Kot v. Milano

60 Pa. D. & C.4th 449, 2002 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 172
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Northampton County
DecidedNovember 14, 2002
Docketno. 1999-C-05870
StatusPublished

This text of 60 Pa. D. & C.4th 449 (Kot v. Milano) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Northampton County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Kot v. Milano, 60 Pa. D. & C.4th 449, 2002 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 172 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2002).

Opinion

MORAN, J.,

STATEMENT OF REASONS

Presently before the court are related motions filed by defendant Carl J. Milano D.M.D. on the complaint filed by plaintiff Gail H. Kot. Kot’s complaint contains counts for negligence, breach of contract, and negligent representation. The first motion is a motion for summary judgment contending that Kot’s claims, if true, would require the enforcement of an illegal contract. The second motion is a motion in limine seeking to prohibit Kot from presenting any evidence at trial regarding the allegedly illegal contract.

Standard of Law

Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1035.2 states that where there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to relief as a matter of law, summary judgment may be entered. However, a nonmov[451]*451ing party may not rest on averments contained in pleadings or answers to survive a motion for summary judgment if the burden of proof rests on the nonmoving party. Manzetti v. Mercy Hospital of Pittsburgh, 565 Pa. 471, 776 A.2d 938 (2001). In determining whether summary judgment should be entered, the record must be viewed in a light most favorable to the nonmoving party, and all doubts as to the existence of a genuine issue of material fact must be resolved against the moving party. Manzetti.

Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 1035.1 defines what the relevant record is for deciding these motions. The following statement of facts is taken from the pleadings and depositions submitted by the parties viewed in the required light.

Factual Summary

Kot was referred to Milano by her dentist, Dr. Michael Healy, for possible oral surgery. On July 8, 1997, Kot was seen by Milano with complaints of soreness and pain in her lower right jaw. Milano took panoramic X-rays of Kot’s mouth and made a diagnosis of two complete bony impacted mandibular third molars, one on the right side and one on the left.

After the examination, Kot alleges that she informed Milano that she only wanted the right molar removed, since the left molar was asymptomatic. She also requested that the procedure be done in a hospital, as her insurance would cover 100 percent of the costs for a hospital procedure, versus only 60 percent for an office procedure. Kot alleges that Milano stated that he would admit her to the hospital under the pretense that he was planning [452]*452on extracting both molars. However, she further alleges, Milano stated that once she was admitted, he would declare the left molar too risky to operate on, and would only extract the right molar.

On July 14,1997, Kot returned to Milano’s office and signed, among others, a consent for operation or special treatment. This typewritten form states at the top “I hereby authorize Dr. Carl J. Milano and/or such physicians as may be selected by him to perform the following procedure(s): Surgical removal of two complete bony impacted third molars with general anesthesia.” (Italicized language was handwritten on blank lines on the form.) Kot admits that this language was on the form when she signed it. The second bulleted item on the form states “Dr. Carl J. Milano has discussed with me the topics that are briefly summarized below: . . . c. The possible [sic] of likely results of the proposed procedure. *Risks* — possible labial & lingual parasthesia.” (Italicized language is typewritten in a different font from the font of the form.) Kot does dispute that the apparently added language regarding the risks was on the form when she signed it.

On August 1, 1997, Kot was admitted to the Warren Hospital in New Jersey. Milano placed her under general anesthesia and removed both lower molars. Kot alleges that after the surgery, her mouth became infected and she experienced numbness and pain in the lower jaw, predominately on the left side with decreased sensation in the lower aspect of the jaw, predominately at the gums, which was associated with pain in the area where the wisdom teeth were removed. She has also experienced and continues to experience numbness in her chin bilat[453]*453erally as well as the lower lip, slurred speech, drooling and disfigurement.

The Alleged Oral Contract

Milano argues that Kot’s breach of contract and negligent representation claims would constitute actions to enforce an illegal contract. “A promise or other term of an agreement is unenforceable on grounds of public policy if legislation provides that it is unenforceable or the interest in its enforcement is clearly outweighed in the circumstances by a public policy against the enforcement of such terms.” Restatement (Second) Contracts §178, cited in support in Central Dauphin School District v. American Casualty Company, 493 Pa. 254, 426 A.2d 94 (1981). Plaintiff cites federal precedent and argues that the “clean hands” doctrine is applicable only where the party seeking relief is guilty of conduct involving fraud, deceit, unconscionability or bad faith which directly injures the opposing party and affects the balance of equities between the parties. Castle v. Cohen, 676 F. Supp. 620 (1987), aff’d and remanded, 840 F.2d 173 (1988).

However, we note that a federal court’s interpretation of Pennsylvania law is not binding on this court, except to the extent it is persuasive. Hoy v. Angelone, 554 Pa. 134, 720 A.2d 745 (1998). In contrast, two decisions of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court define the state of Pennsylvania law in this area. In Central Dauphin, supra, a school district instituted a taxation scheme that was eventually declared unconstitutional and the school district was required to refund the taxes that were collected. The [454]*454school district filed a claim with its insurer claiming that the refund was a loss covered by the insurance contract. The insurer refused to pay, and the school district instituted an action seeking indemnification for the refund.

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court declared that enforcing such an insurance policy would offend the public policy of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Central Dauphin. The court noted that the taxing authority would be unjustly enriched if the insurance contract were enforced under the circumstances. “A district would be able to subject its citizens to an unlawful tax measure like the one imposed here, and yet in effect retain the proceeds of the unlawful tax simply by recovering on the claimed insurance coverage.” Id., 493 Pa. at 259. In effect, the court noted that enforcing the contract under such circumstances would reward the authority for implementing an illegal tax measure. Id. Therefore, the court did not enforce the insurance contract.

In contrast, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court in a later case limited the extent of its holding in Central Dauphin. BlaST Intermediate Unit 17 v. CNA Insurance Companies, 544 Pa. 66, 674 A.2d 687 (1996). In BlaST, the plaintiff had been successfully sued under the Equal Pay Act and section 1983.

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Related

Castle v. Cohen
676 F. Supp. 620 (E.D. Pennsylvania, 1987)
Manzetti v. Mercy Hosp. of Pittsburgh
776 A.2d 938 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 2001)
BLaSt Intermediate Unit 17 v. CNA Insurance Companies
674 A.2d 687 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1996)
Central Dauphin School District v. American Casualty Co.
426 A.2d 94 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1981)
Hoy v. Angelone
720 A.2d 745 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1998)

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Bluebook (online)
60 Pa. D. & C.4th 449, 2002 Pa. Dist. & Cnty. Dec. LEXIS 172, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/kot-v-milano-pactcomplnortha-2002.