Nursing home firm hit with $670-million judgment
Nursing home operator Skilled Healthcare Group Inc. was ordered Tuesday to pay more than $670 million in damages for understaffing at its 22 assisted-living facilities in California.
The verdict against the Foothill Ranch company came in Humboldt County Superior Court in a class-action lawsuit brought by patients and family members. The jury found that Skilled Healthcare violated the California health and safety code that requires nursing homes to maintain 3.2 nursing hours per patient per day, said Tim Needham, one of the plaintiff group’s lawyers.
The jury imposed the maximum damages for violating the state statues, plus $58 million in restitution, according to a company statement.
