George Goodnight’s love story spanned nearly seven decades, a life full of music, devotion, and quiet acts of romance.
In his 90s, he moved into Arden Courts in Collier County not because he needed care, but because his wife did. He wanted to be by her side.
“He would ask her to marry him all the time,” said his daughter, Mariann Eichhorn. “He was very romantic. Every day with her was like their first date.”
But that love story ended in 2023.
According to the Collier County Sheriff’s Office, another resident at Arden Courts entered George’s room on May 3, 2023, and beat him so badly that he was hospitalized with multiple injuries. He died a couple of weeks later. The medical examiner ruled his death a homicide caused by blunt force trauma.
Goodnight’s family is suing the facility, claiming staff failed to protect him, despite knowing the man who attacked him had a history of aggression.
“I walked into the room, and he was just covered in blood,” Eichhorn said, fighting back tears. “It was like he had been flogged.”
Sheriff’s office records show the facility had hired a caregiver specifically to monitor the resident who allegedly attacked George, someone nurses had flagged as violent.
The lawsuit, filed by attorney Carlos Cavenago, accuses the assisted living facility of negligence and seeks both compensatory and punitive damages.
“This is a case in which this family deserves justice. This is one of the largest healthcare corporations in the country,” Cavenago said. "There are laws out there that are passed by the legislature, signed by the governor, that have been in place for greater than 30 years in Florida. But sadly, there's still instances of abuse and neglect, and it shouldn't happen. I'm sick and tired of seeing these disgusting acts to people that are vulnerable.
Cavenago said his team is set for jury trial in September.
"This is an awful, awful incident. Should never have happened," he said.
According to investigators, the attacker died in 2024. The State Attorney’s Office has not responded to Gulf Coast News’ request for comment on why the case was not pursued further, despite the homicide ruling.
In a statement, Arden Courts said:
“Arden Courts is dedicated to creating a safe and secure environment for all our residents, prioritizing their emotional and physical well-being.
To protect the confidentiality and rights of both current and past residents, we are unable to discuss individual matters publicly.
What we can share in general is that prior to move-in, all Arden Courts residents undergo an evaluation by an independent physician to assess their suitability for our assisted living environment. If there are any concerns about a resident’s condition changing in a way that may affect their suitability for our facility, we would request an additional independent physician evaluation and follow the physician’s guidance… We also work closely with families to arrange for third-party resources to continuously accompany residents who require extra monitoring.”
But George’s family says that wasn’t enough, and they don’t want another family to go through the pain they’ve endured.
“I had no idea something like this could happen,” Eichhorn said. “We cherish our loved ones. People need to know, so they can protect theirs."
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