Greenfield v. Manor Care, Inc.

705 So. 2d 926, 1998 WL 25538
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedDecember 24, 1997
Docket94-3487
StatusPublished
Cited by37 cases

This text of 705 So. 2d 926 (Greenfield v. Manor Care, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Greenfield v. Manor Care, Inc., 705 So. 2d 926, 1998 WL 25538 (Fla. Ct. App. 1997).

Opinion

705 So.2d 926 (1997)

Dorothy L. GREENFIELD, on her own behalf and on Behalf of all others similarly situated, Appellant,
v.
MANOR CARE, INC., Manor Healthcare Corp. d/b/a Manor Care of Boca Raton and/or Manor Care Nursing Center, Appellees.

No. 94-3487.

District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fourth District.

December 24, 1997.

*927 Robert M. Montgomery, Jr. of Montgomery & Larmoyeux, West Palm Beach, Scott R. Shepherd and Mark C. Rifkin of Greenfield & Rifkin LLP, Ardmore, PA., and Marguerite R. Goodman of Law Offices of Marguerite R. Goodman, Wynnewood, PA., for appellant.

L. Louis Mrachek of Gunster, Yoakley, Valdes-Fauli & Stewart, P.A., West Palm Beach and Joel Hamme, William O. Bittman, Alexander P. Starr and Jerome D. Pinn of Reed Smith Shaw & McClay, Washington D.C., for appellees.

SHAHOOD, Judge.

Dorothy L. Greenfield appeals the trial court's order dismissing her eight-count, second amended complaint. We reverse the court's dismissal of counts I, II, III, VI, and VII, and remand with directions that the trial court reinstate appellant's cause of action.

Appellant fails to address counts IV, V, and VIII in this appeal and is deemed to have abandoned these counts on appeal. See Stutzke v. Kohl, 576 So.2d 356, 358 (Fla. 4th DCA 1991); Cohen v. Am. Legion, 546 So.2d 46, 47 (Fla. 4th DCA 1989). While the trial court was correct in dismissing the entity Manor Care Inc. as a defendant, based on the allegations of the second amended complaint, we hold that leave to amend should have been given to appellant to attempt to state a cause of action against that defendant. See generally Life Gen. Sec. Ins. Co. v. Horal, 667 So.2d 967, 969 (Fla. 4th DCA 1996)(leave to amend should be granted unless the privilege has been abused, there is prejudice to the opposing party, or amendment would be futile.)

MATERIAL FACTS

Appellant's husband, Herman Greenfield, resided at appellee's, Manor Care, nursing home facility for a period of time prior to his death in August 1990. Following her husband's death, appellant, as surviving spouse, individually, and as personal representative of the estate of her late husband, and on behalf of all others similarly situated, filed an eight-count, second amended complaint alleging in count I, breaches of implied covenants of reasonableness, good faith, and fair dealing; count II, money had and received; count III, common law unjust enrichment; count IV, negligent omissions; count V, breach of contract for nursing care; count VI, breach of fiduciary duty; count VII, violations of Florida Statutes sections 400.022 (1993) and 400.165 (1993); and count VIII, declaratory judgment.

Appellant's second amended complaint alleged that she had executed an agreement with appellee whereby she agreed to be responsible for and personally guarantee the payment of bills rendered by Manor Care for nursing home care for her late husband.

Appellant's complaint alleged, in part, the following:

24. Manor Care acknowledged an obligation under the Agreement to provide Patients and their Guarantors with full disclosure of the charges for Goods and Services and the basis of those charges in the "State's Patient's Bill of Rights" attached to the Agreements. The fifth paragraph of this Bill of Rights states that patients have:
5. The right to be fully informed, in writing and orally, prior to or at the time of *928 admission and during [their] stay, of services and charges for services not covered under Title XVIII of Title XIX of the Social Security Act or not covered by the basic per diem rates; and of bed reservation and refund policies of the facility.

