Neglect and Nursing Home Negligence
Neglect involves failures in basic care. That can mean not providing enough food or water, failing to help with hygiene, poor medication management, ignoring fall risks, or leaving residents unsupervised who are known to wander. These failures violate the nursing home negligence standard of care and can lead to dehydration, malnutrition, pressure sores, infections, falls, and preventable hospitalizations.
Emotional and Psychological Abuse
Abuse is not always physical. Emotional and psychological elder abuse can include isolation, taunting, name-calling, threats, humiliation, and deliberately invoking fear to control behavior. Residents who are emotionally abused may withdraw, become more anxious or depressed, or suddenly fear particular staff. I take these signs seriously and work to uncover patterns of mistreatment.
Sexual Abuse in Long-Term Care
Sexual abuse of a vulnerable elder is one of the most devastating forms of misconduct. It can be committed by staff, other residents, or visitors, and it often goes unreported because victims are afraid or unable to speak. When I handle these cases, I move quickly to secure records, video, and witness accounts, and I approach both the resident and the family with great care and privacy.
Financial Abuse
Financial abuse occurs when caregivers misuse a resident’s money or personal information. This can include unauthorized withdrawals, pressure to change a will or trust, misuse of credit cards, or identity theft. Even when the dollar amount seems small at first, financial abuse is a serious violation of trust. I work to trace what happened and hold the responsible parties accountable.
Wrongful Death in Long-Term Care
When abuse or neglect causes a resident’s death, surviving family members may have the right to pursue a wrongful death claim and related damages. I have handled wrongful death in long-term care cases involving choking, falls, infections, and other preventable events. I know these cases are about more than money. They are about answers, accountability, and honoring your loved one’s life.
Why Families Choose Travis Siegel
Families in Orange County, Los Angeles County, and across Southern California come to me because they want focused elder abuse representation and direct access to the attorney handling their case.
Several things set my practice apart.
Dedicated elder abuse practice.
I focus my practice on elder abuse law, including nursing home neglect, assisted living abuse, RCFE abuse, and related claims. This allows me to stay current on changes in the law, facility regulations, and defense strategies specific to long-term care cases.
Decades of experience on both sides of the courtroom.
I have been in elder law since 2002. My early years at a medical malpractice defense firm gave me firsthand knowledge of how facilities and insurers build their defenses. Since 2007, I have devoted my work to injured elders and their families, using that insight to anticipate and counter defense tactics.
Aggressive trial advocacy when needed.
I prepare every case as if it could go to trial. When a fair settlement is not offered, I have the courtroom experience and willingness to take cases in front of a jury and present the full story of what happened.
Recognition and proven results.
I have been listed in Best Lawyers of America since 2016, and I have recovered millions of dollars for my clients, including multiple multi-million dollar recoveries in complex elder abuse cases. These past results cannot predict what will happen in your case, but they reflect the effort and resources I bring to each matter.
Personal motivation and compassionate representation.
A medical malpractice event in my own family showed me how powerless patients and families can feel when the system fails them. That experience drives my commitment to listen carefully, explain each step, and treat your loved one’s case with the respect it deserves.
Contingency fee representation with no upfront cost.
I handle elder abuse and nursing home neglect cases on a contingency fee basis. You do not pay me any fees unless I recover compensation through a settlement or judgment.
Compensation I Pursue in Elder Abuse Cases
Every case is different, and no lawyer can promise a particular outcome. In appropriate cases, I pursue compensation that can include:
- Medical expenses related to the abuse or neglect, including hospitalizations and follow-up care.
- Pain and suffering and the emotional distress your loved one endured.
- Loss of enjoyment of life when an injury reduces independence, mobility, or cognitive function.
- Relocation expenses when a resident needs to be moved to a safer facility.
- Punitive damages in elder abuse cases when the conduct involves recklessness, oppression, fraud, or malice, as allowed by law.
Proven Results in Elder Abuse and Neglect Cases
Past results do not guarantee future outcomes, but they do show the kinds of cases I have handled and the level of compensation I have secured for clients in serious elder abuse and nursing home neglect matters.
- $5,000,000 for improper hospice admission and repeated re-certifications.
- $1,999,999 for failure to properly supervise an elderly patient in a dining room who choked on food and died.
