What Does a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Do?
A nursing home abuse lawyer represents residents or families harmed by abuse or neglect in a care facility. They investigate what happened, determine who may be responsible, and handle the legal process for their clients.
A nursing home abuse lawyer can:
- Listen to your concerns and explain your legal rights.
- Gather evidence like medical documents, photographs, and facility records.
- Investigate whether nursing home neglect or abuse caused your loved one’s injuries.
- Identify the caregivers, facility owners, or other parties that may be responsible.
- File a nursing home abuse lawsuit on your behalf.
- Negotiate a meaningful settlement or secure compensation through a trial verdict.
You don’t need to know whether you have a case before reaching out. Her Case Matters team members can listen to what happened and connect you with our partner nursing home abuse lawyers if you qualify.
Get your free case review now to learn more.
What Types of Cases Does a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer Handle?
Nursing home abuse attorneys handle cases involving intentional mistreatment or failure to provide appropriate care in long-term living facilities. Residents may suffer because of caregiver actions or facility-wide problems, like understaffing.
A nursing home abuse attorney may take on cases involving:
- Bedsores and pressure ulcers: Painful sores that develop from being left in one position too long.
- Emotional abuse: Isolation, humiliation, or intimidation of a resident that causes psychological distress.
- Falls and broken bones: Preventable falls that may or may not cause injuries due to inadequate supervision or safety measures.
- Financial exploitation: Theft, fraud, or misuse of a resident’s money or assets.
- Medication errors: Incorrect drugs, doses, or missed medications.
- Nursing home neglect: The failure of staff members to provide basic care, causing harm.
- Physical abuse: Intentional harm like hitting, restraining, or roughly handling a resident.
- Sexual abuse: Any non-consensual sexual contact or exploitation of a vulnerable resident.
- Verbal abuse: Yelling, insulting, or threatening a resident.
- Wrongful death: A resident’s death caused by neglect, abuse, or facility negligence.
Families don’t always know what happened when they first suspect nursing home neglect and abuse. You might notice odd changes in your loved one’s routine or have a gut feeling that something’s wrong.
A nursing home attorney can investigate warning signs and determine whether a long-term care facility failed to properly care for your loved one, even if you’re not sure what’s happening.
Who Qualifies to Work With a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer?
A resident may be able to work with a nursing home lawyer if they’ve experienced abuse or negligent care that caused them harm. When a resident cannot take legal action, another person may sometimes be able to act on their behalf.
Nursing home abuse attorneys may work with:
- Certain surviving family members in wrongful death claims
- Someone with power of attorney
- The nursing home resident
You don’t need to determine eligibility on your own. A nursing home neglect lawyer can review your family’s circumstances and explain who may have the right to file a claim.
Is It Too Late to Contact a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer?
Every state has a statute of limitations that sets a deadline for filing nursing home abuse and neglect claims. The amount of time you have to file a claim can depend on where the abuse occurred and when the harm was discovered.
Some states require that nursing home abuse attorneys file their claims within 1 year, so acting quickly is crucial.
Waiting can also make a case more challenging to investigate. Medical records and other documents may become harder to obtain, employees may leave the facility, and witnesses’ memories can fade.
If you suspect neglect or abuse, speaking with an attorney right away can help protect your family’s legal rights. Even if you’re unsure when the mistreatment started, a lawyer can determine which deadlines may apply to your case.
How to Find a Top-Rated Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
Working with an experienced nursing home abuse attorney can strengthen your claim. Asking questions during your first meeting could help you feel confident when choosing your lawyer.
Ask these questions during nursing home abuse attorney consultations:
- Have you tried cases like this in front of a jury, or do most settle?
- How many nursing home abuse lawsuits have you handled, and what were the outcomes?
- What’s a realistic timeline for a case like this?
- What’s your approach to negotiating a nursing home abuse settlement?
- What’s your process for investigating a case and collecting evidence?
- What’s your fee structure?
Our experienced nursing home abuse lawyers have handled many past cases successfully, recovering millions of dollars for families like yours and working on behalf of those impacted to secure legal justice.
