When you place a loved one in a nursing home or assisted living facility, you are trusting that facility with something irreplaceable. Most families never expect to find themselves questioning that decision. But elder abuse and nursing home neglect are far more common than most people realize. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, approximately 10% of people aged 60 and older experience some form of elder abuse each year. In facilities where residents depend entirely on staff for their basic needs, the opportunities for harm (physical, emotional, financial, and through neglect) are significant.
At Temple Injury Law, we represent elderly victims and their families in Las Vegas, Henderson, and throughout Clark County. If you suspect a loved one has been abused or neglected in a care facility, we want to hear from you. The consultation is free, and there is no fee unless we win.
Call (702) 487-4999 or contact us online.
How Temple Injury Law Investigates Elder Abuse Cases in Nevada
Elder abuse cases are not like car accident cases. The evidence is buried in facility records that facilities are reluctant to produce: staffing logs, medication administration records, incident reports, shift notes, and maintenance records. Families often know something is wrong long before they can prove it, because the documentation is controlled by the same institution they suspect.
Jeff Temple has experience cutting through that. We know what records to request, how to compel their production, and what patterns in those records indicate neglect or deliberate harm. We work with medical experts who can establish what the standard of care required and how the facility fell short of it.
Marissa Temple spent 20 years as a defense attorney, including eight years working in-house for a major insurance company. She knows how institutional defendants protect themselves and how their legal teams respond to abuse claims. That experience is now on your side.
Once you hire us, we handle all communication with the facility and its insurer. You focus on your family.
Types of Elder Abuse We Handle in Las Vegas and Clark County
Physical Abuse
Physical abuse is the most visible form, often producing injuries that cannot be explained by routine falls or medical conditions: bruising in unusual locations, broken bones, burns, or lacerations. In some cases, signs are less visible but equally telling: a resident who flinches when staff approach, who refuses to be alone with certain caregivers, or who shows sudden changes in physical condition without documented cause. Nevada law imposes strict obligations on facilities to document and report injuries. When those records are missing or inconsistent, that gap itself becomes evidence.
Emotional and Psychological Abuse
Emotional abuse includes threats, humiliation, isolation, and intimidation. It can be harder to document than physical harm, but its effects are real and often lasting. A resident who becomes suddenly withdrawn, refuses to speak freely when staff are present, appears anxious or fearful without apparent cause, or shows a dramatic change in personality may be experiencing emotional abuse. We take these cases seriously and know how to build them with witness accounts, staff records, and behavioral documentation.
Financial Exploitation
Financial exploitation is the most underreported form of elder abuse. It occurs when someone uses a position of trust or access to take money, property, or financial control from an elderly person without their informed consent. This can involve staff members, facility administrators, family members, or outside individuals who gain access to a vulnerable resident. If your loved one’s finances have changed unexpectedly, if documents have been signed that they could not have meaningfully understood, or if assets have moved without clear explanation, these are warning signs worth investigating immediately.
Neglect
Neglect happens when a facility fails to provide the level of care its residents require and to which they are entitled. This includes failing to provide adequate nutrition or hydration, allowing pressure sores (bedsores) to develop or worsen without treatment, failing to assist with hygiene and basic daily needs, ignoring requests for medical attention, and leaving residents in unsafe or unsanitary conditions. Neglect is not always intentional. It is often the result of understaffing, inadequate training, or a facility prioritizing profit over resident care. But it causes serious harm regardless of intent, and the facility is legally responsible for the conditions it maintains.
Sexual Abuse
Sexual abuse in nursing homes and care facilities is a deeply serious violation that is often underreported because victims may be unable to communicate what happened due to cognitive impairment, fear, or shame. Warning signs include unexplained physical injuries in sensitive areas, sexually transmitted infections, behavioral changes, or fear of specific staff members or other residents. If you have any reason to believe this has occurred, contact us immediately and contact law enforcement. The facility should be put on legal notice to preserve any relevant records.
Warning Signs of Elder Abuse in Las Vegas Nursing Homes
Families are often the first to notice that something is wrong. The signs are not always obvious, but they are often consistent across types of abuse.
Physical warning signs include unexplained bruises, cuts, or burns; broken bones without credible explanations; bedsores at any stage of development; sudden significant weight loss; poor hygiene or soiled clothing; and signs of physical restraint.
Behavioral warning signs include a resident who becomes unusually quiet or fearful, who stops communicating with family members, who appears sedated or confused in ways that cannot be explained medically, or who expresses fear of returning to the facility or of specific staff members.
Financial warning signs include unexpected changes to wills, trusts, or account beneficiaries; large unexplained withdrawals; missing valuables; unpaid bills despite adequate funds; and new relationships with individuals who have significant access to the resident’s finances.
If you notice any of these signs, document what you observe and contact us. Do not wait for proof before calling. We can help you assess whether what you are seeing warrants further investigation.
