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6 Investigates Follow-Up: Assisted Living Center Shut Down for Good
Posted: Nov 15, 2012 12:40 PM by Janine Reyes
Updated: Nov 15, 2012 5:52 PM
CORPUS CHRISTI -- The Affordable Quality Care Assisted Living Center and Adult Loving Care in Flour Bluff will not reopen. The owners of the facility have agreed to pay $350,000 in fines and attorney's fees. They also agreed they would not open another elderly care business again.
The Department of Aging and Disability Service raided the assisted living center, closing it April 15, 2011.
They claimed the owners, Nouri and Steve Griffin physically and verbally abused residents living there.
While a legal battle was ongoing over the assisted living facility, the state continued to monitor a neighboring adult day care center also owned by the Griffins.
They shut that facility down last June.
In the settlement agreement the Griffins agreed "not to establish(es), conduct(s), operate(s) or manage(s) any assisted living facility, adult daycare facility or home healthcare business," the agreement goes on to read that this is "in order to ensure the safety of elderly, handicapped and disabled persons."
They also agreed to pay the state's attorney's fees of $200,000 and to pay a civil judgement of $150,000. The settlement also includes an abatement for $100,000 of the civil penalty for 10 years so long as the Griffins do not violate any of the order, and pay the attorney's fees. If they follow the order they will never have to pay that abated portion. The $50,000 is still ordered payable to the state.
Austin-based healthcare attorney John Rivas said by phone that the couple agreed to the settlement to avoid the cost of litigating the case. Another important factor in settling, Rivas said, is that they did not agree to any liability. He said the couple had received requests from family members who had elderly at their facilities to reopen.
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