West Valley assisted-living facility settles lawsuit over secrecy practices

PHOENIX – A West Valley assisted-living facility has settled a lawsuit over secrecy clauses in its arbitration agreements, officials announced Tuesday.

The complaint had been filed by the Arizona Attorney General’s Office on behalf of a former resident at Senita Ridge in Peoria.

As part of the settlement, Senita Ridge agreed not to use confidentiality clauses in existing and future arbitration agreements.

ENDING: Secrecy clauses in Senita Ridge's arbitration agreements.

This is a big win for the protection of vulnerable adults, because it allows victims to share information with my office and allows me to perform the duties given to me by the legislature. https://t.co/HKeqO0covX pic.twitter.com/79nuirlpwN

— AZ Attorney General Kris Mayes (@AZAGMayes) February 27, 2024

“This settlement is a big win for protection of vulnerable adults, because it allows victims to share information with my office and allows me to perform the duties given to me by the legislature,” Attorney General Kris Mayes said in a press release.

“I urge other assisted-living facilities operating in Arizona to remove the secrecy clauses from their own arbitration agreements or my office will intervene to strike them down.”

Confidentiality clauses can be used to hide elder abuse and other misdeeds from the AG’s Office by requiring disputes to be settled through secret arbitrations.

Mayes advised any assistant-living residents who signed arbitration agreements with a secrecy clauses to contact her office.

“I urge all Arizonans to contact my office if vulnerable adults are in danger, and do not let a secrecy clause stop you,” she said. “We need everyone’s help to identify the bad facilities so we can take legal action to clean them up.”

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