Dudensing Law
Dudensing Law is an American plaintiffs' law firm headquartered in Sacramento, California. Founded in 2003 by Edward P. Dudensing, a former Deputy District Attorney for Sacramento County, the firm represents victims of nursing home and assisted living neglect and abuse, with a focus on claims against the corporate owners of care facilities. As of 2026, the firm has four offices across California, including Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Santa Barbara.
History
Dudensing Law was founded in 2003 by Edward P. Dudensing following his tenure as a Deputy District Attorney in Sacramento County. Dudensing is an adjunct professor at the University of California College of the Law, San Francisco, and the author of Elder Abuse Litigation, a treatise in the Rutter Group Civil Litigation Series published by Thomson Reuters.
Lawsuits
In March 2026, a Sacramento County jury awarded $110 million to the family of Mildred Hernandez, a 100-year-old resident of Greenhaven Estates, an assisted living facility in Sacramento, who died of hypothermia in 2019 after she exited a door that locked behind her to a staircase that led to the cold outside air (38-degree weather). The verdict included punitive damages against DigitalBridge (formerly Colony Capital), a publicly traded real estate investment trust, and Formation Capital, the private equity investment firm, both found to have overseen the facility's operations. In January 2026, a case led by Dudensing Law, a Solano County jury awarded $15.75 million to the family of Ruby Evans, a 96-year-old woman who developed a stage 3 pressure ulcer during a one-week stay at Windsor Vallejo Care Center in 2019 and died weeks later.
In 2023, a Sacramento County jury awarded $30.9 million against Pine Creek Care Center and its parent, Plum Healthcare Group, in a case brought by the family of Sam Rios Jr. In 2019, a Sacramento County jury awarded $42.5 million against Eskaton Fountainwood Lodge over the death of Barbara Lovenstein, who died after being repeatedly given a sedative against her doctor's instructions. In 2010, a Sacramento County jury awarded $29.1 million against Colonial Healthcare and its parent company, Horizon West Healthcare, over the death of Frances Tanner.
See also
- Elder abuse
- Nursing home
- Assisted living