When a person enters a nursing home, one of the first things they usually do is sign their admissions contract. Typically, these contracts contain pre-dispute arbitration agreements. These agreements take away your right to hold your nursing home accountable in court for any potential negligence or wrongdoing. “Pre-dispute” arbitration agreements require you to give up this right before the harm even occurs so you will never have the chance to decide if going to court is the right option for you. Nursing home residents have the right to refuse pre-dispute arbitration.

In this episode, Consumer Voice's Jocelyn Bogdan speaks with Victoria Schall, a trial attorney experienced in filing civil lawsuits against facilities for abuse and neglect of residents, about why nursing home residents should not sign pre-dispute arbitration agreements, what rights residents have regarding these agreements, and what arbitration may look like for residents who have already signed their contracts.