Hope v. Fair Acres Geriatric Center

174 F. Supp. 3d 880, 2016 WL 1223063, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42078
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedMarch 29, 2016
DocketCIVIL ACTION No. 15-06749
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 174 F. Supp. 3d 880 (Hope v. Fair Acres Geriatric Center) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hope v. Fair Acres Geriatric Center, 174 F. Supp. 3d 880, 2016 WL 1223063, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42078 (E.D. Pa. 2016).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM

EDUARDO C. ROBRENO, District Judge

I. INTRODUCTION

Plaintiff Georgia A. Hope brings this action against Defendant Fair Acres Geriatric Center (“Fair Acres”), a nursing home that provided care to Plaintiff from January 2014 to November . 2014. During her stay at Fair Acres, Plaintiff suffered a series of wounds and medical complications. Plaintiff alleges that these injuries were caused by Fair Acres’ negligent practices and in violation of her federal statutory rights. Fair Acres has moved to dismiss ' Plaintiff s claims. For the reasons that follow, the Court will grant the motion.

II. BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

In January 2014,' Plaintiff Georgia A. Hope was admitted to Fair Acres, a county-owned nursing home located in Lima, Pennsylvania. Compl. ¶3, ECF No. 1. Plaintiff was 90 years old at the time of her admission. Id. ¶ 4. During her stay at Fair Acres, Plaintiff experienced infection, gangrene, dehydration, and a lower extremity sacral wound that resulted in a partial leg amputation. Id. ¶ 11.

On December 22,2015, Plaintiff filed her Complaint against Fair Acres, alleging negligence per se; negligence; corporate negligence; violation of civil rights under § 1983 for Fair Acres’ failure to provide the level of care and protection required by the Federal Nursing Home Reform Amendments (“FNHRA”), 42 U.S.C. § 1396 et seq., and Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1987 (“OBRA”) regulations, 42 C.F.R. § 483.1 et seq.; violation of the Medicare Secondary Payer Act (“MSPA”), 42 U.S.C. § 1395y(b), as to medical expenses incurred and paid for by Medicare; and violation of Pennsylvania’s Unfair Trade Practices and Consumer Protection Law (“UTPCPL”), 73 Pa. Cons. [884]*884Stat. §§ 201-1 to 201-9.1

According to Plaintiff, Fair Acres’ medical director, nursing administrator, assistant administrators, and nursing staff failed to update Plaintiffs plan of care when her condition declined. Compl. ¶ 9. Plaintiff also alleges that Fair Acres failed to recognize the decline in her functional abilities and the onset of her injuries. Id. It is further alleged that, inter alia,. Fair Acres failed to assist Plaintiff when she experienced pain, swelling, redness, and infection in November 2014. Id. Plaintiff also alleges that Fan- Acres failed to take preventive measures, such as creating an adequate risk assessment, and failed to adequately train its employees. Id. ¶ 12.

On January 20, 2016, Fair Acres filed its motion to dismiss. ECF No. 4. ■ Plaintiff then filed a response in opposition, ECF No. 5, and Fair Acres filed a reply memorandum, ECF No. 7. The Court having held a hearing with the parties, Fair Acres’ motion to dismiss is now ripe for disposition.

III. LEGAL STANDARD

A party may move to dismiss a complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted. Fed.R.Civ.P. 12(b)(6). When considering such a motion, the Court must “accept as true all allegations in the complaint and all reasonable inferences that can be drawn therefrom, and view them in the light most favorable to the non-moving party.” DeBenedictis v. Merrill Lynch & Co., 492 F.3d 209, 215 (3d Cir.2007) (internal quotation marks omitted). To withstand a motion to dismiss, the complaint’s “[fjactual allegations must be enough to raise a right to relief above the speculative level.” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007). This “requires more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do.” Id. Although a plaintiff is entitled to all reasonable inferences from the facts alléged, a plaintiffs legal conclusions are not entitled to deference and the Court is “not bound to accept as true a legal conclusion couched as a factual allegation.” Papasan v. Allain, 478 U.S. 265, 286, 106 S.Ct. 2932, 92 L.Ed.2d 209 (1986).

The pleadings must contain sufficient factual allegations so as to state a'facially plausible claim for relief. See, e.g., Gelman v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 583 F.3d 187, 190 (3d Cir.2009). “ ‘A claim has facial plausibility when the plaintiff pleads factual content that allows the court to draw the reasonable inference that the defendant is liable for the misconduct alleged.’” Id. (quoting Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009)). In deciding a Rule 12(b)(6) motion, the Court limits its inquiry to the facts alleged in the complaint and its attachments, matters of public record, and undisputedly authentic documents if the complainant’s claims are based upon these documents. See Jordan v. Fox, Rothschild, O’Brien & Frankel, 20 F.3d 1250, 1261 (3d Cir.1994); Pension Benefit Guar. Corp. v. White Consol. Indus., Inc., 998 F.2d 1192, 1196 (3d Cir.1993).

IV. DISCUSSION

Fair Acres moves to dismiss Plaintiffs negligence per se, negligence, and corporate negligence claims, arguing that it is afforded governmental immunity by the Pennsylvania Political Subdivision Tort Claims Act, 42 Pa. Cons.Stat. §§ 8541, [885]*8858545. Fair Acres also contends that Plaintiff fails to state a claim under § 1988 and the FNHRA. As to Plaintiffs Medicare Secondary Payer Act claim, Fair Acres argues that it is “unfit for judicial review.” Finally, Fair Acres argues that Plaintiff fails to state a claim for relief under the UTPCPL. Each argument will be addressed in turn.

A. Subject Matter Jurisdiction

As an initial matter, Plaintiff asserts diversity of citizenship as the basis of federal jurisdiction. Compl. ¶ 1. Because the parties are both citizens of Pennsylvania, id. ¶¶ 2, 3; Def.’s Mot. 5 n.l, EOF No. 4, there is no diversity jurisdiction. See 28 U.S.C. § 1332(a), Instead, the court has federal question jurisdiction under 28 U.S.C. § 1331, because Plaintiff brings a § 1983 claim based on Fair Acres’ alleged violations of the FNHRA and OBRA regulations. Compl. ¶¶ 32-38; Def.’s Mot. 5 n.l.

B. Negligence Claims

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Bluebook (online)
174 F. Supp. 3d 880, 2016 WL 1223063, 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 42078, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hope-v-fair-acres-geriatric-center-paed-2016.