Elder Law

$50 Million Nursing Home Settlement Approved By Judge

By Levin & Perconti

This blog has frequently reported on the progress of a large nursing home lawsuit against the Skilled HealthCare Group. The genesis of the class-action lawsuit was the nursing home chain?s inadequate staffing levels at many of its facilities. The law in the state required 3.2 hours of nursing care per patient and the facilities were falling far below that amount, according to the suit.

A jury trial on that issue resulted in a mind-numbing $670 million verdict against the negligent nursing home chain to make-up the difference in lost care provided to thousands of victims. Before an appeal of that jury decision, the company agreed to settle the matter for $50 million?with most of those funds to be set aside in an escrow account to help support victims of the nursing home chain?s negligence. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, this week a judge officially approved that settlement.

Specifically, Skilled Healthcare will pay $50 million to around 32,000 patients living at the facilities where care was found to be lacking. In addition, the chain will pay around $12.8 million to ensure future compliance with the 3.2 hour nursing requirement in state law.

Full post as published by Illinois Nursing Home Abuse Blog on December 03, 2010 (boomark / email).