NEWS RELEASE
For Immediate Release | Contact: Raymond Brandstrom |
| March 23, 2006 | Chief Financial Officer |
| | (206) 298-2909 |
EMERITUS SETTLES TEXAS JURY VERDICT
SEATTLE, WA, March 22, 2006 -- Emeritus Corporation (AMEX: ESC), a national provider of assisted living and related services to senior citizens, today announced that the Company has agreed to a settlement with the plaintiffs in the San Antonio, Texas case that resulted in a verdict in February 2005. The claim arose from an event occurring in 2003. Under the settlement agreement, the Company will pay approximately $5.0 million. The Company had reflected the entire verdict amount in its 2004 financial statements. As a result of this settlement, the Company will record a gain of $13.4 million in its first quarter 2006 results.
ABOUT THE COMPANY
Emeritus Corporation is a national provider of assisted living and related services to seniors. Emeritus is one of the largest operators of freestanding assisted living communities throughout the United States. These communities provide a residential housing alternative for senior citizens who need help with the activities of daily living with an emphasis on assistance with personal care services to provide residents with an opportunity for support in the aging process. Emeritus currently holds interests in 184 communities representing capacity for approximately 18,600 residents in 35 states. Emeritus’s common stock is traded on the American Stock Exchange under the symbol ESC, and its home page can be found on the Internet at www.emeritus.com.
“Safe Harbor” Statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: A number of the matters and subject areas discussed in this report that are not historical or current facts deal with potential future circumstances, operations, and prospects. The discussion of such matters and subject areas is qualified by the inherent risks and uncertainties surrounding future expectations generally, and also may materially differ from our actual future experience as a result of such factors as: the effects of competition and economic conditions on the occupancy levels in our communities; our ability under current market conditions to maintain and increase our resident charges in accordance with our rate enhancement programs without adversely affecting occupancy levels; increases in interest costs as a result of re-financings; our ability to control community operation expenses, including insurance and utility costs, without adversely affecting the level of occupancy and the level of resident charges; our ability to generate cash flow sufficient to service our debt and other fixed payment requirements; our ability to find sources of financing and capital on satisfactory terms to meet our cash requirements to the extent that they are not met by operation, and final resolution of the adverse Texas jury verdict and other uncertainties related to professional liability claims. We have attempted to identify, in context, certain of the factors that we currently believe may cause actual future experience and results to differ from our current expectations regarding the relevant matter or subject area. These and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in our reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), including our Annual Reports on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports Form 10-Q.
