Former head of Motion Picture nursing home got big pay boost in 2008

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David Tillman, who resigned under fire this week as chief executive of the Motion Picture & Television Fund, received a $138,603 bonus in 2008 even as the fund’s struggling nursing home and hospital lost millions.

A federal tax filing released by the fund this morning shows that Tillman’s total pay rose to $928,862 in 2008, which included the bonus as well as $298,368 in deferred compensation.

Fund officials noted that Tillman’s base salary remained unchanged and attributed the bulk of the increase to a change in IRS requirements on how pension contributions are reported.

Tillman’s pay has been the subject of much criticism among residents and their families who have protested the fund’s decision to close the nursing home and hospital. The fund said it could no longer afford to keep them in operation.

Despite the fund’s plans to close the facilities, many residents have refused to leave. About 60 residents remain in the home.

Tillman’s pay rose 18% in 2007 to nearly $600,000 at a time when the fund acknowledged its growing financial problems.

-- Richard Verrier