Last week, the the Superior Court of the State of California, County of Humboldt, denied the Motion for Mistrial or New Trial on Grounds of Juror Misconduct filed previously by Skilled Healthcare Group, Inc. (NYSE: SKH). In early July, Skilled Healthcare announced that the jury returned a verdict against the company for $671 million dollars.
As part of the hearing, the Court also granted an order for permanent injunction requiring Skilled Healthcare Group and those California skilled nursing facilities owned and operated by the Skilled Healthcare Group to provide specified nurse staffing levels, comply with specified state and federal laws governing staffing levels and posting requirements, and provide reports and information to a monitor. Skilled Healthcare stated that it has filed a notice of appeal on the injunction and maintains that the skilled nursing facilities are properly staffed to provide quality patient care. The company notes that settlement discussions in the case are ongoing.
