Norwalk nursing home sued, accused of intentional understaffing

Norwalk Skilled Nursing is one of 15 California nursing homes sued for alleged understaffing. Google photo

NORWALK -- A Norwalk nursing home is facing a class-action lawsuit after allegations that it knowingly understaffed its facility, putting residents at risk and violating their rights. 

Norwalk Skilled Nursing & Wellness Centre, located at 11510 Imperial Hwy., is one of 15 nursing facilities from throughout California named in the lawsuit, filed by the Garcia, Artigliere & Medby and The Arns Law Firm. 

“The elderly and infirm are one of the most important and yet vulnerable segments of our society,” said attorney Stephen Garcia. “To knowingly understaff these facilities in violation of promised resident rights so as to unlawfully maximize profit, victimizes our important resource of elders and needs to end.”

The lawsuit alleges that the owner of the nursing facilities, Rockport Administrative Services and Shlomo Rechnitz, and his affiliated companies, conspired to understaff the nursing homes in violation of state regulations. 

The facilities continued to take in residents despite not being able to offer adequate care, according to the lawsuit. 

“These lawsuits are an effort on behalf of these vulnerable citizens to ensure that their needs are met and services, for which operators are paid incredibly large sums mostly by us through our government, are actually provided,” said Garcia. 

A representative for Rockport Administrative Services could not immediately be reached for comment.