- Barbara Brown sought a $3,280.65 refund from The Peaks nursing home.
- Her late husband's unused days were paid upfront, but refund was delayed.
- Ridgeline Management eventually issued the refund after KSL's investigation.
DRAPER — Barbara Brown has been widowed for more than a year.
"My husband died last August (2024) – the 12th," she said.
Her late husband, Tom, spent his final months at The Peaks at South Jordan nursing home. His stay was paid up front each month.
When he died in the middle of the month, his wife said she was told she is entitled to a refund for his unused days. The contract itself states, "any refund of charges will be issued within 30 days from (the) date the room is fully vacated."
The nursing home spelled out the amount of the refund Brown is owed: $3,280.65. But she was told it couldn't just cut her a check.
"They all agreed that I was due a refund, but it had to come from corporate," Brown said.
Going nowhere
But try as she might to collect, she said the company eventually stopped responding.
"I called many, many times," she said.
The refund, $3,280.65, is no small amount of money, but Brown said it's about more than that. It's about closure.
"I'm dealing with the death of my husband of 65 years," she said. "And I cannot clear this up."
Getting nowhere on her own, Brown asked me to investigate.
"I can't deal with this anymore," she said.
The KSL investigators reached out to the owners of The Peaks at South Jordan, a Texas-based company called Ridgeline Management Company.
They didn't respond to our multiple emails or to my call after I left a message. So, I stopped by the Peaks at South Jordan.
Under new management
The staff told me, "Ridgeline is no longer the management company" of the facility, and that any refund for Brown would have to come from Ridgeline. Still, a friendly manager from the nursing home also told me he would reach out to his contact at Ridgeline Management and try to help.
The KSL Investigators still have not heard from Ridgeline Management, but shortly after our visit, it did send Brown a check for the amount in full, more than a year after it was promised.
When a company buys another company, it's not automatic that the new company is responsible for the old company's debts. That sort of stuff all comes down to agreements, contracts and how the deal is done.
