STATEMENT: U.S. Supreme Court Ruling Is Bad for Nursing Home Patients

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday decided Kindred Nursing Centers L.P. v. Clark, ruling that nursing homes can continue to force patients to arbitrate even when the patients never specifically gave their family members the power to agree to arbitration on their behalf.

“Forced arbitration is an abusive practice that has been imposed on consumers for far too long. The notion that a nursing home patient can lose her right to go to court without ever having had any say on the matter is shameful,” said Remington Gregg, Consumer and Civil Justice Counsel with Public Citizen. “This decision is another unfortunate step in the Supreme Court’s arbitration jurisprudence. It further underscores the need for regulatory protections for all nursing home patients against forced arbitration clauses – and for Congress to protect all consumers by banning forced arbitration outright.”