Sacramento Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
If you or a loved one have suffered abuse and neglect while in a Sacramento-area nursing home, you have the legal right to recover damages from those responsible. The Sacramento elder abuse attorneys at Cutter Law are ready to provide legal representation to nursing home abuse victims and help them receive the compensation they deserve.
Types of Elder Abuse Our Law Firm Handles
Nursing homes often prioritize profits over quality care, leading to abuse and neglect. Elder abuse occurs in various forms, including the following:
Physical Elder Abuse
Physical elder abuse is the use of force against an older adult to cause pain, injury, or impairment. It includes pushing, hitting, striking, shoving, slapping, pinching, and other forms.
Sexual Elder Abuse
Sexual elder abuse includes all forms of unwanted sexual touch or forced sex. Elders often have physical or health disabilities that make them unable to fight unwanted sexual contact. Signs such as unexplained bleeding or tenderness in the genital area, sexually transmitted disease, and sudden behavior changes may indicate that an older person is suffering from sexual abuse.
Emotional Elder Abuse
Emotional abuse is subtle because there may not be any clear indications when it happens. Actions like threats, intimidation, and verbal abuse are all emotional abuse. When you notice that your loved one is scared or withdrawn, wants to isolate themselves from family and friends, or has low self-esteem, it may be a sign of emotional abuse.
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Featured Nursing Home Abuse Attorney
Attorney Margot Cutter obtained a settlement of $914,506.51 for abuse of a dependent adult at a residential care facility.
How To Identify Elder Abuse
If you see any of these signs, it could mean that an older person is being abused or neglected:
- Poor hygiene
- Bedsores
- Broken bones
- Falls
- Dehydration or malnutrition
- Unusual changes in behavior
- Emotional distance or unavailability
- Frequent illness
- Open wounds
- Emotional trauma
- Missing property
- Unexplainable withdrawal of large sums of money
- Changes in spending patterns
When Can You Hold Nursing Homes Responsible for Elder Abuse or Neglect?
Federal and California laws define the standard of care that California nursing homes are bound to uphold.
Caregivers must provide care that a reasonable person in the same position would have provided under similar circumstances. If a care provider fails to provide that level of care and the older adult suffers harm, they may have a valid elder abuse or neglect case.
What Can You Do if You Suspect Elder Abuse?
If you suspect that your loved one is a victim of elder abuse, here are the things you can do:
- Speak with the administration at the nursing home. The people in charge may not be aware of the abusive situation and can sometimes help resolve the abuse.
- File a complaint with local law enforcement on behalf of your loved one. You can file a complaint with the Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud & Elder Abuse.
- Contact the Long-Term Care Ombudsman in Sacramento.
- Speak with a nursing home abuse lawyer in Sacramento.
To report a residential care facility for the elderly, you would typically report that to the Ombudsman or the California Department of Social Services. To report a Skilled Nursing Facility, you would report that to the California Department of Public Health or potentially Adult Protective Services.
Margot Cutter,
Partner of Cutter Law
Sacramento County Nursing Homes Rating
Before placing a loved one, it is vital that you research the facility you are considering. U.S. News rated nursing homes in Sacramento on their staff, number of hospitalizations, use of antipsychotic drugs, and other factors based on publicly available information. The results are as follows:
Lowest-rated
These facilities are rated worse than average and have a 2-star rating:
- Windsor Care Center of Sacramento
- Briarwood Post-Acute
- Applewood Post-Acute
Average-rated
These are rated average and have a 3-star rating:
- Arden Post-Acute Rehabilitation
- Asbury Park Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
- Capital Transitional Care
- City Creek Post Acute – Sacramento
- College Oak Nursing & Rehabilitation Center
Above-average
These are rated better than average and have a 4-star rating:
- University Post-Acute Rehabilitation
- Bruceville Terrace Skilled Nursing Facility of Methodist Hospital
- Gramercy Court
- Mid-Town Oaks Post-Acute
Highest-rated
These nursing homes are rated as high-performing and have a 5-star rating:
- ACC Care Center
- Eskaton Care Center Greenhaven
- Advanced Health Care of Sacramento
How Much Is an Elder Abuse Case Worth?
The potential value of an elder abuse claim really depends on a lot of factors. It depends on the longevity of the victim, their subsequent medical needs, the outrageousness of the conduct, and the care that the person received among other factors. So it’s really difficult to say a specific amount that you might be able to recover because it really depends on the severity of the injury and the egregiousness of the conduct that led to that injury.
