Dillion v. University Hospital

715 F. Supp. 1384, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8403, 1989 WL 83174
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Ohio
DecidedJuly 21, 1989
DocketCiv. C-1-88-1041
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 715 F. Supp. 1384 (Dillion v. University Hospital) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Ohio primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dillion v. University Hospital, 715 F. Supp. 1384, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8403, 1989 WL 83174 (S.D. Ohio 1989).

Opinion

ORDER

CARL B. RUBIN, Chief Judge.

This matter is before the Court upon the Motion of defendant University Hospital to Dismiss or Remand for Want of Jurisdiction (doc. no. 8). Memoranda in opposition to and in support of such motion have been filed by the parties (doe. nos. 17, 20). For the reasons contained herein defendant University Hospital’s motion is hereby granted and plaintiffs’ claims against such defendant are hereby dismissed.

Defendant University Hospital submits that pursuant to Fed.R. of Civ.P. 12(b)(1) the plaintiffs’ claims should be dismissed against them since this defendant is immune from suit pursuant to the sovereign immunity principles embodied in the Eleventh Amendment. In the alternative, defendant moves that the claims against them be remanded to the Court of Common Pleas for Hamilton County, Ohio pursuant to 28 U.S.C. § 1447.

Defendant University Hospital initially contends that it is operated and staffed by the University of Cincinnati and is an integral part of the University of Cincinnati. The basis of Defendant’s contention is that the University of Cincinnati is a state institution organized under the provisions of Chapter 3361 of the Ohio Revised Code. *1385 Defendant further argues that in the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit has held that state universities are “part of the State” for Eleventh Amendment purposes. Hall v. Medical College of Ohio, 742 F.2d 299, 303 (6th Cir.1984); Bailey v. Ohio State University, 487 F.Supp. 601 (S.D.Ohio 1980). In opposition to such positions plaintiff asserts that defendant University Hospital has waived its Eleventh Amendment immunity by consenting to being sued under Ohio Revised Code § 2743.02. Plaintiff further submits that this matter presents a federal question and the severance of any state law claims will unnecessarily duplicate the litigation of this action.

The Eleventh Amendment to the United States Constitution provides that:

The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State.

Thus, in Hans v. Louisiana, 134 U.S. 1, 10 S.Ct. 504, 33 L.Ed. 842 (1890) the United States Supreme Court held that despite the limited terms of the Eleventh Amendment, a Federal Court may not entertain a suit brought by citizen against his own state. Pennhurst State School & Hospital v. Halderman, 465 U.S. 89, 104 S.Ct. 900, 79 L.Ed.2d 67 (1984). The Eleventh Amendment precludes not only actions in which the State is directly named as a party, but also actions brought against a state agency or state officer where the action is essentially one for recovery of money from the state treasury. Graham v. N.C.A.A., 804 F.2d 953, 959 (6th Cir.1986). This concept was derived from the principles of sovereign immunity which are a constitutional limitation upon the Federal Judicial powers established in Article III. That provision states:

That a State may not be sued without its consent is a fundamental rule of jurisprudence having so important a bearing upon the construction of the Constitution of the United States that it has become established by repeated decisions of this Court that the entire judicial power granted by the Constitution does not embrace authority to entertain a suit brought by private parties against a state without consent given: not one brought by citizens of another state, or by citizens or subjects of a foreign state, because of the Eleventh Amendment; and not even one brought by its own citizens, because of the fundamental rule of which the amendment is but an exemplification.
Pennhurst State School and Hospital, supra, at [465 U.S. at] 98 [104 S.Ct. at 907].

This Court is mindful that a State’s sovereign immunity may be waived and the Supreme Court of the United States has consistently held that a State may consent to suit against it in Federal Court. Pennhurst State School & Hospital v. Halderman, supra at 99, 104 S.Ct. at 907. However the Supreme Court has insisted that the State’s consent must be unequivocally expressed. Id. Waiver must be indicated “by the most express language or by such overwhelming implications from the text that leaves no room for any other reasonable construction.” Allinder v. State of Ohio, 808 F.2d 1180 (6th Cir.1987). This limitation recognizes a State’s constitutional interest in immunity not only as to whether it may be sued, but also where it may be sued. Id.

The State of Ohio has clearly and unequivocally set forth in Ohio Revised Code § 2743.02 that it has waived its immunity and consented to be sued only in the Court of Claims. In so doing, the State of Ohio has left no reasonable construction that it has waived its Eleventh Amendment immunity to suit in Federal Court. See State of Ohio v. Madeline Marie Nursing Homes, 694 F.2d 449 (6th Cir.1982); Johns v. Supreme Court of Ohio, 753 F.2d 524 (6th Cir.1985).

When an action is brought against a public agency or institution, the application of the Eleventh Amendment turns on whether that agency or institution can be characterized as an arm or alter ego of the State, or whether it should be treat *1386 ed instead as a political subdivision of the State. Mount Healthy City School District Board of Education v. Doyle, 429 U.S. 274, 97 S.Ct. 568, 50 L.Ed.2d 471 (1977). Municipalities, counties and other political subdivisions (i.e. public school district) do not partake in the State’s Eleventh Amendment immunity. Id. However, the question of Eleventh Amendment immunity for public colleges and universities has developed into a trend for finding such institutions to be arms of their respective state governments and thus immune from suit. Hall v. Medical College of Ohio at Toledo, 742 F.2d 299, 301 (6th Cir.1984) (citations omitted).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
715 F. Supp. 1384, 1989 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 8403, 1989 WL 83174, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dillion-v-university-hospital-ohsd-1989.