California’s largest nursing home owner, Shlomo Rechnitz, is facing a lawsuit alleging that one of his homes is responsible for the COVID-related deaths of some 24 elderly and dependent residents.

Rechnitz is the Los Angeles-based, multi-billionaire owner of Brius Healthcare, the largest nursing home company in California. In 1998, Rechnitz began his business career by selling supplies—such as latex gloves, adult diapers, and wheelchairs—to nursing homes with his twin brother, Steve. Together, they founded and operated TwinMed, LLC, and have grown it into a nationwide distributor of medical supplies and services.

Brius owns two nursing homes in Santa Clara County, Cupertino Healthcare & Wellness Center and San Jose Healthcare & Wellness Center, plus five in Alameda County and one in Contra Costa County. Brius and affiliated companies own 81 skilled nursing facilities in California. Brius controls about one in every 14 nursing beds in the state.

Brius has repeatedly been fined, sued, and sanctioned by local, state, and federal agencies for providing substandard care to nursing home residents. According to the Sacramento Bee, Brius-owned nursing homes were “tagged with nearly triple as many serious deficiencies per 1,000 beds as the statewide average in 2014.” Families and residents have filed multiple lawsuits against Rechnitz and Brius for allegations including wrongful death and nursing home abuse. 

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