The complaint in question further alleged the following:

31. The superior bargaining power that Manor Care possessed and/or possesses over Plaintiff and Others is shown by the Agreements' Terms and Conditions, which state:
5. Charges billed by the Facility shall include, but not be limited to, amounts reflecting daily services for the period covered, plus amounts reflecting such additional supplies and services determined by the Facility, and/or Patient, and/or Physician to be necessary and proper for the health, comfort, rehabilitation and/or safety of the Patient. Any failure by the Patient and/or Guarantor to accept or pay for any such additional supplies or services shall be grounds for immediate termination of this Agreement without further written notice and shall authorize Facility to require, at its discretion, the immediate removal of Patient from the Facility. (Emphasis added.)
32. Manor Care's superior bargaining power enabled it to purport to retain complete discretion to impose and/or change any charge for such "additional supplies and services," except for a notice requirement for changes in the daily rate.
The Agreements state:
It is understood by all parties to this Agreement that the daily rate stipulated above covers only general nursing care. Any special nursing care or any special equipment or services shall be in addition to the daily rate in accordance with charge schedules established by the Facility.
It is further understood by all Parties to this Agreement that the Facility may change the daily rate only upon fifteen (15) days advance written notice to the Patient and/or Guarantor at the address or addresses indicated above.

The complaint went on to charge that appellee had systematically inflated prices billed to appellant and others by "consciously and deliberately adding on, marking up and overcharging for goods and services in violation of appellee's contractual obligations to such persons," and then set out several examples of the same.

DISMISSAL OF COUNT I

BREACHES OF IMPLIED COVENANTS OF REASONABLENESS, GOOD FAITH, AND FAIR DEALING

Appellant alleged that she was obligated to pay appellee only those charges for pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and services reasonably incident to the care and treatment of her husband. Further, appellant alleged that there are implied covenants of reasonableness, good faith and fair dealing in the agreements relating to the charges for goods and services and that appellee breached those covenants by reasonably, unlawfully and excessively charging appellant and others for pharmaceuticals, medical supplies, and services, as well as not providing to members of the Florida Sub-Class the level of nursing services to which they were entitled.

In support of the motion to dismiss count I, Manor Care argued that the express terms of the contract (i.e., that the rates shall be based upon charge schedules established by the facility) foreclose any argument that the prices charged were unreasonable. The court agreed, and dismissed count I finding that "an implied covenant of good faith, reasonableness, and fair dealing may not be imposed to override these express terms, and as a matter of law, Manor Care may not be found to have breached such a covenant."

Under Florida law, all contracts include the implied covenants of good faith and commercial reasonableness. See Green Cos., Inc. v. Kendall Racquetball Invs., Ltd., 560 So.2d 1208, 1210 (Fla. 3d DCA 1990); Kies v. Hollub, 450 So.2d 251, 255 (Fla. 3d DCA), rev. denied, 453 So.2d 1364 (Fla.1984)("a requirement for commercial reasonableness will be read into any contract where possible, language to the contrary notwithstanding"); *929 Scheck v.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Alexander Bostic v. Matari Bodie
Eleventh Circuit, 2025
O'Dell v. Vrable III, Inc.
2022 Ohio 4156 (Ohio Court of Appeals, 2022)
Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co. v. Wal-Mart Stores East, LP
269 F. Supp. 3d 1254 (M.D. Florida, 2017)
Pincus v. Speedpay, Inc.
161 F. Supp. 3d 1150 (S.D. Florida, 2015)
Noveshen v. Bridgewater Associates, LP
47 F. Supp. 3d 1367 (S.D. Florida, 2014)
Manor Care Inc. v. Tom Douglas
763 S.E.2d 73 (West Virginia Supreme Court, 2014)
Silver v. Countrywide Home Loans, Inc.
760 F. Supp. 2d 1330 (S.D. Florida, 2011)
White Construction Co. v. Martin Marietta Materials, Inc.
633 F. Supp. 2d 1302 (M.D. Florida, 2009)
Action Nissan, Inc. v. Hyundai Motor America
617 F. Supp. 2d 1177 (M.D. Florida, 2008)
Estate of Jones v. MARINER HEALTH CARE
955 So. 2d 43 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2007)
Merkle v. Health Options, Inc.
940 So. 2d 1190 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2006)
Gonzalez v. Eagle Ins. Co.
948 So. 2d 1 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2006)
Knowles v. Beverly Enterprises-Florida
898 So. 2d 1 (Supreme Court of Florida, 2004)
Thompson v. Kindred Nursing Centers East, LLC
211 F. Supp. 2d 1345 (M.D. Florida, 2002)
Allen v. Stephan Co.
784 So. 2d 456 (District Court of Appeal of Florida, 2000)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
705 So. 2d 926, 1998 WL 25538, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/greenfield-v-manor-care-inc-fladistctapp-1997.