Winter 2026 Newsletter
A MESSAGE FROM ED DUDENSING
Dear friends and colleagues,
In just the first couple of months of 2026, I’m proud of the progress our team at Dudensing Law has made in the fight to protect California’s seniors. Our work has brought significant accountability for corporate actors in long-term care and continued momentum toward exposing the practices that put profits ahead of patient safety.
In the year ahead, we expect the challenges facing long-term care residents to grow more complex, but so will our efforts. This newsletter is one way we stay connected, sharing key case developments, emerging trends in elder abuse litigation, and the work being done to drive meaningful change across California and beyond.
I invite you to subscribe to our Newsletter, follow us on LinkedIn and Facebook, and continue standing with us as we work toward a future where dignity, transparency, and accountability are non-negotiable in elder care.
With gratitude,
Ed
DUDENSING LAW SECURES $15.75 MILLION VERDICT IN EVANS TRIAL
Dudensing Law secured a $15.75 million jury verdict on behalf of the family of Ruby Evans, a vulnerable senior who suffered severe neglect while residing at Windsor Vallejo Care Center.
Ms. Evans was a resident at the facility from August 3–10, 2019. During that short stay, she developed painful, preventable pressure sores due to neglect. Evidence at trial showed the facility falsified records and concealed her condition from her family. Ms. Evans passed away on October 2, 2019.
A Solano County jury found Windsor Vallejo Care Center, owner Lee Samson, and corporate overseer S&F Management liable, awarding $12 million in punitive damages and $3.75 million in compensatory damages.
See the coverage about the case from the Vallejo Sun, Daily Republic, and FOX40.
ON TRIAL: THE CASE OF MILDRED HERNANDEZ
Ed Dudensing and his team are currently in trial litigating a landmark elder neglect case against Greenhaven Estates, arising from the tragic death of Mildred Hernandez, a 100-year-old resident with Alzheimer’s disease.
Ms. Hernandez wandered outside the senior living facility after critical safety precautions failed to keep her safe. She was found deceased, having succumbed to hypothermia. This trial underscores the profound consequences that can result when senior living facilities fail to uphold their duty of care to vulnerable residents.
As the case continues to unfold, we will keep you all updated.
See the coverage of the trial from ABC10, Law & Crime, and Univision.
ANNOUNCEMENTS & ADVOCACY UPDATES
2025 was a full and productive year for Dudensing Law, marked by meaningful growth, recognition, and impact.
Firm Growth & Team Expansion
Over the summer, we welcomed four talented law students as summer associates, and throughout the year we expanded our team with six new full-time hires. For example, Connor James joined the firm as a Law Clerk after graduating from UC Law San Francisco and then be promoted to Associate following his successful passage of the California Bar in November. Connor and Ed Dudensing co-authored a featured article for The Daily Journal, “Preparing for C-TAPP Phase 2: What California Lawyers Need to Know,” offering an in-depth look at the State Bar of California’s upcoming Client Trust Account Protection Program changes.
Advocacy & Legislative Engagement
Beyond the courtroom, Ed Dudensing continued his role as a leading advocate for nursing home residents. In 2025, Ed met with Congressman Josh Harder, who represents California’s 9th District, to discuss nursing home safety, accountability, and the urgent need for stronger elder care legislation, reinforcing the firm’s commitment to systemic reform as well as individual justice.
Recognition & Honors
The firm was recognized in the 2025 Chambers and Partners USA Guide – Band 3, and Ed Dudensing received the William F. Taylor Award from California Advocates for Nursing Home Reform (CANHR). Ed was also named to the 2025 Northern California Super Lawyers list and was named to the Daily Journal’s Top 100 Lawyers of 2025, which recognizes the top 100 lawyers in the state of California based on their accomplishments, reputation, and contributions to the legal community.
IN THE NEWS
CalMatters: He built a nursing home empire despite state investigations. Now, lawsuits are piling up
A CalMatters investigation examined longstanding oversight failures at California nursing homes owned or affiliated with operator Shlomo Rechnitz, facilities that data show have disproportionately high rates of deficiencies, fines, and poor-quality ratings. Ed Dudensing spoke with CalMatters, warning that years of regulatory breakdowns allowed serious harm to persist. “We’ve just got to keep fighting,” he said, emphasizing the urgent need for meaningful oversight and accountability.
Read more
The Hill: Fall River Fire Fuels Calls for Federal Assisted Living Legislation
Last summer, a deadly fire at an assisted living facility in Fall River, Massachusetts renewed urgent calls for stronger federal oversight of assisted living communities, where standards for safety, staffing, and quality of care remain largely unregulated at the national level. Ed Dudensing spoke with The Hill about this issue and said, “there needs to be more regulation standards when it comes to overseeing assisted living facilities on a federal level.” Ed emphasized that tragedies like the Fall River fire are not isolated incidents, but symptoms of a system that has failed to keep pace with the growing and increasingly fragile assisted living population.
Read more.
ELDER ABUSE ADVOCATE SPOTLIGHT: ROBERT PFISTER OF PFISTER & SASO LLP
Robert J. Pfister, founding partner of Pfister & Saso LLP, is a nationally recognized bankruptcy litigator whose work is essential to holding powerful nursing home operators and private equity owners accountable.
As elder abuse cases increasingly collide with corporate bankruptcy filings, Rob helps plaintiffs’ lawyers cut through tactics designed to delay justice or shield assets. Nursing home chains and their financial backers often turn to bankruptcy to stall litigation, cap liability, or escape responsibility altogether. Rob’s work ensures that those strategies don’t succeed.
For more than 22 years, Rob has litigated complex bankruptcy, restructuring, and insolvency cases in courts across the country. His experience in high-stakes bankruptcy litigation makes him a critical ally for attorneys pursuing elder abuse claims against sophisticated corporate ownership structures.
By helping plaintiffs’ lawyers navigate and challenge bankruptcy abuse, Rob plays a vital role in ensuring that financial engineering does not override justice for vulnerable seniors and their families.
INTERESTED IN LEARNING MORE?
Ed Dudensing is the sole author of The Rutter Group’s treatise on Elder Abuse Litigation, most recently published in April 2025. As part of California’s premier legal practice series, this guide offers authoritative, practical insights for attorneys handling elder abuse cases.
Learn more at The Rutter Group here.
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