Seniors living in a nursing home are particularly vulnerable to abuse. Since they often require assistance and may not be fully aware of what is happening around them, it is possible that they could become a victim easily without realizing it.
Staff stealing money or personal items is a form of financial abuse. According to the National Institute on Aging (NIA), taking personal items or money from a senior is a form of elder abuse.
If your loved one experiences financial abuse while under the care of a nursing home, contact the office of a San Antonio missing money or personal items lawyer to see what your options for recourse are. If your loved one suffers from this, it could also be happening to other residents. It is also possible that they experience other forms of abuse from caregivers at the same time.
Many caregivers do not make a lot of money from their work and may feel entitled to take items from seniors in their care. This is not acceptable. Contact Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 842-6336 to learn more about your legal options during a free consultation with a member of our staff. There is no reason to try to figure out your legal options on your own when there are resources available to help. We are here to help navigate this legal journey with you.
Missing Money or Personal Items as Signs of Financial Abuse
Most seniors have a fixed set of resources, such as their savings, retirement plan, pension, and social security benefits. Any loss of resources can be a major problem for seniors. In nursing home facilities and while at home, missing money or personal items is a sign of financial abuse. Your loved one should not be missing any items or money during their stay at a nursing home.
This can be in the form of missing items, such as watches, bracelets, and earrings, or in the form of suspicious transactions. If your loved one suddenly has trouble paying for things or checks are bounced from their account, this could be a red flag that someone is taking money or stealing the possessions of a senior.
Determining Liability
Liability is important in any civil case. It is the party that you are able to hold responsible for what happened to you. Without determining liability, you would not have anyone available to sue. Your lawyer can work with you to determine liability in your specific case. They will need to gather a lot of information and evidence in order to make the determination.
There is a good chance that there will be more than one person or entity potentially liable in your case. This can include individual caregivers, third party contractors, and the companies involved in your loved one’s care.
In most nursing home abuse cases, determining liability is not necessarily straightforward. It is a process of discovery and investigation that can help to uncover new facts about the case and the care of your loved one. You may not currently understand completely what actually happened and what could have been done to prevent the abuse at the nursing home.
Once your lawyer determines liability, it is time to start the process of filing a civil lawsuit against the liable parties. Your lawyer is available to help you navigate the entire process, leaving you to be as involved as you want to be or not in the process. You may just want to focus on your loved one’s recovery while your San Antonio missing money or personal items lawyer works on your case. It is your decision as to how involved you want to be in the lawsuit.
For a free legal consultation with a Missing Money or Personal Items Lawyer serving San Antonio, call (800) 794-0444
Statute of Limitations
According to the Texas Civil Practice and Remedies Code §16.003, the statute of limitations in Texas is two years. This means that you have only two years from the date of the abuse to file a civil lawsuit.
If you wait too long to file your legal motion, your case could be thrown out. In general, it is better to file your civil lawsuit as soon as possible to give yourself enough time to work on your case. You never know when you will run into delays or need additional time to prepare certain aspects of your case.
Two years may seem like a lot of time, but it is not as much time as you might think. By partnering with a lawyer, you can focus on taking care of your loved one while your lawyer works on your case. This can enable you to take care of everything at once without pushing the case too close to the end of the statute of limitations. You never know when you might experience a court delay.
San Antonio Missing Money or Personal Items Lawyer Near Me (800) 794-0444
Contact Us to Schedule a Consultation
If your loved one experiences theft in a nursing home, contact the office of a San Antonio missing money or personal items lawyer today. You can hold caregivers and the facility responsible for what happened. Call Pintas & Mullins Law Firm at (800) 842-6336.
The consultation is free, and we are able to answer any questions that you might have about the legal process. While every case is different, there are usually past cases that share similarities that can be used to guide the direction of your legal case.
Call or text (800) 794-0444 or complete a Free Case Evaluation form
