Dragomir v. Med. Mut. Ins. Co.

CourtSuperior Court of Maine
DecidedAugust 28, 2012
DocketCUMcv-10-529and538
StatusUnpublished

This text of Dragomir v. Med. Mut. Ins. Co. (Dragomir v. Med. Mut. Ins. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Maine primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Dragomir v. Med. Mut. Ins. Co., (Me. Super. Ct. 2012).

Opinion

STATE OF MAINE SUPERIOR COURT CUMBERLAND, ss CIVIL ACTION DOCKETNOS. CV-10-529 CV-10-538 1 · ') /J ~ cv~ M ~ 'ur : · -/, 'J''\ ')_;F)'( ·c PAUL DRAGOMIR,

Plaintiff,

v. ORDER

MEDICAL MUTUAL INSURANCE STATE OF fviAlk\! CO., et al, Cumberland, s~. Cieri\'§

Defendants.

Before the court in these consolidated cases are motions for summary judgment

by defendants Medical Mutual Insurance Co. and York Insurance Co.

Summary Judgment

Summary judgment should be granted if there is no genuine dispute as to any

material fact and the movant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. In considering a

motion for summary judgment, the court is required to consider only the portions of the

record referred to and the material facts set forth in the parties' Rule 56(h) statements.

E,g., Johnson v. McNeil, 2002 ME 99 err 8, 800 A.2d 702, 704. The facts must be

considered in the light most favorable to the non-moving party. Id. Thus, for purposes

of summary judgment, any factual disputes must be resolved against the movant.

Nevertheless, when the facts offered by a party in opposition to summary judgment

would not, if offered at trial, be sufficient to withstand a motion for judgment as a

matter of law, summary judgment should be granted. Rodrigue v. Rodrigue, 1997_ME

99 err 8, 694 A.2d 924, 926. Undisputed Facts

In this case all of the essential facts are undisputed. Dragomir has admitted all of

the factual assertions in the statements of material facts submitted by Medical Mutual

and York Insurance and has submitted a short statement of additional material facts.

For their part, the defendant insurers have admitted many of Dragomir's additional

material facts with a few qualifications primarily relating to relevancy and

admissibility. 1

The case arises from a relationship that began when plaintiff Paul Dragomir, who

had been undergoing treatment for mental health and other issues as an inpatient at

Spring Harbor, transferred to Spring Harbor's partial hospitalization program. At that

time Dragomir began therapy with Eric Richardson, a licensed clinical social worker

employed at Spring Harbor.

Richardson continued to treat Dragomir when Dragomir transitioned from the

partial hospitalization program to intensive outpatient treatment and then to individual

1 For purposes of this motion, the court has accepted all of Dragomir's additional facts except for his reference to Richardson's assertion in his deposition that Richardson's sexual relationship with Dragomir did not start until the therapist-patient relationship had ended. See Dragomir SMF

2 outpatient therapy. By June of 2000 and possibly a month earlier, a sexual relationship

had begun between Richardson and Dragomir at a time when Richardson was serving

as Dragomir' s therapist. See York Insurance Co. Statement of Material Facts dated

February 2, 2012

February 6, 2012

Dragomir until Dragomir's treatment concluded in January 2001.

In July 2001 Dragomir disclosed to Spring Harbor that he had been sexually

victimized by Richardson at a time when Richardson was serving as Dragomir' s

therapist. Richardson was immediate! y suspended from Spring Harbor and then

resigned. He was reported to the Board of Licensure and was later convicted of gross

sexual assault under the provision of the criminal law that prohibits sexual acts between

a social worker and a person receiving mental health therapy as a client of the social

worker. 17-A M.R.S. § 253(2)(!). 2

Dragomir thereafter sued Richardson and Spring Harbor. Dragomir v.

Richardson, CV-02-615 (Superior Court Cumberland County). His claim against Spring

Harbor was based on two theories: that Spring Harbor as Richardson's employer was

vicariously liable for Richardson's actions and that Spring Harbor was liable for

negligent supervision of Richardson.

The Superior Court granted summary judgment for Spring Harbor on both of

those claims. On appeal, the Law Court affirmed the dismissal of Dragomir' s vicarious

liability claim but remanded the negligent supervision claim for consideration by a

medical malpractice screening panel and then by the court. Dragomir v. Spring Harbor

Hospital, 2009 ME 51, 970 A.2d 310.

2 Richardson was convicted under section 253(2)(1) as it existed in 2000-01. The requirement that "mental health therapy" be involved has since been deleted.

3 After a panel hearing Dragomir dismissed his negligent supervision claim

against Spring Harbor and proceeded with his claims against Richardson.

Subsequently Richardson consented to the entry of a $125,000 judgment against him

with the proviso that the judgment could not be executed against any of Richardson's

personal assets or income. See Consent Judgment dated March 7, 2011 in CV-02-615.

Dragomir than brought these consolidated actions. During the time when

Dragomir' s cause of action against Richardson arose, defendant Medical Mutual

maintained insurance covering Spring Harbor employees. 3 During the time when

Dragomir' s cause of action against Richardson arose, Richardson also had a

homeowner's insurance policy with defendant York Insurance. Dragomir seeks

declaratory judgments that Medical Mutual and York Insurance are obligated to

indemnify Richardson for the damages awarded against Richardson in CV -02-615 and

seeks recovery of $125,000 against Medical Mutual and York Insurance under the reach

and apply statute, 24-A M.R.S. § 2904.

Given that the essential facts are undisputed, the pending motions turn on

questions of law - whether either the Medical Mutual policy or the York Insurance

homeowner's policy or both cover the claims against Richardson for which Dragomir

has obtained a $125,000 judgment.

Claim Against Medical Mutual

Although the briefs of the parties address several of the provisions in the Medical

Mutual policy, the court concludes that one provision in that policy is dispositive. Both

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Related

Johnson v. McNeil
2002 ME 99 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2002)
Perreault v. Maine Bonding & Casualty Co.
568 A.2d 1100 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1990)
Dragomir v. Spring Harbor Hospital
2009 ME 51 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2009)
Landry v. Leonard
1998 ME 241 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1998)
Rodrigue v. Rodrigue
1997 ME 99 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 1997)
Jacobi v. MMG Insurance
2011 ME 56 (Supreme Judicial Court of Maine, 2011)

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Dragomir v. Med. Mut. Ins. Co., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/dragomir-v-med-mut-ins-co-mesuperct-2012.