Can I Sue a Nursing Home in Santa Clara County for Neglect?

When a loved one is harmed in a Santa Clara nursing home or assisted living facility, the anger and heartbreak can feel overwhelming. Families trust these facilities to protect their parents and grandparents, not expose them to danger. If you are reading this, you likely suspect something went terribly wrong, and you are searching for clear answers. You absolutely have rights, and California law allows you to pursue justice when a nursing home fails to provide the care your loved one deserved.

For more than twenty years, Nursing Home Law Group has represented families across California in elder neglect and assisted living abuse cases. If your loved one suffered harm in Santa Clara — whether near Rivermark, Lawrence Station, Santana Row, or any surrounding neighborhood — our team can help you understand what happened and take action.

Neglect happens when the facility fails to provide the basic care and supervision that a reasonable caregiver would. It does not require deliberate intent. Even carelessness, understaffing, or willful disregard can qualify.

Common forms of neglect include:

• Bedsores developing from lack of repositioning
• Falls from poor supervision
• Missed medications or medication errors
• Dehydration or malnutrition
• Ignored symptoms or changes in condition
• Infections from poor hygiene
• Delays in calling a doctor or sending a resident to a hospital

If your loved one lived in a nursing home or assisted living facility anywhere in Santa Clara and suffered one of these harms, a Santa Clara nursing home neglect lawyer can help you determine whether the facility broke the law.

Yes. California permits lawsuits against nursing homes and assisted living facilities when:

1. The facility failed to provide reasonable care.
2. The failure caused injury, illness, decline, or death.

Many of these cases fall under the Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act (EADACPA), which provides enhanced remedies, including:

• Pain-and-suffering damages even after death
• Attorney’s fees
• Recovery for neglect and reckless conduct
• Punitive damages in severe cases

These laws exist to protect seniors from exactly the type of behavior families see far too often — understaffing, ignored medical needs, and corporate cost-cutting. A Santa Clara nursing home neglect attorney will review the facts, examine the medical records, and help you understand whether your family qualifies for these protections.

Because many seniors have difficulty communicating what is happening to them, families often have to look for subtle clues. You should contact a Santa Clara nursing home neglect lawyer immediately if you notice:

• Sudden weight loss
• Bedsores, especially Stage 3 or Stage 4
• Repeated falls or fractures
• Unexplained bruises
• Changes in mental status
• Strong odors, soiled bedding, or poor hygiene
• Staff becoming defensive, evasive, or refusing access to medical records

Neglect rarely appears as a single event. More often, it is the result of deeper systemic failures: inadequate staffing levels, poor training, and management prioritizing profit over safety.

A lawsuit can help your family recover compensation for:

• Hospital bills and medical expenses
• Pain and suffering for the resident/patient
• Wrongful death damages
• Loss of companionship
• Funeral and burial costs
• Punitive damages (in cases involving reckless conduct)

Nursing Home Law Group conducts every investigation for free, and we operate on a contingency fee — you pay nothing unless we win. This ensures families throughout Santa Clara, from the Old Quad area to the neighborhoods near Great America Parkway, can pursue justice without worrying about the cost.

If your instincts tell you something is wrong, act quickly. Evidence in these cases can disappear or be altered if too much time passes.

• Document everything - Take photos of injuries, clothing, living conditions, and chart notes.
• Seek medical evaluation - An emergency room or outside physician can document the true cause of harm.
• Request records - Nursing homes are required to provide medical charts within set legal timeframes.
• Call a Santa Clara nursing home neglect attorney – Nursing Home Law Group can preserve evidence, interview witnesses, and ensure the facility does not cover up what happened.

A skilled Santa Clara nursing home neglect lawyer also handles all communication with the facility so you do not have to deal with evasive administrators or corporate representatives.

For more than two decades, Nursing Home Law Group has helped families uncover the truth about what happened to their loved ones. We focus exclusively on nursing home and assisted living negligence cases, giving us unmatched knowledge in:

• California elder abuse laws
• Staffing and corporate policies at nursing facilities
• Chart falsification and record manipulation
• State and federal nursing home regulations
• Medical standards of care

We know the tactics these facilities use to avoid responsibility — and we know how to expose them.

If your loved one was harmed in a Santa Clara nursing home or assisted living facility, you deserve answers. You deserve accountability. And your family deserves justice.

Contact Nursing Home Law Group today for a free, confidential consultation with an experienced Santa Clara nursing home neglect lawyer. We will fight for your loved one’s dignity and your family’s peace of mind.