Care Enterprises of Tustin, the nursing-home operator...

Care Enterprises of Tustin, the nursing-home operator that has filed for protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the federal bankruptcy code, sought bankruptcy court protection Friday for a group of subsidiaries in an effort to halt pending litigation. The subsidiaries are First Ohio Investment Group, Americare Corp. and four Americare subsidiaries that hold leases to operate nursing homes in West Virginia and New Mexico: Boon County Healthcare, Ladera Healthcare, Las Palomas Healthcare and Rio Rancho Healthcare. A release says the “filing was necessitated by multiple disputes and litigations that have been filed in the past” and that it will allow consolidation of those issues in the same court. Three of the subsidiaries have leases to operate nursing homes owned in part by Ralph Hazelbaker, a Columbus, Ohio, nursing-home operator. Hazelbaker has sued Care, accusing it of mismanaging the facilities, and is attempting to rescind Care’s long-term leases. In Boon County, W. Va., Care is embroiled in a legal battle with the county, which owns a nursing home that Care leases and operates. Company attorney Irving Sulmeyer said the county is trying to prevent Care from removing patients from the facility, which recently was found to have been built on a gas-emitting landfill.