COVENANT HEALTH v. Estate of Lambert

984 So. 2d 283, 2006 WL 3593437
CourtCourt of Appeals of Mississippi
DecidedDecember 12, 2006
Docket2005-CA-02223-COA
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 984 So. 2d 283 (COVENANT HEALTH v. Estate of Lambert) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Mississippi primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
COVENANT HEALTH v. Estate of Lambert, 984 So. 2d 283, 2006 WL 3593437 (Mich. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

984 So.2d 283 (2006)

COVENANT HEALTH & REHABILITATION OF PICAYUNE, LP; Covenant Dove, Inc.; Picayune Partners, Inc.; Bond, Johnson & Bond, Inc., n/k/a Covenant Dove, Inc.; and Keri H. Ladner, Appellants
v.
The ESTATE OF Mary Frances LAMBERT, by and through Joseph LAMBERT, individually and as personal representative of the estate of Mary Frances Lambert and on behalf of and for the use and benefit of the wrongful death beneficiaries of Mary Frances Lambert, Appellee.

No. 2005-CA-02223-COA.

Court of Appeals of Mississippi.

December 12, 2006.
Rehearing Denied March 25, 2008.

*285 Paul Hobart Kimble, John L. Maxey, Jackson, attorneys for appellants.

F.M. Turner, III, attorney for appellee.

Before LEE, P.J., IRVING and ISHEE, JJ.

IRVING, J., for the Court.

¶ 1. Joseph Lambert filed a wrongful death action against Picayune Convalescent Center (the Center), alleging that his mother, Mary Frances Lambert, suffered personal injuries which led to her death while she was a resident at the Center. The Pearl River County Circuit Court granted partial summary judgment and declared the arbitration agreement unconscionable and unenforceable. Aggrieved, the Center appeals and asserts that the circuit court erred in relying on Pitts v. Watkins, 905 So.2d 553 (Miss.2005), rather than Vicksburg Partners, L.P. v. Stephens, 911 So.2d 507 (Miss.2005), to find the arbitration agreement substantively unconscionable and unenforceable.

¶ 2. Finding error, we affirm in part and reverse and remand in part.

FACTS

¶ 3. On July 23, 2003, Mary died while a resident at the Picayune Convalescent Center. She had been a resident on two separate occasions with admissions on December 7, 2001, and November 29, 2002. At the time of her admission on November 29, 2002, Mary was eighty-six years old and had a seventh grade education. On both occasions, Mary was assessed by the nursing staff, who determined that her memory and cognitive skills were impaired. In addition, Mary's vision was impaired to the extent that she could read only large print.

¶ 4. Mary also suffered from several chronic conditions which prevented her from making informed decisions about her medical care and treatment, business affairs, and legal rights. Therefore, Joseph, who had handled his mother's business affairs for several years, signed the admission agreement as her "responsible party." Mary's signature also appears on the admission agreement; however, Joseph contends in an affidavit that his mother was never asked to sign the agreement in his presence, and due to her limited education, she would have been unable to read and understand the agreement had it been presented to her. The admission agreement contained an arbitration agreement and other provisions which limited Mary's rights and remedies.

¶ 5. Following Mary's death, Joseph brought a wrongful death action, individually, and as the personal representative of Mary's estate, alleging that Mary suffered personal injuries, resulting in her death while a resident at the Center. The Center responded by requesting that the court stay the proceedings and compel arbitration.

ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION OF THE ISSUES

¶ 6. We apply a de novo standard of review from a lower court's denial of summary judgment. Citifinancial Retail *286 Servs. v. Hooks, 922 So.2d 775, 779(¶ 16) (Miss.2006). Summary judgment is proper only if "the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories and admissions on file, together with affidavits, if any, show that there is no genuine issue of material fact. . . ." Id. at 779(¶ 17) (citing M.R.C.P. 56(c)). The party opposing summary judgment must set forth specific facts to establish that there is a genuine issue of material fact for trial. Miller v. Meeks, 762 So.2d 302, 304(¶ 3) (Miss.2000).

