Three children of an elderly resident of Silverado Senior Living in Texas have sued the facility after being banned from visiting their mother due to social media posts the facility objects to. The federal judge in the case has ordered the suit to mediation before it can proceed in the courts.

The children are embroiled in a dispute with their siblings over the mother’s estate and finances and object to how their mother is being cared for. In the course of visiting their mother, they took photos and videos of the facility and posted them on social media accounts. Silverado describes the postings as invading the privacy of other residents, and sent the siblings a letter from the facility’s lawyer advising them that unless they removed the posts, they would no longer be allowed into the facility.

The siblings refused and filed their lawsuit, claiming the ban is unreasonable and leaves them with no way to see or interact with their own mother. The other siblings who were not involved with the posts and who control the estate retain their visitation rights.

The complicated skein of legal relationships when an elderly relative enters a nursing home-type facility can be very difficult to resolve. The judge has indicated that if the first round of mediation fails to yield an agreement, he will order a second round, indicating the court’s desire to see this dispute resolved between the parties instead of through application of the law.