Calais Hospital v. City of Calais

24 A.2d 489, 138 Me. 234, 1942 Me. LEXIS 6
CourtSupreme Judicial Court of Maine
DecidedFebruary 13, 1942
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 24 A.2d 489 (Calais Hospital v. City of Calais) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Judicial Court of Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Calais Hospital v. City of Calais, 24 A.2d 489, 138 Me. 234, 1942 Me. LEXIS 6 (Me. 1942).

Opinion

Manser, J.

This is an appeal under R. S., Chap. 13, Secs. 73-78, from the refusal of the assessors of the City of Calais to abate a tax of $540.00 assessed for the year 1939 upon the real estate of the appellant. The case is certified to this court upon report for the rendition of such judgment as the legal rights of the parties require.

[236]*236In October, 1938, the Calais Hospital was incorporated under provisions of R. S., Chap. 70, as a charitable and benevolent institution, without capital stock, with no provision for dividends or profits, and for the purpose of owning, operating and maintaining a hospital and nurses’ training school and a nurses’ home. Seven physicians and eight other citizens of Calais and vicinity became Trustees of the institution.

Prior to this time, Dr. W. N. Miner was the owner of the real estate and a private hospital had been conducted by a corporation which owned the equipment, of which corporation Dr. Miner was the principal stockholder.

The new corporation purchased the real estate from Dr. Miner and the equipment from the former corporation for the sum of $30,000.00 and gave its mortgage for that amount to Dr. Miner, payable at the rate of $1,500.00 per year .The transaction was completed December 31,1938, and the new corporation was in active charge and management from that time. The tax in question was assessed as of April 1,1939.

The petition for abatement was based upon the claim that the appellant is a charitable and benevolent institution within the purview of R. S., Chap. 13, Sec. 6, Par. Ill, which provides exemption from taxation of real and personal property of all benevolent and charitable institutions incorporated by the State. This exemption is limited by the provision “but so much of the real estate of such corporations as is not occupied by them for their own purposes, shall be taxed in the municipality in which it is situated.” A further amendment to the exempting statute above cited, found in P. L. 1939, Chap. 123, even if pertinent, is without application as it was not then in effect.

The questions for determination are:

Is the present hospital not only incorporated but also conducted as a charitable and benevolent institution, and is its entire real estate occupied for its own purposes?

In support of the claim for exemption, the appellant introduced testimony to the effect that no officer, trustee, physician or surgeon received any compensation from the hospital for [237]*237services; that the hospital was available for the patients of any physician or surgeon registered and in regular practice; that the plan of operation was essentially the same as that followed by the public hospitals throughout the State long established and recognized as charitable institutions; that the hospital received from the State in 1939 for several designated purposes nearly $11,000.00 out of total receipts of approximately $27,-000.00. Of such State contributions $7,141.89 comes under the heading “Hospital Appropriation.” The authorization for such allocation of funds by the State is found in P. L. 1933, Chap. 1, Sec. 12, which prescribes the procedure to be followed by any charitable or benevolent institution not wholly owned or controlled by the State in order to be entitled to participation in appropriations made for the purpose. It must be shown that the “persons receiving care were in need of such treatment, support or education; that they were not able to pay for the same; that the rates charged are not greater than those charged to the general public for the same service, and that the rates charged to those who are able to pay are not less than the cost of service rendered.”

The record justifies the conclusion that this prescribed course was followed. The total amount received from paying patients was $15,001.01.

It further appears that an account was kept of services rendered all patients whether they were financially able to pay or not, but of $8,682.89 in unpaid accounts for 1939, $4,593.24 were regarded as uncollectible. In this connection, Dr. Miner, who was Treasurer and Manager, testified that “no patient was ever turned away from the hospital because of finances.”

It does not appear of record that either a training school or home for nurses had been established in 1939, although contemplated by the statement of purposes of the corporation. These features, while tending to emphasize the character of such an institution, are not required as a qualification under the statutory exemption.

[238]*238The appellee concedes that the hospital corporation, in its legal conception, is charitable.

The major premise in opposition upon the merits is that not all of the building is occupied by the hospital for its own purposes and consequently, under the limitation of the statute above recited, the portion not so used was taxable.

The case of Ferry Beach Park Assn. v. City of Saco, 127 Me., 136, 142, A., 65, which, like the instant case, was upon an appeal from refusal to abate taxes; and was before the court on report, raised the same issue. Upon examination of the record in that case, the Court found that the properties of the Association, other than a pavilion and a grove used for religious and educational purposes, were subject to taxation, and ordered an abatement upon the portion entitled to exemption.

In the case before us, however, the appellee asserts that because of the admitted fact that the Hospital did not bring in to the assessors a list of its property, not exempt from taxation, in accordance with the requirement of R. S., Chap. 13, Sec. 70, it has no right of appeal and the action of the assessors in refusing to make any abatement, even upon so much of the property as was clearly exempt, is final.The position of the Hospital is that it was unnecessary to file a list as the property was entirely exempt.

The statute is strict in this respect and the Court would have no authority to ordér an abatement even though the decision of the assessors was manifestly unjust, if any portion of the real estate, however small, was taxable. R. S., Chap. 13, Sec. 70, provides:

“If any resident owner ... does not bring in such list, he . is thereby barred of his right to make application to the assessors or the county commissioners for any abatement of his taxes, unless he offers such list with his application and satisfies them that he was unable to offer it at the time appointed.”

The appellee further asserts that the financial statement of [239]*239the Hospital for 1939 demonstrates that the institution was conducted upon a profit-making basis, notwithstanding the substantial State contributions, because there was paid to Dr. Miner upon the mortgage indebtedness the sum of $6,000.00, although but $1,500.00 was prescribed as an installment payment. The apparent surplus of receipts over operating expenses is logically accounted for, however, by the fact that part of the assets transferred to the new corporation were bills receivable in the sum of $9,241.36 and as the result of a determined effort a large portion of this sum was collected. In other words, an amount equal to the sum paid Dr. Miner upon his mortgage note ivas received from sources other than current income. The inference sought to be adduced is not tenable upon review of all the facts.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Alpha Rho Zeta of Lambda Chi Alpha, Inc. v. Inhabitants of Waterville
477 A.2d 1131 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1984)
Southern Baptist Hospital of Florida, Inc. v. Tax Assessor
30 Fla. Supp. 45 (Duval County Circuit Court, 1968)
Green Acre Baha'i Institute v. Town of Eliot
193 A.2d 564 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1963)
Bouchard v. Johnson
170 A.2d 372 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1961)
Cedars of Lebanon Hospital v. County of Los Angeles
221 P.2d 31 (California Supreme Court, 1950)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
24 A.2d 489, 138 Me. 234, 1942 Me. LEXIS 6, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/calais-hospital-v-city-of-calais-me-1942.