Furr v. Ridgewood Surgery & Endoscopy Center, LLC

192 F. Supp. 3d 1215, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84804, 2016 WL 3660305
CourtDistrict Court, D. Kansas
DecidedJune 28, 2016
DocketCIVIL ACTION No. 14-1011-KHV
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 192 F. Supp. 3d 1215 (Furr v. Ridgewood Surgery & Endoscopy Center, LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Kansas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Furr v. Ridgewood Surgery & Endoscopy Center, LLC, 192 F. Supp. 3d 1215, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84804, 2016 WL 3660305 (D. Kan. 2016).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

Kathryn H. Vratil, United' States District Court

Grace Furr brings claims against her former employer, Nueterra Healthcare [1218]*1218Management, LLC (“Nueterra”), Ridge-wood Surgery & Endoscopy Center, LLC (“Ridgewood”) and Joseph T. Poggi, III., M.D. (“Dr. Poggi”). Under Kansas common law, plaintiff alleges that Ridgewood and Dr. Poggi tortiously interfered with her employment contract with Nueterra. This matter comes before the Court on the Motion For Summary Judgment (Doc.' #82) which Ridgewood and Dr. Poggi filed on March 4, 2015. For reasons set forth below, the Court finds that the motion should be overruled.1

Legal Standards

Summary judgment is appropriate if the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. See Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c); Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 247, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986); Hill v. Allstate Ins. Co., 479 F.3d 735, 740 (10th Cir.2007). A factual dispute is “material” only if it “might affect the outcome of the suit under the governing law.” Liberty Lobby, 477 U.S. at 248, 106 S.Ct. 2505. A “genuine” factual dispute requires more than a mere scintilla of evidence in support of a party’s position. Id at 252,106 S.Ct. 2505.

The moving party bears the -initial burden of showing the absence of any genuine issue of material fact. Celotex Corp. v. Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 323, 106 S.Ct. 2548, 91 L.Ed.2d 265 (1986); Nahno-Lopez v. Houser, 625 F.3d 1279, 1283 (10th Cir.. 2010), Once the moving party meets the initial burden, the burden shifts to the nonmoving party to demonstrate that genuine issues remain for trial as to those dispositive matters for which she carries the burden of proof. Applied Genetics Int’l, Inc, v. First Affiliated Sec., Inc., 912 F.2d 1238, 1241 (10th Cir.1990); see also Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S. 574, 586-87, 106 S.Ct. 1348, 89 L,Ed.2d 538 (1986). To carry her burden, the nonmoving party may not rest on her pleadings but must instead set forth specific facts supported by competent evidence. Nahno-Lopez, 625 F.3d at 1283.

The Court views the record in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Deepwater Invs., Ltd. v. Jackson Hole Ski Corp., 938 F.2d 1105, 1110 (10th Cir.1991). It may, grant summary judgment if the nonmoving party’s evidence is merely col-orable or is not significantly probative. Liberty Lobby, 477 U.S. at 250-51, 106 S.Ct. 2505. In response to a motion for summary judgment, a party cannot, rely on ignorance of facts, on speculation or on suspicion, and may not escape summary judgment in the mere hope that something will turn up at trial. Conaway v. Smith, 853 F.2d 789, 794 (10th Cir.1988). The heart of the inquiry is “whether the evidence presents a sufficient disagreement to require submission to the jury or whether it is so one-sided that one party must prevail as a matter of law.” Liberty Lobby, 477 U.S. at 251-52,106 S.Ct. 2505.

Facts2

The following facts are either uncontro-verted, deemed admitted or construed in the light most favorable to plaintiff, the non-movant.

[1219]*1219Ridgewood is an ambulatory surgery center in Wichita, Kansas. Nueterra manages Ridgewood and employs all clinical and business staff for the facility,3 Nueter-ra does not employ the physicians who work at Ridgewood. The Development and Management Agreement (“Management Agreement”) between Nueterra and Ridgewood governs Nueterra’s duties as manager and provider of day-to-day operations at the facility. Nueterra and Ridge-wood are partners with a fiduciary relationship.

Nueterra Holdings, LLC, a Nueterra entity which is separate from Nueterra and not a party to this lawsuit, is a minority owner of Ridgewood. Nueterra Holdings, LLC and a group of individual physicians, including Dr. Poggi, invested in Ridgewood and each had an ownership interest in it. The Ridgewood Medical Staff Bylaws and the Ridgewood Operating Agreement govern the relationship between all Ridgewood investors, including Nueterra Holdings and the individual defendants. Goff Depo. at 41-42.

The Ridgewood Medical Staff Bylaws govern the credentialed physicians at Ridgewood, and establish a Credentialing Committee which also acts as the Continuous Quality Improvement Committee (“CQI Committee”). The CQI Committee makes recommendations for privileges, patient safety and risk management and reviews and assesses the quality of care. The CQI Committee also has a duty to “investigate charges of misconduct by Medical Staff Members and Allied Health Professionals and make corrective action recommendations to the Governing Body,” Doc. #81-8, § 7.5.6.

In March of 2007, Nueterra hired Grace Furr, a licensed registered nurse, as Clinical Administrator for Ridgewood. Furr entered a written employment contract with Nueterra. Furr’s contract specified that she reported to Kim Krause, Nueterra Employer Group Vice President. NUE 219.4

. Dr. Poggi, is an original investor at Ridgewood who performs surgery at Ridgewood and at other locations. Dr. Pog-gi is one of the largest producers of revenue at Ridgewood. From 2007 to May of 2011, he served on the Ridgewood Board of Managers.

Dr. Gerry Gaston is a surgeon who is an original investor at Ridgewood. Dr. Gaston performs surgeries at Ridgewood and other locations. Dr. Gaston is one of the largest producers of revenue at Ridgewood. From 2007 to the present, Dr. Gaston served on the Ridgewood Board of Managers, and from 2007 to May of 2011, he served as.the board chair.

Dr. Stephen Olson is an original investor at Ridgewood who performs surgeries at Ridgewood and other locations. From May 2011 to- the present, Dr. Olson has served on the Ridgewood Board of Managers. He [1220]*1220has served as chairman of the board from 2013 to the present.

Dr. Douglas Friesen is an anesthesiologist who is an original investor at Ridge-wood. Dr. Friesen administers anesthesia during surgeries at Ridgewood and other locations. Dr. Friesen is also the Medical Director for Ridgewood. He has served on the Ridgewood Board of Managers from 2007 to the present.

Dr. Jace Hyder is a surgeon who is an original investor at Ridgewood. He served on the Ridgewood Board of Managers from 2007 to 2013 and was chairman from 2011 to 2013. Dr. Hyder knew Furr before she began working at Ridgewood, and recommended to Nueterra that it hire her as administrator of the practice.

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192 F. Supp. 3d 1215, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 84804, 2016 WL 3660305, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/furr-v-ridgewood-surgery-endoscopy-center-llc-ksd-2016.