Herns v. Symphony Jackson Square LLC

2021 IL App (1st) 201064
CourtAppellate Court of Illinois
DecidedApril 16, 2021
Docket1-20-1064
StatusPublished
Cited by15 cases

This text of 2021 IL App (1st) 201064 (Herns v. Symphony Jackson Square LLC) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Court of Illinois primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Herns v. Symphony Jackson Square LLC, 2021 IL App (1st) 201064 (Ill. Ct. App. 2021).

Opinion

Digitally signed by Reporter of Decisions Reason: I attest to Illinois Official Reports the accuracy and integrity of this document Appellate Court Date: 2022.06.14 15:02:55 -05'00'

Herns v. Symphony Jackson Square LLC, 2021 IL App (1st) 201064

Appellate Court MARILYN HERNS, as Guardian of the Estate of Clematine Leonard, Caption Plaintiff-Appellee, v. SYMPHONY JACKSON SQUARE LLC, an Illinois Limited Liability Company, d/b/a Symphony of Chicago West; MAESTRO CONSULTING SERVICES, LLC, an Illinois Limited Liability Company, and NORWEGIAN AMERICAN HOSPITAL, INC., Defendants (Symphony Jackson Square LLC and Maestro Consulting Services, LLC, Defendants-Appellants).

District & No. First District, Fifth Division No. 1-20-1064

Filed April 16, 2021

Decision Under Appeal from the Circuit Court of Cook County, No. 18-L-1749; the Review Hon. Cassandra Lewis, Judge, presiding.

Judgment Reversed and remanded in part; dismissed in part.

Counsel on Robert Marc Chemers and Scott L. Howie, of Pretzel & Stouffer, Appeal Chtrd., of Chicago, and Ari B. Kirshner, of McCabe Kirshner, P.C., of Lincolnwood, for appellants.

Michael W. Rathsack, of Chicago (Steven M. Levin and Andrew J. Thut, of Levin & Perconti, of counsel), for appellee. Panel JUSTICE ROCHFORD delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion. Presiding Justice Delort and Justice Hoffman concurred in the judgment and opinion.

OPINION

¶1 Plaintiff, Marilyn Herns, as guardian of the estate of Clematine Leonard (Leonard), filed a second amended complaint against defendants-appellants, Symphony Jackson Square LLC, doing business as Symphony of Chicago West (Symphony), and Maestro Consulting Services, LLC (Maestro), alleging violations of the Nursing Home Care Act (Act) (210 ILCS 45/1-101 et seq. (West 2016)) against Symphony and common-law negligence against Maestro. A third defendant, Norwegian American Hospital, Inc., is not a party to this appeal. Symphony and Maestro (hereinafter, defendants) filed a motion to dismiss plaintiff’s second amended complaint and compel arbitration (motion to compel arbitration) pursuant to section 2- 619(a)(9) of the Code of Civil Procedure (Code) (735 ILCS 5/2-619(a)(9) (West 2018)), arguing that plaintiff had signed a health care arbitration agreement (HCA) on behalf of Leonard that required arbitration of the dispute. Defendants also filed a motion to dismiss plaintiff’s second amended complaint pursuant to section 2-619(a)(5) of the Code (id. § 2- 619(a)(5)), arguing that it was filed after the applicable two-year limitations period and did not relate back to the original or first amended complaint. ¶2 The circuit court denied the section 2-619(a)(9) motion to compel arbitration, finding that there were several outstanding questions of fact that precluded the granting of the motion— specifically, whether an agency relationship existed between plaintiff and Leonard and whether plaintiff had the actual or apparent authority to bind Leonard to the arbitration agreement. The court also denied the section 2-619(a)(5) motion to dismiss the second amended complaint based on the two-year statute of limitations, finding that a question of fact existed as to whether Leonard had a legal disability tolling the limitations period. Pursuant to Illinois Supreme Court Rule 307(a)(1) (eff. Nov. 1, 2017), defendants filed this interlocutory appeal from the order denying the section 2-619(a)(9) motion to compel arbitration and denying the section 2- 619(a)(5) motion to dismiss on limitations grounds. We reverse the order denying the section 2-619(a)(9) motion to compel arbitration and remand for further proceedings consistent with section 2(a) of the Uniform Arbitration Act (Uniform Act) (710 ILCS 5/2(a) (West 2018)). We dismiss for lack of jurisdiction the appeal from the order denying the section 2-619(a)(5) motion. ¶3 Plaintiff filed her first amended complaint on February 7, 2019, in her capacity as the attorney-in-fact for Leonard pursuant to a power of attorney entered into on February 23, 2010. Plaintiff alleged that from February 27, 2016, through June 10, 2016, Leonard was a resident of Symphony, a long-term care nursing facility as defined in the Act (210 ILCS 45/1-113 (West 2016)). Maestro, the management company and owner and/or operator of Symphony, exercised significant control over Symphony’s day-to-day operations. In count I against Symphony for violating the Act, plaintiff alleged that Symphony committed various statutory violations and negligent acts that led to Leonard developing multiple pressure sores on her sacrum, right buttock, and left heel. In count II against Maestro for common-law negligence,

-2- plaintiff alleged that Maestro committed various other negligent acts that led to Leonard’s development of the pressure sores on her sacrum, right buttock, and left heel. ¶4 Defendants filed a motion to compel arbitration pursuant to section 2-619(a)(9) of the Code. Defendants argued therein that, prior to Leonard arriving at Symphony, plaintiff was provided an admission contract and an HCA, which she signed as the authorized representative on Leonard’s behalf. The HCA stated that any claim arising out of injuries allegedly received by Leonard would be submitted to binding arbitration, instead of to a court, and that all parties would abide by the decision of the arbitration panel. Defendants contended that plaintiff had the legal authority to sign the HCA on Leonard’s behalf, as plaintiff had admitted in her deposition testimony that she had power of attorney to make all financial and health care decisions for Leonard. ¶5 While the section 2-619(a)(9) motion to compel arbitration was pending, plaintiff produced the Illinois statutory short form power of attorney executed on February 23, 2010, appointing her Leonard’s attorney-in-fact. The power of attorney form listed a series of actions that plaintiff could perform on Leonard’s behalf, including real estate transactions, financial institution transactions, tangible personal property transactions, insurance and annuity transactions, borrowing and estate transactions, and “all other property powers and transactions.” The power of attorney form expressly allowed certain authority to be withheld by striking through nonpermitted actions. In pertinent part, Leonard struck through the following category of powers that she did not want plaintiff to have: “claims and litigation.” ¶6 On June 7, 2019, defendants filed a motion to dismiss plaintiff’s first amended complaint pursuant to section 2-619(a)(2) of the Code (735 ILCS 5/2-619(a)(2) (West 2018)). Defendants argued that the February 23, 2010, power of attorney appointing plaintiff as Leonard’s attorney-in-fact specifically precluded her from having any authority to engage in “claims and litigation” on Leonard’s behalf, meaning that plaintiff did not have authority to prosecute this action. ¶7 On June 17, 2019, plaintiff filed a motion for leave to file a second amended complaint. The second amended complaint was substantively similar to the first amended complaint, except that it provided that plaintiff was filing the action as guardian of Leonard’s estate rather than as Leonard’s attorney-in-fact pursuant to the power of attorney. Plaintiff attached to the motion an order from May 16, 2019, appointing her the limited guardian of Leonard’s estate. The order noted that Leonard has several legal disabilities—including advanced stage dementia, diabetes, and asthma—and that she lacks some but not all of the ability to manage her estate or financial affairs.

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2021 IL App (1st) 201064, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/herns-v-symphony-jackson-square-llc-illappct-2021.