The attorneys in our network also operate on a contingency fee basis, so they only get paid if they secure compensation for you. You don’t have to pay upfront fees or hourly rates, because we believe your financial standing shouldn’t prevent you from seeking justice after nursing home abuse.
Settlements and Verdicts Secured by Nursing Home Abuse Lawyers
Nursing home abuse lawyers negotiate significant settlements or fight for fair verdicts when residents are harmed by neglect or abuse.
Our partner lawyers have secured $332 million to date for previous nursing home abuse cases.
Notable verdicts and settlements recovered by nursing home abuse lawyers include:
- $110 million awarded to a California-based family. The jury found inadequate supervision of their loved one led to her wandering outside and dying of hypothermia.
- $45 million secured by New York’s Attorney General after an investigation found Centers Health Care diverted millions in funding from resident treatment, causing widespread neglect across four facilities.
- $19 million awarded to a family in Pennsylvania after nursing home negligence caused fatal injuries to their loved one.
- $2.34 million awarded to a nursing home resident after a jury found that her facility violated her rights over 130 times, contributing to fractures and falls.
- $2.3 million awarded to a Florida family after a jury found neglect of a stage 4 bedsore caused their loved one’s death.
- $7.6 million awarded to a family in California. The jury found that their loved one’s nursing home facility violated his rights over 1,400 times, leading to a preventable pressure wound that caused his death.
- $12.2 million awarded to an Illinois family who filed a nursing home neglect lawsuit. The jury found that preventable pressure wounds caused by neglect contributed to their loved one’s death.
- $26 million awarded to an Ohio family, whose loved one died when facility staff delayed getting medical treatment after he choked on his food.
Compensation from a nursing home abuse settlement or verdict may help you cover medical bills, move your loved one to another facility, or cover funeral costs and other expenses.
Keep in mind that past verdicts and settlements don’t guarantee the outcome of future nursing home abuse cases. Your lawyer can evaluate the specific harm your loved one experienced and determine what nursing home abuse compensation may be available.
How to Start Working With a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
You don’t have to search for nursing home abuse lawyers on your own. Her Case Matters can help you take the first step and connect you with an experienced attorney if you’re eligible.
Here’s what to expect when working with a nursing home lawyer:
- Get a free case review: Tell our compassionate team what happened and ask questions about your legal options.
- Collect evidence: Your attorney will gather evidence to strengthen your claim, which may include medical records, photographs, facility paperwork, and other documentation.
- File your nursing home abuse lawsuit: Your lawyer will handle the legal process while you focus on your loved one.
- Rest at home: Focus on recovery while your nursing home abuse attorney negotiates a meaningful settlement or represents you in court.
“You don’t need to have all the answers to take action. A lawyer for nursing home neglect can listen to your concerns and help determine if your loved one’s rights may have been violated. It’s our job to ask the hard questions and protect residents who can’t speak up for themselves.”
– Ricky LeBlanc, nursing home abuse lawyer
You don’t have to pay upfront fees or present evidence to find out if you can file a claim. Our compassionate team can listen to your experience, provide clarity, and connect you with a nursing home abuse lawyer if you qualify.
Get Legal Support From a Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer
You trusted a nursing home to protect someone you love. If that trust was broken, you deserve to know whether you can work with a nursing home abuse lawyer to seek compensation.
Her Case Matters can put you in touch with experienced nursing home abuse attorneys who can investigate your loved one’s care and fight for a settlement or verdict. Our partner lawyers can also file claims nationwide, so don’t hesitate to reach out.
Get a free case review or call (877) 640-6101 to learn about your family’s legal options.
Nursing Home Abuse Lawyer FAQs
Is it difficult to sue a nursing home?
It’s easier to file a nursing home lawsuit when you work with an experienced elder abuse attorney. They know how to collect evidence that strengthens your claim and file your lawsuit within your state’s applicable filing deadline.
Contact us now to discuss your concerns about a nursing home facility. If you or your loved one have experienced abuse or neglect, you may qualify to speak with a nursing home neglect attorney.
What are the signs of abuse in nursing homes?
There are multiple signs of nursing home abuse, depending on the situation. You can speak to a nursing home abuse lawyer about possible signs to learn about your options. You don’t need to have concrete proof before you speak to them.
