McCracken v. Verisma Systems, Inc.

131 F. Supp. 3d 38, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 123775, 2015 WL 5510367
CourtDistrict Court, W.D. New York
DecidedSeptember 16, 2015
DocketNo. 6:14-cv-06248(MAT)
StatusPublished
Cited by3 cases

This text of 131 F. Supp. 3d 38 (McCracken v. Verisma Systems, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, W.D. New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
McCracken v. Verisma Systems, Inc., 131 F. Supp. 3d 38, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 123775, 2015 WL 5510367 (W.D.N.Y. 2015).

Opinion

DECISION AND ORDER

MICHAEL A. TELESCA, District Judge.

INTRODUCTION

Ann McCracken (“McCracken”), Joan Farrell (“Farrell”), Sara Stilson (“Stilson”), Kevin McCloskey (“McCloskey”), Christopher Trapatsos (“Trapatsos”), and Kimberly Bailey (“Bailey”) (collectively, “Plaintiffs”), bring this action on behalf of themselves and others similarly situated against Verisma Systems, Inc. (“Verisma”), Strong Memorial Hospital (“Strong”), Highland Hospital (“Highland”), and the University of Rochester (“U of R”) (collectively, “Defendants”). Verisma contracts with Strong, Highland and the U of R (collectively, the “Healthcare Defendants”) to provide medical records to patients of those entities. Plaintiffs, all of whom are patients who received medical treatment at the Healthcare Defendants, claim that Defendants charged them excessively for copies of their medical records, in violation of New York Public Health Law (“PHL”) § 18(2)(e). Plaintiffs also assert causes of action for Unjust enrichment and for deceptive trade practices under New York General Business Law (“GBL”) § 349(a).

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

The Court assumes the parties’ familiarity with the underlying facts giving rise to the instant litigation, and incorporates by reference the factual summary set forth in the Court’s May 18, 2015 Decision and Order ruling on Verisma’s motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction. See Dkt # 35, pp 2-3. The Court will discuss the-relevant factual allegations in further detail below, as necessary to the resolution of the parties’ contentions.

PROCEDURAL STATUS

In a Decision and Order (Dkt # 35) entered May 18, 2015, the Court granted the motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure filed by Verisma and dismissed, without prejudice, the Amended Complaint for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. In brief, the Court’found.that the Amended Complaint did not allege sufficient facts to show that Plaintiffs had suffered cognizable injuries-in-fact for standing purposes, because it was Plaintiffs’ layr firm, and not Plaintiffs themselves, which was charged, and which paid, for the copies of the medical records at issue. Therefore, the Court [42]*42found, Plaintiffs had not established their standing to sue.

The Court accordingly dismissed the Amended Complaint without prejudice and granted Plaintiffs- leave to replead their allegations regarding standing. The Court deferred ruling on the Healthcare Defendants’ and Verisma’s respective motions to dismiss . (Dkt ## 21, 22) pursuant Rule 12(b)(6) of the: Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (“Rule 12(b)(6)”) until after Plaintiffs filed an amended complaint.

Plaintiffs timely filed their Second Amended Complaint (Dkt # 40), to which they attached a number of documents, including the retainer agreements and the Health Insurance Portability and.Accountability Act (“HIPAA”) authorizations signed by each of the individual plaintiffs (Dkt ##40-5 to 40-16). Neither the Healthcare Defendants nor Verisma have filed a renewed motion to dismiss for lack of jurisdiction pursuant to Rule 12(b)(1). For the reasons discussed below, the Court denies Verisma’s motion to dismiss (Dkt # 22). and the Healthcare Defendants’ motion to dismiss (Dkt #21) in their entirety.

STANDING

The Second Amended Complaint contains allegations that each of the individual plaintiffs signed retainer agreements with their law firm, Faraci Lange LLP (“the Firm” or “Plaintiffs’ Counsel”). Pursuant to the retainer agreements, Plaintiffs were obligated to reimburse the Firm, out of any recovery obtained in their respective personal injury lawsuits, for. all disbursements advanced by the Firm in . connection with representing Plaintiffs in those lawsuits. See Second Amended Complaint (“SAC”) ¶33 & Ex. 5 (McCracken); id. ¶46 & Ex. 7 (Farrell); id. ¶54 & Ex. 9 (Stilson); id. ¶ 62 & Ex. 11 (McCloskey); id. ¶ 70 & Ex. 13 (Trapatsos); id. ¶ 78 & Ex. 15 (Bailey). Each individual plaintiff subsequently reimbursed the Firm for the full amounts charged to the Firm by Verisma for copies of his or her medical records. See SAC ¶¶36, 38, 44 (McCracken); id. ¶¶ 49, 53 (Farrell); id. ¶¶ 57, 61 (Stilson); id. ¶¶ 65, 69 (McCloskey); id. ¶¶ 73, 77 (Trapatsos); id. ¶¶ 81, 85 (Bailey).1

The Court concludes that Plaintiffs’ repleaded allegations regarding théir injuries-in-fact have remedied the jurisdictional defects contained in the Amended Complaint. Plaintiffs have pleaded facts, and attached documentary evidence indicating that, at the time the Firm incurred the copying expenses, Plaintiffs were legally obligated to reimburse the Firm for expenses incurred in connection with representing them. Pursuant to the retainer agreements signed by Plaintiffs, Verisma’s submission of copying charges to the Firm, and the Firm’s payment of those charges would have given rise to a contingent liability on the Plaintiffs’ part. That liability to repay the- Firm for the copying expenses has given Plaintiffs standing to challenge the copying charges as excessive, “because Plaintiffs ... have suffered an injury-in-fact (a legal duty to pay these excessive costs) traceable to the defendants responsible for the charges.” Spiro v. Healthport Technologies, LLC, 73 F.Supp.3d 259, 269 (S.D.N.Y.2014) (citations omitted).

RULE 12(b)(6) STANDARD

In reviewing a motion to dismiss pursuant to Rule 12(b)(6), the Court must accept “all factual allegations in the complaint arid draw ... all reasonable inferences in the plaintiffs favor.” Ruotolo v. City of New York, 514 F.3d 184, 188 (2d [43]*43Cir.2008) (internal quotation marks omitted). “While a complaint attacked by a Rule 12(b)(6) motion to dismiss does not need detailed factual allegations, a plaintiffs obligation to provide the grounds of his entitlement to relief requires more than labels and conclusions, and a formulaic recitation of the elements of a cause of action will not do[.]” Bell Atl. Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 555, 127 S.Ct. 1955, 167 L.Ed.2d 929 (2007) (citation omitted). In order to withstand dismissal, the complaint must plead “enough facts to state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.” Id. at 570, 127 S.Ct. 1955. Conclusory allegations are not entitled to any assumption of truth and will not support a finding that the plaintiff has stated a valid claim. Lundy v. Catholic Health System of Long Island, Inc., 711 F.3d 106, 113 (2d Cir.2013) (citing Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 556 U.S. 662, 678, 679, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 173 L.Ed.2d 868 (2009)). As the Second Circuit has noted, “at a bare minimum, the operative standard requires the ‘plaintiff [to] provide the grounds upon which his claim rests through factual allegations- sufficient to raise a right to relief above the speculative level.’ ” ATSI Communications, Inc. v. Shaar Fund, Ltd.,

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Bluebook (online)
131 F. Supp. 3d 38, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 123775, 2015 WL 5510367, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mccracken-v-verisma-systems-inc-nywd-2015.