Big News For Nursing Homes: Federal Government’s Ban On Nursing Home Arbitration Blocked

5 Indest-2008-2By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

On November 7, 2016, a Mississippi federal judge temporarily blocked enforcement of the federal government’s ban on mandatory arbitration in cases involving nursing homes. The order from U.S. District Judge Michael P. Mills granted a preliminary injunction sought by the American Health Care Association (AHCA) and prevents the ban from taking effect on Nov. 28.

The proposed rule, released by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), bans so-called pre-dispute binding arbitration clauses in nursing home contracts, which require patients and families to settle any dispute over care in arbitration, rather than through the court system.

To learn more about the rule, click here.

Click here to read the final rule issued by CMS.

Not Everyone Agrees With The Rule.

In Judge Mills’s order, he wrote that the CMS “does not have the authority to ban nursing home arbitration on general policy grounds,” even if the goal of protecting elderly Americans is a worthy one.

Additionally, Judge Mills added that CMS could conceivably justify the ban by citing its authority to protect the health and safety of nursing home residents. But, that would require “an exceedingly broad understanding of agency authority.”

Click here to read Judge Mill’s order in full.

AHCA, a top trade group for nursing homes, shared their disapproval of the ban and stated that they are happy with the outcome. “We believe federal law plainly prohibits CMS from issuing this arbitration regulation, and this injunction will halt implementation of the final rule until the court can consider the merits of the case,” the association said.

Contact Health Law Attorneys Experienced with Nursing Home Cases.

The Health Law Firm and its attorneys represent nursing homes and nursing home employees in a number of different matters including incorporation, preparing contracts, defending the facility against malpractice claims, licensing and regulatory matters, administrative hearings, and routine legal advice.

To contact The Health Law Firm, please call (407) 331-6620 or (850) 439-1001 and visit our website at www.TheHealthLawFirm.com.
Sources:

Overley, Jeff. “BREAKING: Feds’ Ban On Nursing Home Arbitration Blocked.” Law360. (November 7, 2016). Web.

Corkery, Michael. “U.S. Just Made It A lot More Easier To Sue Nursing Homes.” The New York Times. (September 29, 2016). Web.

About the Author: George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law. He is the President and Managing Partner of The Health Law Firm, which has a national practice. Its main office is in the Orlando, Florida, area. www.TheHealthLawFirm.com The Health Law Firm, 1101 Douglas Ave., Altamonte Springs, FL 32714, Phone: (407) 331-6620.

KeyWords: Nursing home arbitration cases, U.S. ban on mandatory arbitration for nursing homes, legal representation for American Health Care Association (AHCA) investigations, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), legal representation for nursing homes, CMS investigation defense lawyer, Medicare and Medicaid defense attorney, reviews for The Health Law Firm, The Health Law Firm attorney reviews

“The Health Law Firm” is a registered fictitious business name of George F. Indest III, P.A. – The Health Law Firm, a Florida professional service corporation, since 1999.
Copyright © 2016 The Health Law Firm. All rights reserved.

 

Nursing Home Chain Hit With $1.5 Million Verdict in Sex Discrimination Lawsuit as Jury Sides with Former Employee

IndestBy George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law

On November 2, 2017, a former elder care facility executive was awarded a $1.5 million verdict by a federal jury in Washington state. Irene Riggs claims she was fired for complaining about the “sexually charged” environment created by a supervisor’s inappropriate conduct with a nurse. After a three-day trial, the jury awarded her over $232,000 in lost wages up to the date of trial, nearly $802,000 in future lost wages and $500,000 for loss of enjoyment of life after she was fired by Tennessee-based Life Care Centers of America Inc. (Life Care).

Alleged Sex Discrimination.

In her suit, the plaintiff alleged that she was subjected to a “sexually charged atmosphere” by a regional vice president, who was her supervisor beginning in 2013, and a registered nurse with whom he was purportedly in a relationship. Riggs alleged the two fondled each other in an office and regularly engaged in intimate conversation, among other inappropriate things, according to court documents. Additionally, she complained on behalf of herself and colleagues about the conduct directly to the regional vice president, who allegedly became angry and later lodged a complaint with human resources.

In a pretrial brief, the plaintiff said that Life Care’s primary reason for firing her (mental abuse of a resident by unplugging his television) was not true and used as a cover for the real reason. In response, Life Care said that her firing couldn’t constitute discrimination. The company argued that she didn’t report a quid pro quo relationship or a hostile work environment, which are the two types of sex discrimination recognized by the Washington Law Against Discrimination.

She was employed at Life Care’s Sandpoint facility from September 2006 until she was fired on February 1, 2016.

The Jury’s Decision.

The jury determined that Riggs had provided sufficient evidence to show that she opposed what she believed was sex discrimination. Moreover, she was able to show that her report of alleged misconduct by a supervisor was a substantial motivating factor in her firing, and that Life Care didn’t offer a valid justification for her dismissal, according to the verdict.

To read the jury’s verdict in this case, click here.

To learn about a similar case involving sexual harassment and discrimination, click here to read one of my prior blogs.

Contact Health Attorneys Experienced in Health Law and Employment Law.

The Health Law Firm represents both employers and employees in the health care industry in defending allegations of employment discrimination and other complaints from employees and patients. We represent employers in unemployment compensation hearings, in defending against EEOC (discrimination) complaints, and in defending litigation involving wage and hour disputes, as well as other types of contract or employment litigation. We also can investigate such allegations and attempt to negotiate settlements where warranted. Our attorneys represent individuals and institutions in litigation, civil or administrative, state or federal.

To contact The Health Law Firm please call (407) 331-6620 and visit our website at www.TheHealthLawFirm.com.

Sources:

Gurrieri, Vin. “Nursing Home Chain Hit With $1.5M Verdict In Sex Bias Suit.” Law360. (November 2, 2017). Web.

“Nursing Home Chain Hit With $1.5M Verdict In Sex Bias Lawsuit.” Lexis Nexis. (November 2, 2017). Web.

About the Author: George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., is Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law. He is the President and Managing Partner of The Health Law Firm, which has a national practice. Its main office is in the Orlando, Florida area. www.TheHealthLawFirm.com The Health Law Firm, 1101 Douglas Ave., Altamonte Springs, FL 32714, Phone: (407) 331-6620.

KeyWords: Legal representation for workplace discrimination, legal representation for employee discrimination, legal representation for nursing homes, legal representation for elder care facilities, legal representation for home health facilities, nursing home representation, home health care facility representation, nursing law defense attorney, elder care facility representation, legal representation for nurses, legal representation for health care facilities, health care facility defense attorney, legal representation for sexual harassment and discrimination, employment law, legal representation for employment matters, employment law defense attorney, unemployment compensation hearings, defending against EEOC (discrimination) complaints, defending litigation involving wage and hour disputes, legal representation for contract law, legal representation for contract litigation, legal representation for employment litigation, reviews of The Health Law Firm, The Health Law Firm attorney reviews

“The Health Law Firm” is a registered fictitious business name of and a registered service mark of The Health Law Firm, P.A., a Florida professional service corporation, since 1999.
Copyright © 2017 The Health Law Firm. All rights reserved.

 

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