3rd Circuit Recognizes New Cause of Action for Civil Rights Violations at Nursing Homes

In a landmark opinion that recognizes a new category of lawsuits, the 3rd Circuit has ruled that the Federal Nursing Home Reform Amendments give residents of county-run nursing homes the right to bring civil rights claims under Section 1983 to challenge the quality of their treatment. The ruling revives a suit brought by the estate of an 80-year-old mother of eight who died in a nursing home as a result of neglect, malnourishment and bed sores that were so severe they led to a fatal case of sepsis.