Hill v. Giani

296 P.3d 14, 2013 WL 860103, 2013 Alas. LEXIS 24
CourtAlaska Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 8, 2013
Docket6756 S-13693/S-13713
StatusPublished
Cited by11 cases

This text of 296 P.3d 14 (Hill v. Giani) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Alaska Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hill v. Giani, 296 P.3d 14, 2013 WL 860103, 2013 Alas. LEXIS 24 (Ala. 2013).

Opinions

OPINION

PER CURIAM.

I. INTRODUCTION

Mary Hill, the owner of an assisted living home, sought damages from Linda Giani, an independent care coordinator; the Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS); and Staci Collier, a state lHeensing specialist; for alleged economic harm caused by a Report of Harm filed by Giani, which resulted in the removal of one of Hill's residents and a subsequent investigation conducted by Collier. The superior court granted summary judgment: to DHSS and Collier on Hill's state law tort claims on the basis of immunity under AS 47.32.160(a); to Collier on Hill's 42 T.S.C. § 1983 due process claim because Hill failed to establish a genuine issue of material fact as to whether Collier's actions deprived her of a constitutional right; and to Giani on the basis of immunity under AS 47.24.120 and common law privilege. Hill appeals. We affirm the court's grants of summary [17]*17judgment to DHSS and Collier on the basis of immunity under AS 47.32.160(a) and to Collier on Hill's § 1983 claim. Because we find that Hill raised a genuine issue of material fact as to whether Giani acted in good faith when she filed her Report of Harm, we reverse the grant of summary judgment to Giani and remand for further proceedings.

Ciiani cross-appeals the court's grant of attorney's fees under Alaska Civil Rule 82. In light of our reversal of summary judgment, the attorney's fee awarded to Giani is vacated.

II. FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS

A. Facts

Hill owns and operates Wild Rose Gardens Assisted Living Home (Wild Rose), an assisted living home in Palmer licensed for four residents. J.H. moved into Wild Rose in the mid-1990s at the age of 18 and continued to live there until 2005.1 J.H. has diagnoses of mental retardation, severe psychomotor seizure disorder, Raynaud's Syndrome, B-Tha-lassemia, Oppositional/Defiant Disorder, and symptoms associated with Asperger's Syndrome. Giani became J.H.'s independent care coordinator in 1999. As a State-certified care coordinator paid by the State, Gia-ni's responsibilities included coordinating services between government agencies, providing information to parents, and developing and enforcing plans of care.2 A team of people assisted with J.H.'s care at Wild Rose, including Larry H., J.H.'s father and legal guardian; Cliani; the Ready Care agency, which coordinated J.H.'s care, paid Giani, and supplied aides to assist Hill during the day; and Hill.

In 2005 Hill told Larry H. that "they should start looking for another placement for J.H." because Hill was unable to provide appropriate care for and was "not making progress with" J.H, According to Larry H., Hill said that J.H.'s behavior was "making it just too difficult for her to handle." Larry H. also testified that Hill was suffering from migraines and could not come to the door at times during his visits to Wild Rose, which he felt was an "additional reason to believe that [Hill] could not take care of [J.H.] properly and [that J.H.] would have to find a new place to live."

On May 12, 2005, Giani submitted a Mental Retardation and Developmental Disability Plan of Care (Plan of Care) for J.H. covering the period of June 1, 2005 to May 81, 2006, which set forth goals and objectives for J.H.'s care and was to be submitted to the State for funding approval. Giani deseribed J.H.'s condition, placement, care providers, and the status of her treatment and care at Wild Rose. Giani noted that over the prior year there had been "increases in oppositional/defiant behaviors, increases in violent behaviors, and regression in all skill areas" which "required a significant increase in verbal and non-verbal cueing, prompts and modeling, physical assistance, and supervision and monitoring [to] meet her needs and insure her health and safety." Giani then stated that "[J.H.'s] team care[s] very deeply about her health, safety, and welfare" and that "[J.H.] loves her home environment and all of her care providers and often expresses that she never wants to leave [Hill's facility]." The Plan of Care also referred to a "Behavior Modification Plan" for J.H., "in which consequences include loss of recreation privileges in the community." Later, in a section titled "Goals and Objectives," Giani noted that J.H. would "receive positive feedback and incentives for appropriate social interactions" and negative feedback "via brief reminders, leaving the room, her 'audience' leaving, or loss of preferred social activities" for inappropriate interactions.

According to Hill, on August 1, 2005, Giani "unexpectedly" informed Hill that Giani was going to move J.H. According to Larry H., although Hill had "changed her mind" about wanting to find a new placement for J.H., he "did not change [his] mind about the need to have [J.H.] move to a new residence"; he was also "concerned that [Hill] would change her mind again and continued to be concerned about [Hill's] headaches and her physical ability to care for [J.H.]." According [18]*18to Larry H., he found a new place for J.H. to live "[wlith Linda Giant's help," and although he "appreciated Mary Hill's many years of care for [J.H.]," it was his decision to move J.H., and he "believed that decision was in [J.H.'s] best interests."

On August 2, 2005, Giani filed a confidential Report of Harm for the Protection of Vulnerable Adults (Report of Harm) with DHSS pursuant to AS 47.24.010.3 The Report of Harm described a variety of both repeated and isolated incidents of abusive behavior by Hill towards J.H. that allegedly were observed by Giani and Ready Care staff over the six preceding months, and stated that the "incidents have increased over the past 90 days."

The incidents alleged in the Report of Harm include Hill repeatedly "yelling at [J.H.] and calling her stupid" and "repeatedly telling [J.H.] that she doesn't deserve to live at [Wild Rose]"; confinement of J.H. to her bedroom for most of the 2004-05 winter as a result of perceived bad behavior; denial of visitation to J.H.'s father; forcing J.H. to shower four times within a 30-minute period because she was unable to rinse soap out of her hair; refusing to readmit J.H. after sending her to Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API) and Providence Hospital for psychiatric evaluation; and defensive behavior by J.H-such as covering her face with her hands when asked questions-over the two weeks preceding the Report of Harm. The Report also noted that Hill had notified Giani and Larry H. that she was no longer able to provide J.H.'s care because J.H.'s behavior was "out of control," that Giani had identified a potential new placement and requested Hill's cooperation with a transition, and that Hill had then informed Giani that she "changed her mind and wanted to keep [J.H.]." The Report stated that after Hill decided that J.H. should remain at Wild Rose, Giani, Larry H., and the Ready Care staff noticed a significant change in J.H.'s behavior and believed that she might have been experiencing mental and verbal abuse that had "been occurring over a period of several years." Finally, the Report stated that Giani believed J.H. was not getting the attention, assistance, or proper nutrition she required because Hill's health was declining, and concluded that J.H. should be "removed from the home immediately."

On August 11, 2005, J.H. was removed from Wild Rose.

Giani's Report of Harm triggered an investigation by DHSS, as required by statute.4

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Bluebook (online)
296 P.3d 14, 2013 WL 860103, 2013 Alas. LEXIS 24, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hill-v-giani-alaska-2013.