Alden Group, an Illinois-based nursing home operator, will face a proposed class-action lawsuit over alleged understaffing at its facilities after a county court ruled the case can proceed.
The lawsuit, led by the AARP Foundation and supported by legal and disability-rights advocates, alleges that Alden facilities were chronically understaffed and sometimes operating at about half the legally required staffing levels. The company allegedly concealed this by reporting “ghost” workers and submitting inaccurate data to regulators, it further states.
The complaint also accuses Alden of using admission agreements designed to limit residents’ ability to sue over harm caused by understaffing.
For its part, Alden denied the allegations, citing its long history of care and commitment to quality on its website.
Skilled Nursing News reached out to Alden for a comment, but did not receive one by publication time.
Six facilities in the Chicago area are specifically named in the suit. The original plaintiffs argue that they paid most of their income for care but received substandard treatment due to insufficient staffing. The lawsuit names Alden Group and Alden Management Services, and the Chicago Tribune reports that about ten residents have formally joined the case so far, all listed anonymously.
A Cook County judge found the residents’ claims credible enough to investigate, his decision advancing the case into the discovery phase, where Alden must provide internal records on staffing, contracts, and operations. If the claims are proven, the court indicated there is a valid legal basis for the lawsuit, which could potentially include thousands of current and former residents.
Associate Judge Myron Mackoff wrote that if the claims are true, residents have a sound legal basis to proceed, the Tribune story noted.
As the case now enters the discovery phase process, which could last a year or longer and may lead to settlement talks, residents’ lawyers could seek internal staffing schedules, timecards, incident reports and communications that they say would reveal gaps between what Alden reported and the care residents actually received. Plaintiffs argue that understaffing led to preventable injuries, poor hygiene and increased health risks.
The case will also test legal issues under Illinois law, including whether contractual clauses limiting residents’ right to sue are enforceable. The outcome will depend in part on whether the court formally certifies the case as a class action and how much access plaintiffs are granted to Alden’s internal records.
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