You placed your mother or father in a facility because they needed care around the clock — and you trusted that facility to keep them safe, clean, fed, and treated with dignity. When that trust is broken, you are not overreacting, and you are not powerless. California gives families some of the strongest elder-protection tools in the country.
Michael Benavides, Esq.
represents California families against nursing homes and Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs) for neglect and abuse — investigating what happened, preserving the evidence before it disappears, and pursuing it under California's elder-protection statutes. Free, confidential consultation: 707-362-4166.
How we help
Bedsores & neglect.
Pressure ulcers are almost always preventable with proper repositioning and care. When they appear and worsen, they are a red flag for understaffing and neglect.
Financial abuse (Welf. & Inst. Code § 15610.30).
Money moved without authority, forged checks, "gifts," or coerced changes to accounts and estate documents — California treats financial elder abuse as its own actionable wrong.
Falls & broken hips.
Unassisted falls, missing bed alarms, and ignored fall-risk assessments lead to fractures that change everything. Facilities have a duty to plan for known risks.
Signs & reporting.
Sudden weight loss, withdrawal, unexplained bruising, bedsores, or fear of a caregiver — and how mandatory reporting and Adult Protective Services fit in.
Dehydration, malnutrition & medication errors.
Missed meals, missed water, and missed or wrong medications are quiet, dangerous forms of neglect that show up in the medical record.
Restraining orders (§ 15657.03).
California's elder- and dependent-adult restraining order can stop an abuser — including a caregiver or family member — fast.
Wrongful discharge / "patient dumping" (Health & Safety Code § 1569.682).
Facilities cannot evict an elder or "dump" them at a hospital to avoid caring for them. There are notice and readmission rights, and they are enforceable.
Why California law is on your side
Enhanced remedies.
California's Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act (Welf. & Inst. Code § 15600 et seq.) allows enhanced remedies — including attorney's fees and, in serious cases, heightened damages — where neglect or abuse is proven by the required standard.
Two facility types, different rules.
Skilled Nursing Facilities and RCFEs (Title 22) are licensed and regulated differently. Level-of-care questions and the CCLD complaint process matter, and we know both.
Mandatory reporting.
Certain abuse must be reported; we help families navigate APS, the Long-Term Care Ombudsman, and CCLD alongside a civil claim.
Talk to an attorney — free and confidential
If you believe a facility harmed your parent, the sooner the evidence is preserved, the stronger the case. Records disappear, and California's deadlines are strict. Call or text 707-362-4166.
Law Office of Michael Benavides, Esq., California State Bar No. 270714. This page is general information about California law, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Elder-abuse and facility-liability claims are fact-specific and subject to strict deadlines — consult counsel promptly. ATTORNEY ADVERTISING.
