Arbitration denied

SHARON OSTROFF, Individually and as Power of Attorney for Lillian Restine,

Plaintiff, v. ALTERRA HEALTHCARE CORPORATION, Defendant.

CIVIL ACTION NO. 05-6187

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF

PENNSYLVANIA

2006 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 50730

July 25, 2006, Decided

Sharon Ostroff, individually and as power of attorney for Lillian Restine, her mother, filed suit against Alterra Healthcare Corporation (“Alterra”) for personal injuries suffered by Restine while she was a resident at an assisted living facility operated by Alterra. Defendant moved to compel arbitration pursuant to a Residency Agreement signed by plaintiff Ostroff. In an Order & Memorandum dated June 7, 2006, the Court denied defendant’s motion to compel arbitration. Ostroff v. Alterra Healthcare Corp., F. Supp. 2d , 2006 WL 1544390 (E.D. Pa. June 7, 2006). In that Order & Memorandum, the Court held that the Residency Agreement was a contract of adhesion and thus procedurally unconscionable. Id. at *5. The Court also ruled that the Agreement was substantively unconscionable, because it severely restricted discovery available to plaintiff n1 and reserved access to the courts for defendant while requiring plaintiff to arbitrate all disputes. Id. at *8. Because the arbitration clause was procedurally and substantively unconscionable, the Court refused to enforce it. Id. Defendant has now filed a Motion for Reconsideration and to Vacate that Order of June 7, 2006. For the reasons below, defendant’s motion is denied.