On October 13, 2023, RBGG filed a Fourth Amended Complaint the Plaintiffs in Stiner v. Brookdale – the federal lawsuit alleging elder financial abuse, consumer fraud, and widespread violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”) and California’s Unruh Civil Rights Act by Brookdale Senior Living in its California assisted living facilities. The Complaint is linked here. The amended complaint recites the successors in interest to named plaintiffs who have passed away, and lists the barriers to disability access in the six Brookdale facilities where the eight named plaintiffs reside or resided.
On April 1, 2024 the Washington Post published an investigative piece about Brookdale’s staffing practices nationwide, Algorithms guide senior home staffing. Managers say care is suffering. The article includes examples drawn from the Stiner case: “In the California lawsuit, relatives of Brookdale residents claimed understaffing contributed to their loved ones being found covered in feces, breaking bones or wandering away unattended. One woman was hospitalized for extreme dehydration because staff had left food and water outside her door for three days straight without checking to see if she consumed any of it, according to her son, who provided a sworn statement in the lawsuit. The case is scheduled for trial in October.”