King v. Garfield County Public Hospital District No. 1

15 F. Supp. 3d 1111, 2014 WL 1404576, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 50623
CourtDistrict Court, E.D. Washington
DecidedApril 10, 2014
DocketNo. 12-CV-0622-TOR
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 15 F. Supp. 3d 1111 (King v. Garfield County Public Hospital District No. 1) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, E.D. Washington primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
King v. Garfield County Public Hospital District No. 1, 15 F. Supp. 3d 1111, 2014 WL 1404576, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 50623 (E.D. Wash. 2014).

Opinion

ORDER DENYING DEFENDANT OHS’S MOTION TO DISMISS

THOMAS O. RICE, District Judge.

BEFORE THE COURT is Defendant OHS Health & Safety Services, Inc.’s Motion to Dismiss Pursuant to Rule 12(c) (ECF No. 57). This matter was submitted for consideration without oral argument. The Court has reviewed the briefing and the record and files herein, and is fully informed.

BACKGROUND

This case concerns a hospital employee’s termination for alleged drug diversion and use after the employee tested positive in a drug test. Plaintiff Dennis King sued his former employer, Garfield County Hospital District No. 1, as well as companies allegedly involved in the drug test. In the motion now before the Court, one of those companies, OHS Health & Safety Services, Inc. (“OHS”), moves to dismiss the Second Amended Complaint for Damages against it. For the reasons explained below, the Court denies Defendant OHS’s motion.

FACTS 1

Plaintiff Dennis King (“King”) is a registered nurse who was employed full-time by Garfield County Hospital District No. 1 (“GCHD”) from March 2, 2007, until March 29, 2011. After a dental procedure, King was prescribed and was taking Tylenol with codeine. After King’s shift on February 7, 2011, a narcotics count was performed and there were no discrepancies. On the following day — one of King’s days off — the narcotic count revealed an additional 19ml of liquid in the morphine bottle. GCHD sent the bottle back to the manufacturer without testing.

On February 11, 2011, GCHD staff required King to take a urine drug test without any prior warning. This was one of King’s regularly scheduled days off, and he had taken a prescription Tylenol with codeine approximately one hour before the test. King informed the test technician that he had ingested Tylenol with codeine. The test came back positive for codeine [1113]*1113and morphine. King was informed on February 18, 2011, that he had “extremely high levels of morphine” in his urine. He again informed a GCHD staff member that he had a valid prescription for Tylenol •with codeine. On February 22, 2011, King, GCHD staff and Defendant Dr. Terrence McGee had a phone meeting about his positive test results. On March 28, 2011, Dr. McGee reported to GCHD that King had a positive finding for codeine and morphine; the next day, King was terminated from his employment with GCHD based on allegations of substance abuse.

At an unemployment hearing conducted by the Washington State Employment Security Division, Dr. McGee testified in support of GCHD and its staffs assertions that King had been terminated based on suspected drug diversion and use, as well as testifying that King may have developed a tolerance for opioids. However, the unemployment hearing examiner failed to establish that King was terminated for misconduct. The Nursing Care Quality Assurance Commission (“NQAC”), to which GCHD had reported King, likewise determined that the evidence did not support allegations of drug diversion and substance abuse. Despite this, King has not been able to find full-time employment as a nurse since his termination from GCHD.

In December 2012, King sued Defendants GCHD, hospital staff members, and Dr. McGee in this Court, alleging, inter alia, violation of constitutional rights, defamation, and negligence. The hospital Defendants counterclaimed under RCW 4.24.510, Washington’s Anti-SLAPP statute. On July 16, 2013, Plaintiffs amended their complaint pursuant to the parties’ stipulation (ECF No. 24). On September 29, 2018, this Court granted Plaintiffs’ motion to file a second amended complaint (ECF No. 33), adding QCL, Inc., and OHS Health & Safety Services, Inc. King alleges that Defendant QCL, Inc., was the laboratory which processed the urine drug test, and that Defendants OHS and Dr. McGee were responsible for interpreting the urine drug tests. Specifically, Plaintiffs’ Second Amended Complaint states that

Upon information and belief, Defendant OHS Health & Safety Services, Inc., is a for profit California Corporation doing business, at all times relevant herein, within Orange County, State of California.
Mr. King was not provided any of the documentation or evidence relied upon by Dr. McGee, even after repeated requests.
Initially, Dr. McGee treated Mr. King’s urine test as negative based upon the fact that Mr. King had a valid prescription for Tylenol # 3 (with codeine).
After GCHD informed Dr. McGee of its suspicion of drug diversion based on no other positive tests, Dr. McGee changed his initial findings regarding Mr. King’s urinalysis from negative to positive.
Dr. McGee improperly relied upon the urine concentration to quantify morphine intake. The analysis must focus on the ratio of codeine to morphine, which was consistent with a prescription for Tylenol #3 (with codeine) in this case.
On March 29, 2011, Mr. King was terminated from his employment with GCHD based on allegations of substance abuse.
Dr. McGee testified that Mr. King’s urine drug test results produced elevated levels of codeine and morphine. He also testified that the levels of codeine and morphine in Mr. King’s urine would [1114]*1114not result from one tablet of Tylenol # 3 (with codeine).
Upon information and belief, OHS Health & Safety Services, Inc., and Dr. McGee were responsible for interpretation of the urine drug tests....
QCL, Inc., OHS Health & Safety Services, Inc., Dr. McGee, and GCHD owed Mr. King a duty to follow the accepted standard of care in performing the testing, conducting the analysis, and interpreting the urinalysis.
QCL, Inc., OHS Health & Safety Services, Inc., Dr. McGee, and GCHD breached their duty to follow the accepted standard of care performing the testing, conducting the analysis, and interpreting the urinalysis.
Dr. McGee negligently interpreted the urinalysis results as positive.
Dr. McGee’s negligence caused Mr. King substantial damages ...
Defendants are liable to Plaintiff as a result of their breach'of duty.
GCHD, as a principal, is liable for the actions of its ostensible agent, Dr. McGee.
Upon information and belief, Dr. McGee has an employment and/or agency relationship with OHS & Safety Services, Inc.

ECF No. 33 at 4, 9-14,18-19.

On December 27, 2013, 2013 WL 6842534, the Court granted Defendant QCL’s motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim and terminated Defendant QCL subject to Plaintiffs’ right to file and serve a third amended complaint within 15 days. ECF No. 56 at 12-13. Plaintiffs, however, did not file a third amended complaint within 15 days.

Defendant OHS now requests dismissal of the claims against it pursuant to Fed. R.Civ.P. 12(c) on grounds that Plaintiffs’ Second Amended Complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted.

DISCUSSION

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Bluebook (online)
15 F. Supp. 3d 1111, 2014 WL 1404576, 2014 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 50623, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/king-v-garfield-county-public-hospital-district-no-1-waed-2014.