Officials are investigating the death of a Wells Fargo employee in Tempe, Arizona, who was found in her cubicle late last month. It is reported that she had been deceased for four days before being discovered. However, authorities do not suspect foul play in the case.
The 60-year-old employee who has been identified as Denise Prudhomme is reported to have scanned into her Wells Fargo office at 7 am, Friday, August 16. Authorities say that she never scanned out of the building. Her body was discovered on August 20th after employees began noticing a foul odor in the building. The employees believed the odor to be because of plumbing issues. Later that day, a co-worker came across Prudhomme’s body.
Reports indicate that Prudhomme had worked on the third floor of the office building and that her cubicle was tucked away from the regular traffic of other employees.
Shortly after her death, Wells Fargo spokesperson Ruben Pulido issued a statement that explained in part, “We are deeply saddened by the loss of our colleague, Denise Prudhomme. Our thoughts are with her family and loved ones, and we are in contact to ensure they are well supported during this difficult time.”
While Prudhomme’s co-workers have expressed their sorrow and concern over the untimely death, family members have yet to speak out and no legal action has taken place either by the family or against Wells Fargo.
If legal action does take place, surviving family members may have grounds to file a wrongful death lawsuit or other civil claims. Under Arizona law, there are three wrongful death statutes. They include the Arizona Revised Statutes 12-611, 12-612, and 12-613. These statutes outline who can be held liable for a death and what compensation surviving family members may be entitled to.
To bring a wrongful death statute in the state, a plaintiff must show that either a person or corporation was responsible for their loved ones' death. There must be negligence or a wrongful act that has taken place in order for the standards to be met to bring forward a claim.
It’s unclear if Wells Fargo acted negligently or engaged in any behaviors or actions that might have led to the death of Prudhomme. If legal action were to take place from surviving loved ones against Wells Fargo and other potentially responsible parties, that action would have to take place within two years of the death to keep in line with the state’s statute of limitations.
Apart from a wrongful death action, other potential legal claims could include negligent infliction of emotional distress based on failures on the part of Wells Fargo or building employees to notice the death sooner. Another less common civil claim involves the mishandling of a corpse which can include leaving a body unattended for a long time, although this tort is usually only brought against funeral homes, hospitals, or medical examiners.
Wells Fargo has stated that they are reviewing their employee procedures and the safety of their employees is a top priority. The company has made counselors available for employees in the Tempe office who experienced the ordeal and might benefit from mental health counseling.
