Nursing Home Negligence Case Timeline

Answer:

With nursing home litigation cases, the timeline can take longer than with other types of cases. At an absolute minimum, these cases will take 9 to 14 months, but probably going longer than that. If we file a lawsuit, you can add a year or two to the process. The truth is, our courts in northeast Florida have gotten clogged up again. It’s taking a long time to get cases to trial.

Nursing home litigation is unique in the sense that there is a lot of work that has to be done before we even have the right to file a lawsuit. Records must be collected. Sometimes, a nursing home resident has been in a facility for years and we have thousands and thousands of pages of records to sift through and organize and learn about the negligence that occurred. The resident may have been in and out of the nursing home facilities or hospitals. We have to gather all those records and get them reviewed by an appropriate healthcare provider before we’re entitled to sue. That process takes a long time.

We always advise clients to set their expectations appropriately because these are emotional cases where there has been abuse of a loved one. The spouse or the children will come in and usually emotions are pretty high. The expectations have to be set appropriately that this is not a quick process. It’s complex. It’s complicated. It’s similar to a medical malpractice case, which can also be complicated and time consuming. I want to get across the idea that this is not a quick process. Once that expectation has been set, then we can have conversations about how to move forward, what to do, and what is necessary to satisfy the Nursing Home Act so that we can get that loved one’s case in the best posture possible.

If you have that kind of a case in Nassau County, Duval County, or the surrounding areas, contact us today. We always have nursing home cases at our firm. We can sit down with you. I can help you. I can navigate you through this process and devise a plan that’s going to be best for you and your loved ones. Thank you.