Legal News

Maximum damages levied against country's largest nursing home chain

By Richard Binder

More than seven months after it began, what many believe to be the longest civil suit in Humboldt County history has finally come to an end. 

The jury in the class-action lawsuit against Skilled Healthcare opted to impose the maximum amount of damages totaling nearly $619 million for health code violations. The issue at the heart of the case is a California statute that mandates 3.2 nursing hours per patient per day. The lawsuit covers the years 2003 to 2009, and represents a class of some 32,000 patients.

Along with the statutory damages, the jury awarded an additional $58 million for a violation of the California Consumer Legal Remedies Act, bringing the total damages to nearly $677 million. Next week the jury will decide the extent of additional punitive damages. Judge Bruce Watson will then decide if the court will issue an injunction against Skilled Healthcare that would mandate the company to keep staffing levels compliant with the law in the future.

Full story here.

Full post as published by Legal Pad | LA on July 07, 2010 (boomark / email).