Mohan J. Durve, M.D., Inc. v. Oker

679 N.E.2d 19, 112 Ohio App. 3d 432
CourtOhio Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 8, 1996
DocketNo. 69636.
StatusPublished
Cited by7 cases

This text of 679 N.E.2d 19 (Mohan J. Durve, M.D., Inc. v. Oker) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Ohio Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Mohan J. Durve, M.D., Inc. v. Oker, 679 N.E.2d 19, 112 Ohio App. 3d 432 (Ohio Ct. App. 1996).

Opinion

James D. Sweeney, Presiding Judge.

Defendants-appellants, Shannon Oker and her father Michael Oker, appeal from the trial court’s order which granted the summary judgment filed by the plaintiff-appellee, Mohan J. Durve, M.D., Inc. (“Durve, Inc.”). Durve, Inc. filed suit when its fees for services rendered to Ms. Oker were not paid. The parties have settled the underlying debt. This appeal concerns the trial court’s order granting summary judgment for the appellee on the appellants’ counterclaim for emotional distress, invasion of privacy, defamation, and violations of Section 1692 et seq., Title 15, U.S. Code, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (“FDCPA”).

Dr. Durve treated Shannon Oker between November 1991 and May 24, 1993. For most of the time that Ms. Oker was a patient of Dr. Durve, she was a minor. Her father, Michael Oker, was the party responsible for payment of any needed medical services. Mr. Oker, through his employer, had medical insurance with Community Mutual Blue Cross/Blue Shield (“Blue Cross”).

*437 It is clear from the record that some amount of money was owed to the appellee for services rendered to Shannon. The appellee, in seeking to collect on the debt, first sent bills, and then a letter from the “International Special Audit System,” and ultimately the appellee sent the account to a debt collection agency, Hudson & Keyse, Inc. (“Hudson”). The final letter prior to suit being filed was from attorney Ruth Gibson from the office of Jerome L. Holub & Associates.

The evidence in the record shows that the following communications were received by one or both of the appellants:

1. June 7,1993 — a bill from the appellee for $302.80.

2. July 9, 1993 — letter from International Special Audit System listing the amount due as $137.80.

3. August 18, 1993 — letter from appellee indicating that the amount due was $137.80, stating that the appellee instructed attorneys to take legal action, and stating that suit would be filed to recover legal expenses and fees.

4. September 1,1993 — a bill from the appellee for $289.30.

5. September 16,1993 — a notice from the collection agency, amount due listed as $289.30. A written request for clarification was then sent by the appellants.

6. September 29, 1993 — a notice from Hudson which verified that the amount due was $289.30.

7. December 15,1993 — a notice from Hudson stating that the amount due was $154.30.

8. December 27,1993 — a notice from Hudson stating that the amount due was $154.30.

9. January 14, 1994 — letter from attorney Gibson stating that the amount due was $154.30.

On March 25,1994, Durve, Inc. filed an action against Ms. Oker in the Garfield Municipal Court seeking $154.30 on an account. Attached to the complaint as an exhibit was an explanation of the bill. The address given for Ms. Oker on the complaint was the Brecksville, Ohio address of her father. Service was incomplete, as Ms. Oker lived in North Royalton, Ohio. On May 6, 1994, the attorney for Durve, Inc. sent a letter to the Ohio Department of Highway Safety, Bureau of Motor Vehicles, seeking the current address of Ms. Oker.

On September 20, 1994, Ms. Oker filed an answer and counterclaim. The appellee filed a motion to dismiss the counterclaim pursuant to Civ.R. 12(B). Ms. Oker responded with a motion to change venue and requested that the ruling on the motion to dismiss be deferred. On December 9, 1994, the court granted the motion and transferred the case to the Parma Municipal Court.

*438 The appellee filed a motion to amend the complaint to join Mr. Oker as a defendant and filed an amended complaint. The court, in its order of March, 28, 1995, granted the motion to join Mr. Oker as a defendant and permitted the amended complaint. The court also stated its intention of converting the motion to dismiss into a motion for summary judgment. The appellants submitted a joint amended answer and counterclaim to which the appellee responded.

Discovery commenced. The appellee filed a motion for protective order and on April 13, 1995, the appellants filed a brief in opposition. The appellants filed a motion to compel, to which the appellee responded and the appellants filed a brief in reply. The appellants sought copies of the contract between the appellee and Blue Cross, between the appellee and International Special Audit System, between the appellee and Hudson, and between the appellee and Jerome L. Holub & Associates. The appellants sought also a legible copy of a letter from Ruth Gibson to Shannon Oker dated January 14, 1994.

The appellee sought to protect the relationship between it and Jerome L. Holub & Associates due to attorney-client privilege, sought to have the request for the production of Ms. Oker’s entire medical file protected due to patient-physician privilege, and sought to have the letter between Gibson and Ms. Oker protected due to the fact that it was already in the possession of the appellants and because it is subject to a work product privilege.

The trial court’s order issued on June 2, 1995, denied the motion to compel and held that the requests by the appellants might not be relevant. In addition, the court’s order granted the appellee’s motion for protective order and specifically held that the doctor-patient privilege had not been waived. The court concluded that the matter could be further discussed at the next pretrial conference.

On June 29, 1995, the appellee filed a motion for summary judgment. The appellants filed their brief in opposition on July 31, 1995. Attached to the appellee’s motion are the affidavits of Mohan Durve, M.D. and his .employee, Donna Fousek.

In his affidavit Durve stated that he participated in a program offered by Mr. Oker’s insurer, Blue Cross, whereby a portion of charges for services were paid by the insurer, a portion disregarded, and a portion was to be paid by the insured. Durve affirmed that periodic billing statements were sent at his direction by his employees or agents. He also affirmed that he did not publicize the debt owed to him in any manner inconsistent with the right to collect a just debt, that he did not bill for inaccurate or inconsistent amounts or for amounts not due, that he did not bill any amount which was due from a third party or for a portion to be disregarded under the insurance coverage of the appellants, and that he did not fail to comply with the applicable federal and state provisions regarding debt collection.

*439

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
679 N.E.2d 19, 112 Ohio App. 3d 432, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/mohan-j-durve-md-inc-v-oker-ohioctapp-1996.