If you suspect a parent or loved one is being neglected or mistreated by the people entrusted with their care in Los Angeles, you can act. California law provides strong civil protections for elders, and the first conversation with the firm is free and confidential.
Attorney Lilit Gevorgyan represents families throughout Los Angeles County from the firm’s office in Glendale. Elder abuse and neglect matters are one of the firm’s primary practice areas, alongside personal injury, wrongful death, and medical malpractice.
When care turns into harm
Elder abuse cases in Los Angeles most often begin inside a nursing home, an assisted living facility, or an in-home care arrangement. Each matter is reviewed by the attorney to determine how the harm occurred and which parties may be legally responsible. Common issues include:
- Neglect resulting in bedsores (pressure ulcers), falls, dehydration, malnutrition, or untreated infections and medical conditions.
- Medication errors and overmedication, including sedation used in place of adequate staffing.
- Physical or emotional abuse by caregivers or facility staff.
- Financial exploitation involving coercion, misuse of funds, or fraud.
California defines neglect broadly. Under Welfare and Institutions Code section 15610.57, it means the failure of anyone with care or custody of an elder to exercise the degree of care a reasonable person in that position would exercise, and it expressly includes failing to provide medical care, failing to protect from health and safety hazards, and failing to prevent malnutrition or dehydration.
Holding Los Angeles facilities accountable
Many cases involve facilities that failed to meet legal care standards. The legal work focuses on identifying systemic failures, such as understaffing, inadequate supervision, and ignored warning signs, and building the claim from records, regulatory standards, and documented patterns.
California’s Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act adds remedies that ordinary negligence claims do not carry. Under Welfare and Institutions Code section 15657, where physical abuse, neglect, or abandonment is proven together with recklessness, oppression, fraud, or malice, the court awards the plaintiff reasonable attorney’s fees and costs, and the usual limits on damages recoverable after a person’s death do not apply. That exception carries its own cap, set by Civil Code section 3333.2(b), which rises each January. The statute requires a heightened showing before those remedies can be imposed on an employer for an employee’s conduct, which is why the records and staffing evidence matter so much.
What to do right now in Los Angeles County
If someone is in immediate danger, call 911. Beyond that, these are the reporting channels that exist for families in Los Angeles County, and using them does not prevent a civil claim:
- Los Angeles County Adult Protective Services takes reports of abuse or neglect of older adults through the county’s Elder Abuse Hotline, 1-877-477-3646, listed by the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
- The Long-Term Care Ombudsman handles complaints from residents of nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. Facilities are required to post the local ombudsman number, and the statewide hotline is 1-800-231-4024, available around the clock.
- The California Department of Public Health licenses nursing homes and investigates complaints against them. Anyone may file a complaint, and it is routed to the district office that oversees the facility.
Preserve what you can: photographs of injuries or conditions, the names of staff and witnesses, medication lists, and any written communications with the facility. Request the resident’s records in writing. Then have the situation reviewed promptly.
How the firm helps
- Investigation of what happened and who is responsible, built from facility records, medical records, regulatory findings, and staffing data.
- Communication with the facility, its operators, and insurers so that your family is not handling delay or minimization tactics alone.
- Representation in elder abuse, medical malpractice, and wrongful death matters where a loved one has died as a result of neglect.
These situations are painful and often urgent. We move promptly where an elder’s safety is at stake, explain each step in plain terms in the language your family is most comfortable in, and pursue accountability through preparation, not drama.
Personal injury and elder abuse matters are handled on a contingency-fee basis: legal fees are a percentage of any recovery rather than an hourly bill. Costs and expenses may apply; the details are set out in a written engagement agreement before any representation begins. Every case is different, and results depend on the facts of each case.
Request a free consultation or call (310) 900-9300. Consultations and representation are available in English, Spanish, Russian, and Armenian.
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as elder neglect under California law?
California's Elder Abuse and Dependent Adult Civil Protection Act defines neglect as the failure of anyone with care or custody of an elder to exercise the degree of care a reasonable person in that position would (Welfare and Institutions Code section 15610.57). The statute lists examples: failing to help with hygiene, food, clothing, or shelter; failing to provide medical care for physical and mental health needs; failing to protect from health and safety hazards; and failing to prevent malnutrition or dehydration.
Can the facility be held responsible, not just one caregiver?
Often, yes. Many cases involve systemic failures such as understaffing, inadequate training, or ignored warning signs that make the facility or the company operating it legally responsible. Where abuse or neglect is proven along with recklessness, oppression, fraud, or malice, Welfare and Institutions Code section 15657 adds remedies, including an award of attorney's fees and costs. The statute sets a heightened standard before those remedies apply against an employer for an employee's conduct.
Where is your office, and do you handle cases across Los Angeles County?
Our office is at 655 North Central Avenue, Suite 1700 in Glendale. The firm represents families throughout Los Angeles County, and consultations are available by phone or video so you do not have to travel. Consultations and representation are available in English, Spanish, Russian, and Armenian.