Nevada Laws That Protect Elder Abuse Victims
Civil Liability for Elder Abuse in Nevada (NRS 41.1395)
Nevada law provides specific civil remedies for victims of elder abuse. Under NRS 41.1395, a person who abuses or neglects a vulnerable person (defined as anyone 60 or older, or any adult whose ability to care for themselves is impaired) is liable for general and special damages. Courts can also award attorney fees and costs, which means your family is not out of pocket for legal representation when the claim succeeds. In cases involving willful or malicious conduct, punitive damages are also available under NRS 42.005.
This statute exists because the Nevada Legislature recognized that elderly victims are uniquely vulnerable and that financial barriers should not prevent their families from pursuing accountability.
Mandatory Reporting of Elder Abuse in Nevada (NRS 200.5093)
Nevada law requires certain categories of professionals, including healthcare workers, social workers, and care facility staff, to report suspected elder abuse to Adult Protective Services or law enforcement. A facility that failed to report abuse its own staff knew about or suspected has likely violated NRS 200.5093. That failure is both a criminal matter and additional evidence of institutional negligence in your civil case.
Filing Deadline for Elder Abuse Claims in Nevada (NRS 11.190)
You generally have two years from the date of the abuse or neglect to file a personal injury lawsuit in Nevada. In cases involving ongoing neglect, the timeline can be complex, and the clock may run from when harm was discovered rather than when it began. Do not assume you have plenty of time. Call us as soon as you suspect something is wrong.
Las Vegas Elder Abuse Case Results
Our attorneys have recovered substantial compensation for victims of negligence and misconduct in Las Vegas and Clark County. While our case results library does not yet include a published elder abuse verdict, the following results reflect how we approach cases where institutional defendants attempt to minimize or deny liability.
$495,000: Negligent Security on the Las Vegas Strip A client attacked by a security guard on a Strip property. We established the institution’s direct liability for the conduct of its own personnel and recovered $495,000.
$1,300,000: Pedestrian Struck in a Las Vegas Crosswalk Our client suffered a traumatic brain injury when a driver hit them in a marked crosswalk. The insurer denied liability. We found a witness, built the case, and recovered $1.3 million.
Prior results do not guarantee what your case will recover. Every case is different.
Compensation Available to Las Vegas Elder Abuse Victims
Nevada law allows elder abuse victims and their families to pursue several categories of compensation.
- Medical expenses cover the cost of treating injuries caused by the abuse or neglect, including emergency care, hospitalization, surgery, rehabilitation, and ongoing medical needs that result from the harm.
- Pain and suffering compensates for the physical and emotional harm the victim experienced. This includes the distress of the abuse itself, the fear and trauma that often accompanies it, and the lasting psychological impact.
- Financial losses in exploitation cases can include recovery of stolen funds, property, or the value of assets improperly transferred.
- Punitive damages are available under NRS 41.1395 and NRS 42.005 when the conduct was willful, malicious, or egregiously reckless. In cases where a facility knowingly understaffed its units to cut costs, ignored documented complaints, or concealed abuse, punitive damages send a message that extends beyond the individual claim.
- Wrongful death damages apply when elder abuse or neglect caused or contributed to a resident’s death. A surviving family can pursue funeral costs, loss of companionship, and other damages through a wrongful death claim.
Frequently Asked Questions About Elder Abuse Claims in Nevada
The line between poor care and actionable neglect or abuse is a legal question, not just a factual one. If a facility is failing to meet the standard of care its residents require, whether through understaffing, inadequate training, or deliberate disregard, that can support a legal claim even if no individual staff member intended harm. Call us and describe what you are observing. We can help you assess it.
Yes. Many elder abuse victims have cognitive impairments that prevent them from communicating what happened. Legal action does not require the victim to testify. We build these cases on medical records, facility documentation, expert testimony, and witness accounts from family members and other residents.
Facilities almost always characterize injuries as accidents. What matters is whether they fulfilled their duty of care. A fall that results from a wet floor with no warning sign, or a bedsore that developed because a resident was not repositioned on schedule, is actionable negligence regardless of how the facility labels it.
Yes, and in many situations you should. You do not need the facility’s permission to transfer a resident to another setting. A resident has the right to discharge at any time. Moving your loved one does not affect your legal claim.
It depends on the complexity of the evidence and whether the facility cooperates with discovery. Cases involving clear documentation of harm and liability can settle within a year. Cases requiring litigation over facility records and expert disputes take longer. We give you honest timelines at every stage.
Nothing upfront. We work on contingency, which means our fee comes from your recovery. Under NRS 41.1395, attorney fees can also be recovered from the defendant in successful elder abuse claims, which further reduces the financial burden on your family.
No, but we often recommend doing both. A report to Nevada’s Aging and Disability Services Division creates an official investigation record, which can support your civil case. We can advise you on how to coordinate these steps.
Jeff Temple
Personal Injury Lawyer
Talk to a Las Vegas Elder Abuse Lawyer Today
If you believe a family member has been abused, neglected, or exploited in a Las Vegas nursing home or care facility, please call us. This is a difficult situation, and you should not have to navigate it alone. Jeff Temple and Marissa Temple represent elder abuse victims and their families across Las Vegas, Henderson, and Clark County. For any type of personal injury claim, the consultation is free and there is no fee unless we win.
Call (702) 487-4999 or contact us online.