- $1,750,000 against a skilled nursing facility that provided improper food and left a resident unsupervised, leading to a choking death.
- $950,000 for a dementia patient allowed to wander away from an adult day health care center and struck by a car.
- $515,000 for a fall in a nursing home that resulted in a fractured hip.
- $500,000 for sexual assault of a resident by another resident at an assisted living facility.
- $450,000 for a fall at an assisted living facility that resulted in fatality.
- $400,000 for a fall at a nursing home that resulted in leg fractures and fatality.
- $325,000 for a fall in a nursing home that resulted in a fractured hip.
- $300,000 for a fall in a nursing home that led to pressure sores.
I bring the same thorough preparation and attention to detail to every case, whether it involves a large facility or a small residential care home.
Legal Rights of Nursing Home Residents and How I Help
Families often worry that they waited too long to act or that they will not be believed. If you have concerns, it is better to talk with an attorney sooner rather than later. I can help you understand your loved one’s rights and what options are available.
Key Legal Protections for Residents
The federal Nursing Home Reform Act of 1987 gives nursing home residents important rights, including the right to be free from abuse, neglect, and exploitation, and the right to dignity, privacy, informed care, and the ability to voice concerns without retaliation.
In California, the Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act provides additional protections and, in some cases, enhanced remedies such as recovery of attorney fees and punitive damages when the abuse involves recklessness, oppression, fraud, or malice.
Nursing homes and similar facilities have a legal duty of care to their residents. To pursue a claim, the law generally requires proof of duty, a breach of that duty, a connection between the breach and the harm, and actual damages. Part of my job is to gather the evidence needed to establish each of these elements.
My Role in the Claims Process
When you contact me, I start by listening. I want to understand your loved one’s history, what you have seen, and what the facility has told you. Then I conduct my own investigation and gather the information needed to pursue accountability so you do not have to navigate this alone.
Evidence in nursing home abuse cases can include medical records, photographs of injuries, witness statements, facility inspection reports, staffing records, care plans, and internal communications. I know how to work within California’s framework of state agencies that oversee nursing homes and how to obtain records from facilities that may not be eager to share them.
Nursing home abuse cases are subject to statutes of limitations, which limit how long you have to file a claim. Acting promptly helps preserve video footage, witness memories, and documents that might otherwise be lost.
Depending on the facts, potentially responsible parties can include individual staff members, the facility itself, parent corporations, and sometimes third-party contractors such as outside physicians or service providers. I look carefully at each relationship to identify who should be held accountable.
Frequently Asked Questions About Working With Me
Who Will Handle My Case?
I personally handle every case at Travis Siegel. Your case is never handed off to a junior associate or paralegal. You have direct access to me, and I keep you informed at each stage of the process.
What Does It Cost to Hire You?
I work on a contingency fee basis. That means you do not pay any fees unless I recover compensation for you through a settlement or judgment. There are no upfront attorney fees to start your case.
What Types of Facilities Do You Handle Cases Against?
I handle cases involving nursing homes, residential care facilities for the elderly (RCFEs), assisted living facilities, and adult day health care centers throughout Orange County, Los Angeles County, and Southern California.
Can I File a Claim for a Loved One Who Cannot Speak for Themselves?
Yes. In many situations, a family member, legal guardian, or court-appointed representative can pursue a claim on behalf of an incapacitated resident or a resident who has passed away. Part of my initial consultation includes reviewing who has the legal authority to act and what steps may be needed to move forward.
What If the Facility Already Denied Doing Anything Wrong?
Facilities and their insurers almost always have experienced defense teams, and they rarely admit fault at the beginning. My background on the defense side and decades of plaintiff-side elder abuse experience help level the playing field. I focus on what the evidence shows, not just what the facility says.
Talk With an Elder Abuse Attorney About Your Loved One
If you are worried that a parent, spouse, or other loved one is being abused or neglected in a nursing home or other care facility, you do not have to sort it out alone. I am here to listen, answer your questions, and help you decide on the next step that feels right for your family.
I know these conversations can bring up guilt and second-guessing about placing a loved one in a facility. My role is not to judge your decisions. My role is to help protect your loved one now and to seek accountability for what has already happened.
Call me today at (562) 414-5294 or contact Travis Siegel online to schedule a free, confidential consultation about your potential nursing home abuse or neglect case.
