’s family is preparing to file a medical negligence lawsuit.
FORMER KENTUCKY GOV. JULIAN CARROLL DEAD AT 92
Representative Eddie Bernice Johnson speaks at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, in February 2022. (Samuel Corum/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Eddie Bernice Johnson was one of the most prominent Democrats from the Dallas area.
She served in the U.S. House for three decades after becoming the first registered nurse elected to Congress and the first Black chief psychiatric nurse at Dallas’ Veterans Affairs hospital.
Johnson went on to become the first Black woman to chair the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology, and she also led the Congressional Black Caucus. She left office in January 2023 after repeatedly delaying her retirement. Before Congress, she served in the Texas legislature.
Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson participates in an early voting rally for Joe Biden at a polling location for the Texas primary in Dallas on Saturday, February 22, 2020. (Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images)
President Biden said Johnson was a “dedicated nurse, state legislator, and longtime U.S. congresswoman with immense courage and a commitment to the promise of America.”
Fox News’ Bradford Betz and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Jurors deliberating the fate of the man accused of starting the Palisades Fire, one of the most destructive wildfires in California’s history, failed to reach a verdict Thursday afternoon, telling the judge they were deadlocked.
A spokesperson from the United States Attorney’s Office told KTLA that jurors will continue to deliberate until they reach a verdict or give up.
Jonathan Rinderknecht, 30, a former Uber driver and one-time Pacific Palisades resident, is accused of starting the Lachman Fire on New Year’s Eve. The fire continued to smolder underground for about a week, even after Los Angeles firefighters believed it had been extinguished.
Flames reignited on Jan. 7, erupting into the deadly Palisades Fire that killed 12 people and destroyed thousands of homes in the upscale community, authorities said.
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A courtroom sketch of Jonathan Rinderknecht, 29, during his initial court appearance on Oct. 23, 2025. (Bill Robles) -
The U.S. Dept. of Justice booking photo of Jonathan Rinderknecht over the Palisades Fire devastation in Malibu, California in January 2025 (AP).
Prosecutors argued that Rinderknecht deliberately set the fire, claiming he had grown increasingly resentful of wealthy residents and viewed Pacific Palisades as a symbol of that frustration.
“Their case, though circumstantial, is strong,” KTLA legal analyst Alison Triessl said. “The defense is relying on, can they (prosecutors) show beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Rinderknecht actually started this fire and it wasn’t the result of fireworks or some intervening cause.”
The defense argued there is no direct physical evidence tying Rinderknecht to the fire and said the prosecution’s case relies entirely on circumstantial evidence. Rinderknecht did not testify during the trial.
Defense attorney Steve Haney spoke outside the courthouse Wednesday about why he believes it will be difficult for prosecutors to prove how the fire started.
“The lack of scene preservation. The fact that they got there after a lot of the evidence was missing. Not a lot of direct evidence. This is a circumstantial case, which is always difficult as a prosecutor to prove,” Haney said.
Rinderknecht, who was arrested and indicted last October, faces up to 45 years in prison if found guilty of three arson counts, including destruction of property by means of fire, arson affecting property used in interstate commerce and timber set afire.
Tony Kurzweil contributed to this report
Los Angeles, Ca
Boyle Heights warehouse cleanup begins as crews face 85 million pounds of spoiled food
Cleanup efforts are underway Thursday at the Boyle Heights cold-storage warehouse that burned for eight days after firefighters officially declared the massive blaze knocked down Wednesday evening. Los Angeles Fire Department crews remain at the Lineage warehouse near Union Pacific Avenue and South La Puente Street as they transition into the overhaul phase, searching for […]
A hospital needs help identifying a male patient who was found injured and unconscious in downtown Los Angeles.
The man is believed to be in his 30s, according to the Los Angeles General Medical Center.
He was found injured on the ground on Omar Street and has been hospitalized since June 22.
He stands 5 feet 8 inches tall and weighs 176 pounds. He has brown eyes, dark brown hair and tattoos across his upper body.
He did not have any personal belongings to help staff identify him or contact loved ones. Workers did not disclose the nature of his injuries.
Anyone who recognizes the man is asked to call clinical social worker Cesar Robles at 323-409-6885.
The public can also call the L.A. General Medical Center’s Department of Social Work at 323-409-5253 or, after hours from 5 p.m. to 8 a.m., call 323-409-6883. On weekends, call 323-409-5254.
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