Nation’s Largest Assisted Living Co. to Pay Workers $2.2 Million in Settlement

Emeritus Senior Living, the country’s largest operator of assisted living facilities, has agreed to pay $2.2 million to settle a class action lawsuit brought by hundreds of workers — including direct-care workers — employed in its California facilities.

The workers had alleged that Emeritus violated California labor laws regarding overtime pay, meal times, and rest periods. They also said that Emeritus failed to pay them for time spent doing on-the-job training.

According to the terms of the settlement, employees — including direct-care workers, janitors, and other nonsalaried workers — who worked at Emeritus between March 2007 and May 2013 are potentially eligible to receive a portion of the settlement money.

The settlement comes just weeks after the PBS series Frontline — in collaboration with ProPublica, an independent investigative-journalism organization — aired an investigation of Emeritus, alleging that the company values profits over quality care.

The documentary argues that the publicly traded company worked to drive down labor costs to make Emeritus more appealing to investors.

— by Matthew Ozga