Here are a few of the nursing home cases won by the attorneys at Cutter Law:
Attorneys Brooks and Margot Cutter obtained a policy limits settlement of $914,506.51 for abuse of a dependent adult at a residential care facility.
- Address
Sacramento, CA 95864
Ask Our Nursing Home Expert
Hear from our expert nursing home abuse attorney, Margot Cutter, as she provides insights and answers to help you navigate your case.
How Long Does a Nursing Home Lawsuit Take?
“The length of time that a nursing abuse case takes really varies on a lot of different factors. It can take months to years, but it’s important to know that if the victim is still alive, you’re likely entitled to an expedited trial and that’s at the determination of the judge.” – Margot Cutter
How Long Do You Have to Sue?
“California’s elder abuse statute of limitations is two years. This means you have two years to file an elder abuse case, though some exceptions exist. For instance, you have four years to file a claim for financial elder abuse.” – Margot Cutter
Is a Lawyer Needed for Nursing Home Abuse?
“I know I’m a lawyer but I do recommend hiring a lawyer for a nursing home abuse case and the reason is that there are a lot of complex issues at play. It’s not just about investigating the medical care that your loved one received. A lawyer investigates the operations at the facility and the corporate structure of the various facilities to figure out what were the budgeting choices that were made, what were the staffing choices that were made. what were the medical decisions that were made and use all of that information to create a view of the case and a theme to your case and understand the root cause of what really happened. So, in addition to the complex legal issues, there’s also a lot of experience and knowledge that an experienced nursing home abuse lawyer will bring to the table and rely upon to maximize the value of your claim.” – Margot Cutter
What Are the Causes of Nursing Home Abuse?
“The main cause of nursing home abuse is a lack of adequate staff in numbers, in training, and in supervision. So if you don’t have enough people on hand then you’re not seeing people being turned and repositioned and you’ll have residents be developing pressure injuries and bed sores. If you don’t have enough RNs or doctors on site then you lack the critical decision making to diagnose residents and assign appropriate care plans. And this lack of care and staffing and numbers and supervision all ties back to corporate overseer choices to understaff the facilities and prioritize profit over their patients.” – Margot Cutter
What Are the Signs of Nursing Home Abuse?
“The biggest sign of nursing home abuse is really any rapid change in a loved one’s condition. So you’ll often see someone have repeated and unexpected hospitalizations, development of a new pressure wound or bed sore, a deterioration of the person’s condition, and really I always recommend that people just follow their gut. You’ll know when someone that you really love and care about well is changing and something is happening that’s not right. You also will often see a lack of hygiene. Is your family member being kept clean? Are they changing them often? Are they bathing them? Are they being toileted appropriately? And so all of these things come together to create an overall picture about the quality and the quantity of care that your loved one or family member is receiving.” – Margot Cutter
Contact the Sacramento Elder Abuse Attorneys at Cutter Law
Navigating nursing home elder abuse and neglect on your own can be daunting. Your loved one may lack the capacity to communicate their harm to others or to know when someone has violated their rights.
Our compassionate and skilled elder abuse lawyers in Sacramento will listen to your unique situation, conduct a detailed investigation of your case, build a body of evidence to substantiate it, and take steps to recover compensation for your damages. Contact us today for a free case review to understand your case and the legal steps you can take to get justice.
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Start with a free consultation. We listen to what happened, how it’s affected your life, and what you need to move forward.
You’ll have a direct line to our attorneys. We keep communication open and ensure you always know what’s happening with your case.
From day one, we go all in—gathering evidence, negotiating with insurers, and preparing for trial if needed. You pay nothing unless we win compensation for you.
In California, laws protect the elderly and hold abusers and their enablers accountable. Some remedies available include restraining orders, fines, and prison sentences. Victims may also file civil lawsuits to seek compensation for their damages.
The elder abuse statute of limitations in California varies from two to four years, depending on the type of abuse, as injury and financial claims differ.
As a family run California law firm we pride ourselves in providing every client personal attention and representation. The outstanding results we have gotten for our fire clients are a direct result of our commitment to understanding and presenting all aspects of their case.
Hear from our previous clients about the relationships we build together.
Great law firm! I had a chance to meet with Brooks Cutter and Margot Cutter. They have impressed me with their exceptional service and dedication to their clients.
Brooks and Margot and their team are the best in their field, no matter what your legal needs are. They will go the extra mile to make sure your specific case is handled with the utmost care and diligence.
Brooks has a long-established, respected reputation as a skilled trial attorney and a record of proven success.