Signs of abuse in nursing homes may include:
- Bedsores or pressure ulcers
- Dehydration or malnutrition
- Emotional changes like sadness, agitation, or fear
- New injuries
- Sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)
- Unexplained bruising
- Untreated infections
If you qualify to work with a nursing home abuse attorney after seeing signs of abuse, they’ll investigate the situation and collect evidence to strengthen your claim.
What evidence is needed to prove nursing home abuse?
Nursing home abuse evidence may include medical records, photographs of injuries, witness statements, facility records, and inspection reports. A nursing home abuse attorney can investigate and determine what kind of evidence will best strengthen your claim if you qualify.
Call us at (877) 640-6101 to discuss your eligibility. Our team can provide clarity and connect you with support resources.
What is considered proof of emotional abuse?
Emotional abuse in a nursing home may happen at the hands of staff members or other residents, so finding proof can be challenging. An experienced nursing home lawyer will know how to look for evidence and fight on your or your loved one’s behalf.
Proof of emotional abuse in a nursing home can include:
- Journals
- Mental health documentation
- Therapy notes
- Video evidence
- Written communications
Emotional abuse is one of the many types of nursing home abuse that can result in lawsuits. If you suspect mistreatment in any type of long-term care facility, an attorney can investigate what happened and explain your legal rights.
How do you choose a nursing home abuse lawyer?
You don’t have to choose a nursing home abuse lawyer alone. Her Case Matters team members can listen to your concerns and connect you with partner lawyers who have won nursing home abuse cases before.
Get a free case review now to start the process. You don’t have to pay upfront fees or make commitments to get clarity about your case.
Written by: Her Case Matters
At HerCaseMatters, we believe women deserve to be heard — especially when it comes to their health and safety. Too often, harmful drugs, devices, and corporate wrongdoing impact women’s lives without proper warning, support, or accountability. We’re here to change that. We work with trusted legal partners who are deeply experienced in holding powerful companies accountable. But more than that, we’re here to remind women everywhere that their pain is real, their experiences matter, and they deserve justice.
- ABC10. (March 5, 2026). Jury awards $110M in death of 100-year-old at Sacramento assisted living facility. Retrieved from: https://www.abc10.com/article/news/local/sacramento/jury-awards-110m-in-death-of-100-year-old-sacramento-assisted-living-facility/103-a7e14f65-40a7-4550-8181-6677501fcc7d.
- Cal Matters. (November 20, 2025). He built a nursing home empire despite state investigations. Now, lawsuits are piling up. Retrieved from: https://calmatters.org/health/2025/11/nursing-home-shlomo-rechnitz/.
- Courtroom View Network. (August 16, 2023). $2.3M verdict hits nursing home in wrongful death trial over patient’s bed sore. Retrieved from: https://blog.cvn.com/2.3m-verdict-hits-nursing-home-in-wrongful-death-trial-over-patients-bed-sore.
- Fox32 Chicago. (November 18, 2025). Chicago family awarded record $12.2M verdict in nursing home death case. Retrieved from: https://www.fox32chicago.com/news/chicago-family-verdict-nursing-home-death-case.
- KTLA 5. (February 19, 2024). Jury awards marathon-running octogenarian $2.3M after nursing home neglect. Retrieved from: https://ktla.com/news/local-news/jury-awards-marathon-running-octogenarian-2-3m-after-nursing-home-neglect/.
- Mahoning Matters. (June 6, 2023). Record $26M jury verdict secured in Warren nursing home wrongful death case. Retrieved from: https://www.mahoningmatters.com/news/local/article276141796.html.
- McKnights Long-Term Care News. (January 5, 2024). Judge slashes punitive damages, throws out verdicts against two nursing home defendants in $19M case. Retrieved from: https://www.mcknights.com/news/judge-slashes-punitive-damages-throws-out-verdicts-against-two-nursing-home-defendants-in-19m-case/.
- Office of the New York Attorney General. (November 14, 2024). Attorney General James secures $45 million and delivers major reforms to four nursing homes following significant financial fraud and resident neglect. Retrieved from: https://ag.ny.gov/press-release/2024/attorney-general-james-secures-45-million-and-delivers-major-reforms-four.
