Attorney General Kris Mayes (D-AZ) announced Wednesday that her office reached a major settlement with an assisted living operator accused of discriminating against a vulnerable resident, securing more than $600,000 in penalties and relief.
The case involved Olive Branch Assisted Living, LLC, its affiliated companies Terra Medical LLC and Terra Medical of Arizona LLC, and their owner, Russell Appleton.
According to the Arizona Civil Rights Division, the defendants ran afoul of the Arizona Fair Housing Act by exposing a resident's private medical diagnosis to others at the facility without her consent, causing significant emotional distress, and then cutting off her housing in their behavioral health program because of that very diagnosis.
The resident was left with an impossible choice of whether to scramble to find another facility or walk away from treatment altogether.
When they pushed back by filing a complaint with the Civil Rights Division and pursuing her own legal action, the defendants allegedly threatened to drag her into bankruptcy court.
Mayes Fights Back
Mayes moved to hold them accountable.
Under the terms of a consent decree signed by a Maricopa County Superior Court judge, the defendants agreed to pay $585,000 to the affected resident and an additional $15,000 to the State of Arizona as a civil penalty.
They will also face six years of oversight by the Attorney General's Office and must put written anti-discrimination policies in place and train staff on disability rights protections if they ever operate a residential health care facility.
The resolution adds to Mayes' growing track record in civil rights enforcement. Her office investigated thousands of discrimination complaints last year and recovered more than $2 million for victims across Arizona.
"No Arizonan should be threatened or humiliated for simply seeking a place to live and receive care," Mayes said. "I will fight to guarantee that anyone who discriminates against or threatens an Arizonan faces consequences under the Arizona Fair Housing Act."
