Legal action to help save Hollywood's elderly

By Eriq Gardner

In the midst of a national debate over health care, Hollywood has its own crisis on its hands.

A lawsuit is expected to come challenging the ability by the Motion Picture and Television Fund to close down a San Fernando Valley-based long-term-care facility, according to The New York Times.

The hospital is somewhat extraordinary. It houses a number of elderly movie stars, character actors, directors, crew members, and others. It's also one of Hollywood's most esteemed charities. The luminaries on the Foundation Board of Directors include Jeffrey Katzenberg, Warren Beatty, Barry Diller, Nora Ephron, David Geffen, Ron Meyer, Jay Roth, Kevin Spacey, and Steven Spielberg.

The facility has become a financial drag, according to a report by a consulting firm, and some fear that its continued existence could threaten some of the other operations handled by the Motion Picture and Television Fund. Eviction notices are expected to be sent soon, but residents and their family are working with Thomas Girardi, a lawyer who inspired one of the characters in "Erin Brockovich," to save off the hospital's demise.

The Fund reported a shortfall last year of $18 million.