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An 82-year-old San Anselmo woman can be legally evicted from the Kaiser Permanente hospital bed she has refused to leave for more than a year, a judge ruled yesterday.
Marin Superior Court Judge John Sutro granted Kaiser officials the right to demand Sarah Nome leave the San Rafael medical center. Nome was admitted to Kaiser on Jan. 22, 2004, and given discharge notice on Jan. 29, 2004, but she has refused to give up her bed.
At $3,200 a day - the rate Kaiser charges for "custodial care" - her bill today would be about $1.15 million.
Yesterday's court trial lasted about 40 minutes and included five witnesses from Kaiser who were called by the health plan's attorney, Peter Flaxman of Mill Valley.
Neither Nome nor a legal counsel representing her were present. Sutro said Nome had called him prior to the trial to say she would not be present.
Flaxman told the court that Kaiser had offered to provide appropriate transportation to the Hall of Justice for Nome, but that she had not accepted.
Kaiser spokeswoman Carol Harris said Kaiser officials would continue to work with Nome and her family to find an adequate place to move her.
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