Gaston Cornu-labat v. Hospital District 2 of Grant County dba Quincy Valley Hospital

Court of Appeals of Washington·Decided August 11, 2015·No. 32436-2·Unpublished

Opinion

FILED

AUG. 11,2015

In the Office of the Clerk of Court WA State Court of Appeals, Division III

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON DIVISION THREE

GASTON CORNU-LABAT, )

) No. 32436-2-III Respondent, )

)

v. )

)

HOSPITAL DIST. #2 GRANT COUNTY ) UNPUBLISHED OPINION d/b/a QUINCY VALLEY HOSPITAL, )

)

Petitioners. )

FEARING, J. - Gaston Cornu-Labat sues Hospital District #2 of Grant County, d/b/a Quincy Valley Medical Center (QVMC), for alleged violations of Washington's Public Records Act (PRA) ch. 42.56 RCW. QVMC formerly employed Cornu-Labat as a surgeon and medical director. As a public hospital district, QVMC is subject to the PRA.

The Washington Supreme Court previously heard an appeal in this case and ruled there to be issues of fact with regard to exemptions claimed by QVMC under the PRA. On remand, QVMC refiled a summary judgment motion, with a new declaration from its hospital administrator, asking for dismissal ofCornu-Labafs claims. The trial court denied the motion. We granted discretionary review. We now affirm the denial of the

No. 32436-2-111 Cornu-Labat v. Hosp. Dist. #2

summary judgment motion based on the doctrine of the law of the case. We do not I~ address the merits of the appeal, but remand for trial.

I FACTS From February 2007 to January 2010, QVMC employed Dr. Gaston Cornu-Labat as a surgeon, chief of medical staff, and, for a brief period, interim Chief Executive Officer (CEO). QVMC is a public hospital district. As such, QVMC is managed by an elected Board of Commissioners (the Board), which has "overall responsibility for the conduct ofthe hospital." Clerk's Papers (CP) at 135. The Board appoints a CEO "to act in its behalf in the overall management of the hospital." CP at 135. QVMC also has a medical staff with voting rights on subjects such as clinical privileges, practitioner performance evaluations, hospital policymaking, and policy enforcement. The hospital is small. At the time of the pertinent events in this case, the medical staff consisted of four physicians with voting rights and two nonvoting nurse practitioners.

The QVMC bylaws governs the hospital's medical staff. Article VIII of the bylaws delineates the procedure for corrective or disciplinary action against QVMC practitioners accused of substandard conduct. Article VIII generally addresses concerns related to a medical staffmember's competence, capacity, or character. QVMC maintains a separate policy titled "Dealing with Disruptive Behavior Among Healthcare Providers" (disruptive behavior policy) for addressing "egregiously disruptive behavior"

and "disruptive behavior." CP at 273, 190.

No. 32436-2-III Cornu-Labat v. Hosp. Dist. #2

On July 23,2009, Gaston Cornu-Labat worked a night shift at QVMC. During the shift, Cornu-Labat conversed with a nurse who told him, as they spoke, that she felt uncomfortable with the interaction. The nurse complained to Cornu-Labat that he smelled of alcohol and he acted aggressive and impatient. Cornu-Labat ended the conversation and immediately reported the incident to hospital administrators. He requested an investigation.

On July 24, 2009, Dr. Mark Vance, vice-president of the medical staff, and Medhi Merred, hospital administrator, started an investigation of Gaston Cornu-Labat's July 23 conduct. Vance served as acting president for the investigation since Cornu-Labat was president of the medical staff at the time. On July 24, Vance and Merred, along with Glenda Bishop, QVMC's risk management director, interviewed Cornu-Labat and four other persons with knowledge of the intoxication allegations. At the beginning of Cornu­ Labat's interview, Merred declared:

This interview is conducted as part of an investigation conducted in accordance with the Medical Staff Bylaws, Article VIII, and the Administrative Policy "Dealing with Disruptive Behavior Among Healthcare Providers." We are the team investigating the complaint. As the Administrator it is my role to conduct any necessary fact finding.

CP at 190. After completing the inquiry, the investigators concluded insufficient evidence supported the allegation of intoxication. Cornu-Labat received a letter confirming that the intoxication investigation had been dismissed.

While conducting the intoxication investigation, Mark Vance and Mehdi Merred

No. 32436-2-111 Cornu-Labat v. Hosp. Dist. #2

received other complaints from QVMC staff members regarding Gaston Cornu-Labat. The complaints alleged Cornu-Labat arrived late to work, repeatedly rescheduled patients without any explanation, demanded patients wait while he engaged in lengthy telephone calls, convened last minute unscheduled staff meetings, failed to take patient vital signs, neglected his personal appearance, yelled, and intimidated hospital staff.

On July 27, 2009, QVMC's medical staff met and unanimously agreed to investigate the new complaints about Gaston Cornu-Labat pursuant to both Article VIII of the bylaws and the disruptive behavior policy. The staff authorized Mark Vance, Mehdi Merred, and board member Anthony Gonzalez to undertake an investigation into alleged inappropriate and unprofessional behavior of Cornu-Labat.

On July 29,2009, Gaston Cornu-Labat filed his first public records request with QVMC. He sought: "Any and all records relating to [the intoxication] investigation under the medical staffby laws [sic] for eleged [sic] physician disruptive behavior and/or any other investigation relating to my conduct and my person[.]" CP at 36-37. On the same day, Mehdi Merred, via e-mail, rejected Cornu-Labat's public records request. Merred cited "RCW 42.56.240 which provides exemption from public inspection for specific investigative records compiled by agencies vested with the responsibility to discipline members of any profession." CP at 39. Merred did not identity which documents QVMC refused to produce under the exemption.

No. 32436-2-III Cornu-Labat v. Hosp. Dist. #2

On August 4,2009, Mark Vance, Mehdi Merred, and Anthony Gonzalez interviewed Gaston Cornu-Labat. Merred informed Cornu-Labat that the medical staff approved the second investigation pursuant to Article VIII of the bylaws and the disruptive behavior policy. The trio later also interviewed the complainants against Cornu-Labat.

On August 6,2009, the QVMC investigation panel concluded its second inquiry and cleared Gaston Cornu-Labat of all charges of "inappropriate and unprofessional behavior." CP at 88. Nevertheless, in a letter to Cornu-Labat confirming dismissal of the allegations, QVMC expressed concern for Cornu-Labat and placed him on paid medical leave beginning on August 10,2009. QVMC directed Cornu-Labat to schedule an "informal interview" with a doctor from the Washington Physicians Help Program (WPHP). The letter informed Cornu-Labat that he could not return from paid leave until WPHP notified QVMC that he was fit for duty. Cornu-Labat challenged the objectivity of WPHP physicians and objected to the conditions of any evaluation by the organization. He refused to undergo an evaluation by WPHP. Cornu-Labat instead submitted independent psychiatric evaluations with providers of his own choosing.

On August 11,2009, Gaston Cornu-Labat delivered his second public records request to QVMC. He demanded a copy of "all writings relating to any inquiries and/or investigations involving" himself. CP at 115. QVMC sent no written response to this second request.

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On August 26,2009, Cornu-Labat's lawyer sent a letter to QVMC and demanded production of the documents sought by Cornu-Labat in his two records request. The attorney argued the inapplicability of the law enforcement investigation exemption. In the lawyer's letter, Cornu-Labat offered to forgo litigation in exchange for prompt disclosure of the requested documents. In response to the letter, QVMC provided some documents, but none related to the investigations.

On October 29, 2009, QVMC terminated Gaston Cornu-Labat's employment.

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