Minogue v. Good Samaritan Hospital

100 A.D.3d 64, 952 N.Y.S.2d 52

This text of 100 A.D.3d 64 (Minogue v. Good Samaritan Hospital) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of the State of New York primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Minogue v. Good Samaritan Hospital, 100 A.D.3d 64, 952 N.Y.S.2d 52 (N.Y. Ct. App. 2012).

Opinion

OPINION OF THE COURT

Hall, J.

On this appeal, the plaintiff invites this Court to depart from its precedent in Pipia v Nassau County (34 AD3d 664 [2006]), [66]*66and to hold, contrary to the determination in Pipia, that the institution of a cause of action alleging a violation of Labor Law § 741 does not constitute a waiver of other causes of action relating to the alleged retaliatory discharge. For the reasons that follow, we decline the plaintiff’s invitation and reaffirm our holding in Pipia.

The facts of this case, as alleged in the complaint, are as follows:

The plaintiff was employed by the defendant Good Samaritan Hospital (hereinafter the Hospital) for 24 years as a licensed practical nurse. In January 2007, the Hospital opened a cardiac care unit. Soon after the cardiac care unit was opened, the plaintiff observed that the rate at which the Hospital was placing “highly acutely ill patients” on non-critical care floors had “skyrocketed.” She alleged in the complaint that the Hospital began putting those patients on non-critical floors due to a shortage of intensive care beds. The increase in the number of highly acutely ill patients on non-critical floors increased the workload of the nurses on non-critical floors, but the Hospital did not adjust the ratio of nurses to patients to compensate for the increase in workload. As a result, there were not enough nurses during each shift to adequately care for all patients, which threatened the quality of patient care on the non-critical floors, including the patients in the plaintiffs medical unit.

According to the complaint, this practice continued for three years, during which time the plaintiff and other nurses complained to their union representatives and supervisors. In response, the Hospital’s administration would typically advise the plaintiff and other nurses that they should just “do the best they could,” without offering any real solution or taking steps to protect the quality of patient care. During that same three-year period, the plaintiff also observed a significant increase in the number of mechanically ventilated patients, who required significant time-consuming care, on non-critical floors, including the plaintiff’s medical unit. From the fall of 2008 to the spring of 2009, the plaintiff documented the increased placement of mechanically ventilated patients in her unit, and the burden this placed on the nursing staff.

In April 2009, the plaintiff informed her union representative of her concerns about the shortage of experienced nursing staff, the burden placed on the nurses by the increase of highly [67]*67acutely ill patients on non-critical floors, and the detrimental impact those factors had on the quality of patient care. At the recommendation of her union representative, the plaintiff raised her concern with her supervisor.

During the same three-year period, the plaintiff also observed that most nurses on duty were inexperienced, new graduates, with less than one year of experience working in a hospital setting with patients. The plaintiff observed that, often, a unit would be staffed entirely with nurses of less than one year of experience, and that based on the Hospital’s policy, none of those nurses would be qualified to take charge of the unit. On one night in May 2009, the Hospital “cancelled” the most experienced nurse scheduled to work the night shift in the plaintiff’s unit, and instead used a pediatric nurse who was “floated in” from another unit. The Hospital gave the pediatric nurse a patient assignment of six patients and directed her to train the other nurse on duty, who was newly graduated from nursing school. In addition, the pediatric nurse was to take charge of the unit because all other nurses lacked the seniority or experience to do so. According to the complaint, this was “way too much responsibility for one person” and exposed the patients to inadequate care, placing them in danger. The plaintiff became aware of this situation and, prior to the beginning of her shift, reported her concern to the supervisor in charge. According to the complaint, the plaintiff was perceived by the Hospital and its director of nursing as a vocal critic of the Hospital’s policies, based on her disclosures to her supervisor.

The complaint alleged that the above-described practices of the Hospital violated 10 NYCCR parts 405 and 407, as well as other statutes, rules, and regulations.

On May 23, 2009, a security camera near the Hospital’s morgue was reportedly damaged. Three days later, on May 26, 2009, the plaintiff reported for her shift, but was advised by Hospital personnel that she had been suspended for suspicion of having damaged the camera. That same day, the plaintiffs attorney asked to see the video footage which the Hospital claimed to have of the incident. The request was denied, but, thereafter, the plaintiff was informed by her supervisor that she had been cleared and was permitted to return to work the following day.

On the following day, the plaintiff reported to the Hospital for her shift. At approximately 12:30 p.m., the plaintiff received a call from Dr. Micky Sharma, who requested that the plaintiff [68]*68schedule a peripherally inserted central catheter (hereinafter PICC) line for a patient. Pursuant to the Hospital’s policy, the plaintiff entered the request into the Hospital’s computer system. Subsequently, another doctor, Dr. Kenneth Rowin, consulted with Dr. Sharma and it was determined that a PICC line was not needed. Dr. Rowin therefore wrote on the patient’s chart, “Hold PICC Line.” In accordance with the Hospital’s policy, the plaintiff took the patient’s chart to the secretary for the unit and asked her to enter Dr. Rowin’s order into the computer system. The regularly scheduled secretary was out that day, and a secretary from pediatrics had been “floated in” to replace her. The complaint alleged that, upon information and belief, the substitute secretary neglected to enter Dr. Rowin’s order into the computer system.

Despite the note on the patient’s chart to hold the PICC line, the PICC line was administered to the patient by a radiology nurse. According to the complaint, when the error was discovered, the Hospital used that as a pretext to terminate the plaintiffs employment on June 9, 2009. No other Hospital employees were disciplined as a result of the incident.

As a result, the plaintiff commenced this action against the Hospital and its parent companies, the defendants Bon Secours Health System, Inc. and Bon Secours Charity Health System, Inc. (hereinafter collectively the Hospital defendants), and other individual defendants, alleging a violation of Labor Law § 741. With respect to that cause of action, the complaint alleged, inter alia, that the plaintiff believed in good faith that the improper quality of patient care which she reported to her supervisors presented an imminent threat to public safety and/or to the health of a specific patient. The complaint further alleged that the Hospital took retaliatory action against the plaintiff when it terminated her employment.

The complaint also asserted causes of action based on a violation of the New York State Constitution, the New York Human Rights Law, tortious interference with a business relationship, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligent screening, hiring, supervising, disciplining and retention of employees, and negligent infliction of emotional distress.

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Bluebook (online)
100 A.D.3d 64, 952 N.Y.S.2d 52, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/minogue-v-good-samaritan-hospital-nyappdiv-2012.