Attorneys Call for Retrial in Recent Case Against Nursing Home Chain
On Friday, defense attorneys for Skilled Healthcare filed for a retrial in a class-action lawsuit that imposed about $677 million in damages on the nursing home chain, the Eureka Times Standard reports.
The attorneys said they are seeking a retrial because of juror misconduct (Drange, Eureka Times Standard, 8/7).
Background
The class-action lawsuit against Skilled Healthcare represented about 32,000 individuals who were patients between 2003 and 2009.
The suit stemmed from allegations about the nursing home's adherence to a state law that requires 3.2 nursing hours per patient daily (California Healthline, 7/7).
Response to Call for Retrial
Humboldt County District Attorney Paul Gallegos said that he had yet to review the retrial motion but that his office would respond next week. Gallegos is seeking to file an injunction to require Skilled Healthcare to comply with the state requirement for 3.2 nursing hours per patient daily (Eureka Times Standard, 8/7).
Settlement Talks Continue
On July 15, Skilled Healthcare said it had reached an agreement with the plaintiffs to stay all proceedings and pursue settlement talks until Aug. 9 (Sengupta, Reuters, 8/6).
The parties in the case are scheduled to return to court on Monday, although it remains uncertain whether a settlement has been reached (Eureka Times Standard, 8/7). This is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.