A man who sued the owner of a Toccoa nursing home over the alleged wrongful death of his wife will have to take his case to arbitration before he can take it court.
The Georgia Supreme Court recently issued an order reversing a decision in the case by the Georgia Court of Appeals. The appeals court had ruled that the wife’s beneficiaries were not bound by an arbitration agreement she signed when she entered the home and therefore were not required to arbitrate their wrongful claims against the nursing home.
“We find that such an arbitration agreement does bind the decedent’s beneficiaries with respect to their wrongful death claims and accordingly reverse the Court of Appeals,” the opinion says.
Bernard Norton sued after his wife Lola's death in April 2014. At the time, she was living at the PruittHealth-Toccoa nursing home, which is owned and managed by United health Services of Georgia.
You can read the ruling here including detailed arguments from both sides.
