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Litigation
9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2014
Legal Matters And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]  
Litigation
9.  Litigation

The Company has been and is currently involved in litigation and claims incidental to the conduct of its business which are comparable to other companies in the senior living industry. Certain claims and lawsuits allege large damage amounts and may require significant costs to defend and resolve. Similarly, the senior living industry is continuously subject to scrutiny by governmental regulators, which could result in litigation related to regulatory compliance matters. As a result, the Company maintains general liability and professional liability insurance policies in amounts and with coverage and deductibles the Company believes are adequate, based on the nature and risks of its business, historical experience and industry standards.  The Company's current policies provide for deductibles for each claim.  Accordingly, the Company is, in effect, self-insured for claims that are less than the deductible amounts.
Stockholder Litigation

In connection with the acquisition of Emeritus (as discussed in Note 4), three purported class action lawsuits relating to the Agreement and Plan of Merger, dated as of February 20, 2014 (the "Merger Agreement"), by and among the Company, Emeritus and Broadway Merger Sub Corporation ("Merger Sub"), were filed on behalf of Emeritus shareholders in the Superior Court of King County, Washington against Emeritus, members of the Emeritus board of directors, the Company and Merger Sub (the "Defendants"), which lawsuits were subsequently consolidated into a single action captioned In re Emeritus Corp. Shareholder Litigation, No. 14-2-06385-7 SEA (the "Washington Action"). On June 26, 2014, the Defendants entered into a memorandum of understanding (the "Memorandum of Understanding") with respect to a proposed settlement of the Washington Action, pursuant to which the parties agreed, among other things, that the Company and Emeritus would make certain supplemental disclosures related to the proposed merger, which supplemental disclosures were made by the Company in a Current Report on Form 8-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on June 27, 2014 and incorporated by reference into the Company's Registration Statement on Form S-4 and the joint proxy statement/prospectus of the Company and Emeritus included therein. The parties have agreed to use their collective best efforts to obtain final approval of the settlement and the dismissal of the Washington Action with prejudice. Subject to completion of certain confirmatory discovery by counsel to the plaintiffs, the Memorandum of Understanding contemplates that the parties will enter into a stipulation of settlement. The stipulation of settlement will be subject to customary conditions, including court approval following notice to Emeritus' shareholders. As explained in the Memorandum of Understanding, if the settlement is finally approved by the Washington court, the parties anticipate that it will resolve and release all claims in all actions pursuant to terms that will be disclosed to former Emeritus shareholders prior to final approval of the settlement. In addition, in connection with the settlement, the parties contemplate that plaintiffs' counsel in the Washington Action will file a petition in the Washington court for an award of attorneys' fees and expenses to be paid by the Company. The Company will pay or cause to be paid any attorneys' fees and expenses awarded by the Washington court. There can be no assurance that the parties will ultimately enter into a stipulation of settlement or that the Washington court will approve the settlement even if the parties were to enter into such stipulation. In such event, the proposed settlement as contemplated by the Memorandum of Understanding may be terminated.

Legacy Emeritus Legal Matters

On March 29, 2013, Emeritus received a civil investigative demand ("CID") from the Western District of the Washington office of the United States Department of Justice ("DOJ") requesting certain documents related to Emeritus billing to Medicaid programs dating from January 1, 2008.  The CID was issued in connection with an investigation undertaken by the DOJ and other agencies into Emeritus bills to Medicaid programs for assisted living facility services provided to Medicaid residents who may have been hospitalized during billed dates of service. Emeritus and the Company have been cooperating with the DOJ in connection with its investigation. The Company is currently not able to predict the outcome of this matter and is, therefore, not able to estimate a potential range of loss.

On July 29, 2013, a claim alleging the failure to provide certain services at Emeritus' California assisted living communities was filed against Emeritus in the Alameda County Superior Court and subsequently removed to the United States District Court for the Northern District of California. In this case, the plaintiff is seeking to represent a class of residents at such California communities during the period beginning July 29, 2009.  The plaintiff alleges violations of certain laws, including California's Consumer Legal Remedies Act, Unfair Competition Law and Financial Elder Abuse statute.  Emeritus has filed a motion to dismiss the action in its entirety and the Company believes that the suit is without merit.