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LEGAL PROCEEDINGS
3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2022
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

10. LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

 

The Company and/or its affiliated subsidiaries are or were involved in the following litigation:

 

Bailey v. GL Nursing, LLC, et. al in the Circuit Court of Lonoke County, Arkansas, 23rd Circuit, 43CV-19-151.

 

In April 2019, the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary was named as a co-defendant in the action arising out of a claimed personal injury suffered by the plaintiff while a resident of the skilled nursing home owned, but not operated, by GL Nursing. As of this date, we have engaged legal counsel, but no further information is known regarding the merits of the claim. After initial inquiry, it does not appear that the lease operator of the facility had in effect general liability insurance covering the GL Nursing, as landlord, as required by the operating lease.

 

As we simply were the owners of the property and not the operators, we believe that primary responsibility, if any, falls with the operator at the time. Under the terms of the lease, the operator has a duty to indemnify the Company, a claim which we intend to assert.

 

While it is too early to assess the Company’s exposure, we believe at this time that the likelihood of an adverse outcome is remote.

 

Thomas v. Edwards Redeemer Property Holdings, LLC, et.al., District Court for Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, Case No. CJ 2016-2160.

 

This action arises from a personal injury claim brought by heirs of a former resident of our Edwards Redeemer facility, filed in April 2016. We are entitled to indemnification from the lease operator and should be covered under the lease operator’s general liability policy. As we are not the operators of the facility and believe we have indemnity coverage, we believe we have no exposure. The lease operator’s insurance carrier is providing a defense and indemnity and, as a result, we believe the likelihood of a material adverse result is remote.

 

Edwards Redeemer Property Holdings LLC v. Edwards Redeemer Healthcare & Rehab, LLC, District Court of Oklahoma County, State of Oklahoma, Case No. CJ-19-5883.

 

This action was brought by us against the former lease operator for breaching the lease agreement, removing all the patients, and closing the facility. On October 17, 2019, the Court entered an Order Appointing a Receiver. We have entered into a Settlement Agreement and Release with the Receiver and an Operations Transfer Agreement pursuant to which our newly formed subsidiary will acquire the assets and operations of the facility. In March 2021, the Court approved the Settlement Agreement and Operations Transfer Agreement, the skilled nursing license was assigned to the Company’s wholly-owned subsidiary Park Place Health, LLC and the Company reopened the facility under the name Park Place Health. This matter is considered resolved.

 

Oliphant v. Global Eastman, LLC, et.al., State Court of Cobb County, State of Georgia, Civil Action No. 20-A-3983

 

This is a personal injury lawsuit against various defendants arising out of the death of a patient of the Eastman Healthcare & Rehab Center (the “Facility”). At all relevant times, the Facility was owned by the Company’s wholly owned subsidiary Dodge NH, LLC and leased to Eastman Health & Rehab LLC, an affiliate of Cadence Healthcare, as lease operator. Neither the Company nor any affiliate of the Company had any involvement in patient care at the time of the incident for which complaint was made. The Company relies upon well-settled Georgia law that a landlord has no liability for patient care. The landlord is Dodge NH, LLC. Global Eastman, LLC was not formed as a legal entity during the period of the incident and did not assume the past liabilities as part of the OTA with the receivership of Eastman Healthcare & Rehab LLC which was effective July 1, 2020. Global Eastman LLC was formed on November 21, 2019. Plaintiff has dismissed these claims with prejudice, and the Company has filed a Motion to be awarded attorney’s fees and costs.

 

In the matter of Austin.

 

On December 23, 2020, we received written notice from an attorney of the intent to assert an action for damages against Dodge NH, LLC, which is our subsidiary that owns the nursing facility in Eastman Georgia. The action arises from the shooting death outside of the facility of a woman that worked for our cleaning contractor that cleaned the nursing home. The woman was shot by her former boyfriend who then committed suicide. The incident occurred in December 2019 when the facility was operated by a third-party operator who was in receivership. We do not believe there is any basis in law or fact to hold the owner of the real estate liable, and as a result management has concluded that the likelihood of a material adverse result is remote.

 

In re: Providence HR, LLC v. CRM of Warrenton, LLC, United States Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Georgia, Macon Division, Case No. 21-50201

 

 

In re: ALT/WARR, LLC v. CRM of Sparta, LLC, United States Bankruptcy Court, Middle District of Georgia, Macon Division, Case No. 21-50200

 

These are companion cases arising out of the Company’s election to terminate the operating leases on the Company’s two facilities in Warrenton and Sparta, Georgia. The Company served a Notice of Termination on each facility and in response the lease operators filed voluntary petitions under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code. The Company filed Motions for Relief from Stay which was heard by the Court on March 22, 2021. By Order of the Court, the hearing was continued to May 25, 2021. The Court entered an interim Order requiring the lease operators to comply with their leases, including payment of rent, pending the next hearing. In June 2021, the Court entered an Order approving a Lease Termination Agreement, Operations Transfer Agreement and Interim Management Agreement which had been negotiated by the Company and the two operating tenants, CRM of Warrenton, LLC and CRM of Sparta, LLC. The Lease Termination Agreement and Operations Transfer Agreement became effective upon the granting of a new License by the State of Georgia for the Warrenton and Sparta facilities to two newly formed wholly owned operating subsidiaries of the Company: Selectis Sparta, LLC and Selectis Warrenton, LLC.

 

High Street Nursing, LLC v. Ohio Department of Health, Court of Common Pleas, Franklin County, Ohio, Case No. 21 CV 6559.

 

The Company brought this action through its wholly owned subsidiary High Street Nursing, LLC (“High Street”) against the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) to prevent the Department of Health from revoking the state issued license covering the Meadowview skilled nursing facility located in Seville, Ohio. The facility is owned by High Street and was leased to a third-party operator who abandoned the facility. The Department of Health is trying to revoke the license of the former operator and has refused our request to transfer the license to a new operator controlled by the Company. Our Motion for Temporary Injunction was denied by the Court. We have subsequently filed a Motion for Preliminary and Permanent Injunction which is pending. Our claims against the Department of Health are based upon our property interests in the facility and raise issues of unlawful condemnation and eminent domain. No prediction can be made regarding the outcome of this matter; but the Company will pursue the ODH to the fullest extent.

 

In the Matter of Hunter

 

The Company received a spoliation letter from an attorney dated October 8, 2021, advising of the intent to assert a personal injury claim against our operating subsidiary Glen Eagle Health & Rehab, LLC which operates our skilled nursing facility in Abbeville, Georgia. We have been provided no further information, but after reviewing the information we believe at this time that the likelihood of an adverse outcome is remote.

 

Edwards Redeemer Property Holdings, LLC, et.al. v. Buildstrong Roofing and Construction, Inc.,et.al. District Court of and for Tulsa County, Oklahoma, Case No. CJ-202

 

This Company brought this action against a contractor that performed work at our Park Place facility in Oklahoma City and our Southern Hills SNF in Tulsa. The claims are based upon negligence and breach of contract for subpar work due to defects in materials, workmanship and Buildstrong not providing services for which they received payment. The case is pending.

 

Tara Gaspar, et.al v. GL Nursing, LLC, et.al., Circuit Court of Lonoke County, Arkansas, Civil Division, Case. No. 43CV-21-864.

 

This case is a personal injury action in which our subsidiary GL Nursing, LLC was joined as a defendant because it is the owner of the property leased to an operating tenant. The action is based upon quality of care over which we had no control. We believe that our risk of a material adverse outcome is remote.