¶ 7. The Center contends that its admission agreement is enforceable because admission agreements, when taken in the aggregate, affect interstate commerce, thus bringing such contracts within the scope of the Federal Arbitration Act (FAA). The FAA provides, "a written provision in any . . . contract evidencing a transaction involving commerce to settle by arbitration a controversy thereafter arising out of such contract or transaction . . . shall be valid, irrevocable, and enforceable, save upon such grounds as exist at law or in equity for the revocation of any contract." 9 U.S.C. § 2 (2000). We agree that the FAA applies, because the arbitration provision is part of an admission agreement "evidencing in the aggregate economic activity affecting interstate commerce." Stephens, 911 So.2d at 515(¶ 18). However, the fact that the FAA applies does not ipso facto mean that the arbitration provision is enforceable. We therefore examine the provision.

¶ 8. The challenged arbitration provision is one of several provisions of the admission agreement. Therefore, for the sake of clarity, we discuss the arbitration provision and the admission agreement separately.

1. The Arbitration Provision

¶ 9. Section F of the admission agreement, entitled "Arbitration," provides as follows:

The Resident and Responsibility Party agree that any and all claims, disputes and/or controversies between them and the Facility or its Owners, officers, directors or employees shall be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association and its rules and procedures. The Arbitration shall be heard and decided by one qualified Arbitrator selected by mutual agreement of the Parties. Failing such agreement, each Party shall select one qualified Arbitrator and the two selected shall select a third. The Parties agree that the decision of the Arbitrator(s) shall be final. The Parties further agree that the Arbitrators shall have all authority necessary to render a final, binding decision of all claims and/or controversies and shall have all requisite powers and obligations. If the agreed method of selecting an Arbitrator(s) fails for any reason or the Arbitrator(s) appointed fails or is unable to act or the successor(s) has not been duly appointed, the appropriate circuit court, on application of a party, shall appoint one Arbitrator to arbitrate the issue. An Arbitrator so appointed shall have all the powers of the one named in this Agreement. All Parties here to agree to arbitration for their individual respective anticipated benefit of reduced costs of pursuing a timely resolution of a claim, dispute or controversy, should one arise. The Parties agree to share equally the costs of such arbitration regardless of the outcome. Consistent with the terms and conditions of this Agreement, the Parties agree that the Arbitrator(s) may not award punitive damages and actual damages awarded, if any, shall be awarded pursuant to Section E7.

¶ 10. In East Ford, Inc. v. Taylor, 826 So.2d 709, 713(¶ 9) (Miss.2002), the Mississippi *287 Supreme Court held that courts should conduct a two-pronged analysis when determining whether to enforce an arbitration agreement. "The first prong has two considerations: (1) whether there is a valid arbitration agreement and (2) whether the parties' dispute is within the scope of the agreement." Id. "Under the second prong, applicable contract defenses available under state contract law such as fraud, duress, and unconscionability may be asserted to invalidate the arbitration agreement without offending the Federal Arbitration Act."

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

Related

Oasis Health & Rehab of Yazoo City, LLC. v. Smith
42 F. Supp. 3d 821 (S.D. Mississippi, 2014)
Caplin Enterprises, Inc. v. Arrington
145 So. 3d 608 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 2014)
SER AMFM, LLC v. Hon. Charles E. King, etc.
740 S.E.2d 66 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 2013)
Caplin Enterprises, Inc. v. Denise Arrington
Mississippi Supreme Court, 2011
Magnolia Healthcare, Inc. v. Barnes Ex Rel. Grigsby
994 So. 2d 159 (Mississippi Supreme Court, 2008)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
984 So. 2d 283, 2006 WL 3593437, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/covenant-health-v-estate-of-lambert-missctapp-2006.