Fecteau v. Spring Harbor Hosp.

CourtSuperior Court of Maine
DecidedFebruary 28, 2014
DocketCUMcv-10-649
StatusUnpublished

This text of Fecteau v. Spring Harbor Hosp. (Fecteau v. Spring Harbor Hosp.) 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
Fecteau v. Spring Harbor Hosp., (Me. Super. Ct. 2014).

Opinion

STATE OF MAINE SUPERIOR COURT CUMBERLAND, ss CIVIL ACTION DO~KET NO. C,Yi0~6w ,1ftltl- LL-ffY! .. ;5i;;zf .2o;j' STEPHEN A. FECTEAU, et al.,

Plaintiffs ORDER ON MOTION FOR v. SUMMARY JUDGMENT

SPRING HARBOR HOSPITAL, et al.,

Defendants

Before the Court is the defendants' motion for summary judgment.

Defendants allege that they are immune from suit under the Maine Tort Claims

Act. 14 M.R.S. § 8103(1) (2013). For the following reasons, the motion is denied.

BACKGROUND

Kathryn Fecteau suffered from depression for much of her adult life.

(Opp. S.M.F. <][ 39.) On 2/27/10, Ms. Fecteau presented for voluntary admission

to Spring Harbor Hospital through the Maine Medical Center Emergency

Department. (Opp. S.M.F. <][ 43.) Ms. Fecteau was admitted as a voluntary patient

and payment for her admission was authorized by her CIGNA health insurance.

(Opp. S.M.F. <][ 45.)

Defendant Dr. Daria Hanson first saw Ms. Fecteau at Spring Harbor on

3/1/10. (Opp. S.M.F. <][ 46.) During that first visit, Dr. Hanson noted that Ms.

Fecteau was depressed and had suicidal thoughts. (Opp. S.M.F. <][ 46.) Ms.

Fecteau expressed an interest in electroconvulsive therapy ("ECT") to treat her

depression. (Opp. S.M.F. <][ 46.) During the next five days after that first visit, Dr.

Hanson took steps to enroll Ms. Fecteau in ECT. (Opp. S.M.F. <][ 47.) Dr. Hanson consulted another psychiatrist at Spring Harbor for a second opinion about Ms.

Fecteau; the other psychiatrist concluded that ECT was not an unreasonable

treatment option. (Opp. S.M.F. '][ 48.)

On 315110, Dr. Hanson told Ms. Fecteau that she was scheduled to begin

ECT treatment at Maine Medical Center on 318110. (Opp. S.M.F. '][ 49.) Shortly

before the ECT treatment was scheduled to begin on 3 I 8 I 10, the treatment was

cancelled because of medical concerns. (Opp. S.M.F. '][ 50.) The plaintiffs'

allegation that the "cancellation had nothing to do with any change in psychiatric

diagnosis" is not supported by the record citation. (Opp. S.M.F. '][ 51; Reply

S.M.F. '][50.)

After the ECT was cancelled, Ms. Fecteau became angry, disappointed,

and dysregulated. (Opp. S.M.F. '][ 52.) She returned to her room, tied a sheet

around her neck, and attempted to suffocate herself with a pillow. (Opp. S.M.F. '][

52.) After this incident, Ms. Fecteau was placed on one-on-one observation. (Opp.

S.M.F. '][ 53.) When William Gelinas, a physician's assistant, met with Ms.

Fecteau later that morning, she demanded to be discharged from Spring Harbor.

(Opp. S.M.F. '][54.)

Mr. Gelinas recorded a diagnosis of "Major Depressive Disorder,

recurrent, severe, without psychotic features. Consider Anxiety Disorder, [Not

Otherwise Specified], PTSD, chronic symptoms." (Opp. S.M.F. '][ 54.) He

concluded that Ms. Fecteau required extended involuntary commitment because

she posed a risk of harm to herself. (Opp. S.M.F. '11: 54.) Mr. Gelinas ordered the

preparation of an application for involuntary commitment and signed the order

2 as the certifying examiner. 1 (Opp. S.M.F. Cf[ 55.) Later in the day on 318110, Ms.

Fecteau required a floor hold and restraint and again was placed on one-on-one

observation. (Opp. S.M.F.

authorizations for Spring Harbor to speak with her family members. (Opp.

S.M.F.

On 3 I 10 I 10, Ms. Fecteau agreed to participate in a treatment meeting the

following day with her husband, daughter, and Dr. Hanson. (Opp. S.M.F. Cf[ 58.)

At the meeting, Dr. Hanson read to them the criteria for the diagnosis of

borderline personality disorder; Dr. Hanson felt that diagnosis described Ms.

Fecteau. (Opp. S.M.F.

borderline personality disorder would not respond well to ECT treatment. (Opp.

S.M.F.

S.M.F.

On 3110110 at 1:30 p.m., Dr. Hanson initiated the "white paper" process

to continue Ms. Fecteau's involuntary admission. 2 (Opp. S.M.F.

the treatment meeting, Ms. Fecteau remained angry and focused on discharge.

(Opp. S.M.F.

and just leave here and kill myself." (Opp. S.M.F.

conversation, Dr. Hanson allowed Ms. Fecteau to remain in her room with

checks every fifteen minutes. (Opp. S.M.F.

Fecteau hanged herself with the shower curtain in her room. (Opp. S.M.F.

She was pronounced dead on 3111110 at 9:25p.m. (Opp. S.M.F.

1 Under 34-B M.R.S. § 3863(2) (2013), an application for involuntary commitment must be accompanied by a certifying examination signed by a medical practitioner. 2 Under 34-B M.R.S. § 3863(5-A), to continue hospitalizing an involuntarily admitted patient for longer than three days, the hospital must get a court order under section 3864.

3 PROCEDURAL HISTORY

In the notice of claim filed 12 I 23 I 10 and the complaint filed 10 I 29 I 12, the

plaintiffs allege Dr. Hanson and Spring Harbor Hospital, through Its agents and

employees, breached the applicable standard of care in the treatment and care of

Ms. Fecteau. They allege Ms. Fecteau endured conscious pain and suffering and

the heirs have been damaged. Defendants moved for summary judgment on

9 I 6 I 13 on all counts of the complaint.

DISCUSSION

1. Standard of Review

"Summary judgment is appropriate when there is no genuine issue of

material fact that is in dispute and, at trial, the parties would be entitled to

judgment as a matter of law." Fitzgerald v. Hutchins, 2009 ME 115,

382. "An issue is genuine if there is sufficient evidence supporting the claimed

factual dispute to require a choice between the differing versions; an issue is

material if it could potentially affect the outcome of the matter." Brown Dev.

Corp. v. Hemond, 2008 ME 146,

to establish that their affirmative defense bars plaintiffs' claim. See Baker v.

Farrand, 2011 ME 91,

defense of a statute of limitations has the ultimate burden of establishing without

dispute as to a material fact that the cause of action accrued outside of the

limitations period.").

2. Discovery Related to Defendants' Affirmative Defense

Plaintiffs contend that, despite their discovery requests, the documents

related to the defendants' affirmative defense of immunity were not provided to

them until the defendants filed their motion for summary judgment. The

4 plaintiffs requested in discovery all documents related to any affirmative defense

the defendants planned to assert in the case. (Opp. S.M.F.

response first referenced previously filed objections and then stated that the

materials would be provided "according to the Panel Chair's Scheduling Order

and the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure." (Opp. S.M.F.

originally objected that the request was premature and called for disclosure of

attorney work product protected by M.R. Civ. P. 26(b)(3). (Reply S.M.F.

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