Hall v. Prince George's County

189 F. Supp. 2d 320, 2002 WL 417256
CourtDistrict Court, D. Maryland
DecidedMarch 14, 2002
DocketCIV.A. DKC 2001-1516
StatusPublished

This text of 189 F. Supp. 2d 320 (Hall v. Prince George's County) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hall v. Prince George's County, 189 F. Supp. 2d 320, 2002 WL 417256 (D. Md. 2002).

Opinion

189 F.Supp.2d 320 (2002)

Eartha M. HALL
v.
PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, et al.

No. CIV.A. DKC 2001-1516.

United States District Court, D. Maryland.

March 14, 2002.

*321 Warren L. Copeland, Law Office, Fort Washington, MD, for Plaintiff.

William A. Snoddy, Riverdale, MD, Shelly E. Mintz, Office of the Attorney General, Baltimore, MD, for Defendants.

MEMORANDUM OPINION

CHASANOW, District Judge.

Presently pending and ready for resolution in this action alleging delay and denial of Medicaid coverage is Defendants' motion to dismiss under Rule 12(b)(1) or (6). The issues are fully briefed and the court now rules pursuant to Local Rule 105.6, no hearing being deemed necessary.[1] For the following reasons, the motion to dismiss will be granted as to the federal claims and the remaining state law claims will be dismissed without prejudice.

I. Background

The following facts are alleged in the complaint by the Plaintiff. Plaintiff's complaint arises out of the delay or denial of Medicaid coverage. On August 1, 2000, Hall applied for Medical Assistance with the Prince George's County Social Service Department (PGSSD) on the ground that she was disabled. Emma Coles, an employee of PGSSD, requested medical records that had been submitted by Hall. Coles denied Hall's application for Medical Assistance on the incorrect ground that Hall had not submitted her medical records. In October 2001, Jane Foust, a Medical Assistance Appeals Officer of the PGSSD, contacted Hall and told Hall that she would assist her. Foust asked Hall to withdraw her appeal, based on Foust's assurances of assistance. Hall withdrew her appeal and on November 15, 2000, Foust asked Hall to send her Hall's medical bills and records. Hall contacted Foust to inquire about the status of her case and Foust told her she was able to go to the hospital and Medicaid would take care of the bills. Foust sent Hall a twenty dollar voucher and told her that her Medicaid card would be activated within weeks. Hall was denied medical services due to the fact that her card was not activated.

On January 10, 2001, Hall requested an administrative hearing because she believed that PGSSD failed to act on her request for Medical Assistance. On February 15, 2001, Hall cancelled eye surgery *322 because she was without medical coverage, resulting in permanent damage to her right eye. On February 23, 2001, the State Review Team found that Hall was disabled and eligible for Medical Assistance from August 1, 2000, the original date of her application for coverage. On March 1, 2001, Hall appeared at a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge where it was determined that the coverage would not be effective because Hall had not provided bills in excess of her Spenddown amount. This litigation followed.

II. Standard of Review

A motion to dismiss pursuant to Fed. R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6) ought not be granted unless "it appears beyond doubt that the plaintiff can prove no set of facts in support of his claim which would entitle him to relief." Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 45-46, 78 S.Ct. 99, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957). All that the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure require of a complaint is that it contain "`a short and plain statement of the claim' that will give the defendant fair notice of what the plaintiff's claim is and the grounds upon which it rests." Conley v. Gibson, 355 U.S. 41, 47, 78 S.Ct. 99, 2 L.Ed.2d 80 (1957); Comet Enters. Ltd. v. Air-A-Plane Corp., 128 F.3d 855, 860 (4th Cir.1997). "Given the Federal Rules' simplified standard for pleading, `[a] court may dismiss a complaint only if it is clear that no relief could be granted under any set of facts that could be proved consistent with the allegations.'" Swierkiewicz v. Sorema N.A., 534 U.S. 506, 122 S.Ct. 992, 998, 152 L.Ed.2d 1 (2002), quoting Hishon v. King & Spalding, 467 U.S. 69, 73, 104 S.Ct. 2229, 81 L.Ed.2d 59 (1984).

In reviewing the complaint, the court accepts all well-pled allegations of the complaint as true and construes the facts and reasonable inferences derived therefrom in the light most favorable to the plaintiff. Ibarra v. United States, 120 F.3d 472, 473 (4th Cir.1997). The court must disregard the contrary allegations of the opposing party. A.S. Abell Co. v. Chell, 412 F.2d 712, 715 (4th Cir.1969). The court need not, however, accept unsupported legal conclusions, Revene v. Charles County Comm'rs, 882 F.2d 870, 873 (4th Cir.1989), legal conclusions couched as factual allegations, Papasan v. Allain, 478 U.S. 265, 286, 106 S.Ct. 2932, 92 L.Ed.2d 209 (1986), or conclusory factual allegations devoid of any reference to actual events, United Black Firefighters v. Hirst, 604 F.2d 844, 847 (4th Cir.1979).

III. Analysis

A. Federal Claims

Defendants move to dismiss the claims under 42 U.S.C. §§ 1981, 1983, 1985, 1986, and 1988 (the federal claims) on a variety of bases: they argue that the Eleventh Amendment bars certain claims, that the absence of supervisory liability under § 1983 dooms other claims, that there is no valid claim for a denial of equal protection, and that, otherwise, the complaint fails to state a claim. In her opposition memorandum, Plaintiff refines her claims and now contends that she has stated due process and intentional infliction of emotional distress claims. All of her federal causes of action appear to be asserted under the Boren Amendment, 42 U.S.C. § 1396a(a)(13)(A), which, she argues, she is entitled to enforce as "an intended beneficiary of the medicaid program." Paper No. 21, p. 4.

Although Plaintiff refers to 42 U.S.C. §§ 1981, 1983, 1985

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Hall v. Prince George's County
189 F. Supp. 2d 320 (D. Maryland, 2002)

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189 F. Supp. 2d 320, 2002 WL 417256, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hall-v-prince-georges-county-mdd-2002.