Montano v. Bonnie Brae Convalescent Hospital, Inc.

79 F. Supp. 3d 1120, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1658, 2015 WL 93327
CourtDistrict Court, C.D. California
DecidedJanuary 7, 2015
DocketCase No. CV 12-3462 FMO (AGRx)
StatusPublished
Cited by17 cases

This text of 79 F. Supp. 3d 1120 (Montano v. Bonnie Brae Convalescent Hospital, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, C.D. California primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Montano v. Bonnie Brae Convalescent Hospital, Inc., 79 F. Supp. 3d 1120, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1658, 2015 WL 93327 (C.D. Cal. 2015).

Opinion

FINDINGS OF FACT and CONCLUSIONS OF LAW

FERNANDO M. OLGUIN, District Judge.

INTRODUCTION

On May 29, 2012, Hector Montano (“plaintiff’) filed the operative First Amended Complaint (“FAC”) against Bonnie Brae Convalescent Hospital, Inc. (“defendant” or “Bonnie Brae”), and Does 1-10, inclusive. Plaintiff alleges violations of the Fair Housing Act (“FHA”), 42 U.S.C. §§ 3601 et seq.; the California Fair Employment and Housing Act (“FEHA”), Cal. Gov’t Code §§ 12900 et seq.; the Unruh Civil Rights Act, Cal. Civ.Code §§ 51 et seq.; the California Disabled Persons Act (“CDPA”), Cal. Civ.Code §§ 54 et seq.; the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (“Rehabilitation Act”), 29 U.S.C. §§ 701 et seq.; and California Unfair Business Practices Act (“Section 17200”), Cal. Bus. & Prof.Code §§ 17200 et seq. (See FAC at ¶¶ 17-54). Plaintiff also asserts claims of intentional infliction of emotional distress, reckless neglect, tort per se, and negligence. (See id. at ¶¶ 55-75). Plaintiff, who has quadriplegia and relies on a wheelchair for mobility, alleges that defendant, the operator of a skilled nursing home facility, discriminated against him because pf his disability by, among other things, failing to accommodate his disability in various ways and provide him with accessible facilities. (See id. at ¶¶ 1-2, 7-16 & 19-21).

A bench trial was held and the court, having heard live testimony and duly considered the evidence, the credibility of the witnesses, the entire file and the contentions and arguments of counsel,1 hereby makes the following findings of fact and conclusions of law in accordance with Rule 52(a) of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.

FINDINGS OF FACT

1. Plaintiff Hector Montano (“plaintiff’) is an individual with a mobility dis[1123]*1123ability as defined in applicable federal and state disability laws, including the Americans with Disabilities Act (“ADA”), 42 U.S.C. §§ 12101 et seq., the FHA, the FEHA, the Unruh Civil Rights Act, and the Disabled Persons Act. (See Pretrial Conference Order (“PTO”) at 2, ¶ 1; Testimony of [Plaintiff] Hector Montano (“Mon-tano Decl.”), Dkt. No. 49, at ¶ 3).

2. Plaintiff is paralyzed from the chest down and uses a motorized wheelchair for mobility. (See PTO at 3, ¶ 2). Plaintiff cannot transfer to and from his wheelchair independently. (See id. at ¶ 8).

3. He has limited use of his hands and cannot grasp objects. (See PTO at 3, ¶ 6).

4. Due to plaintiffs disability, he cannot regulate his body temperature and is therefore endangered if he is exposed to temperature extremes. (See PTO at 3, ¶ 10).

5. Plaintiff is diabetic. (See PTO at 3, ¶7).

6. Plaintiff requires extensive assistance with his activities of daily living. (See PTO at 3, ¶ 9).

7. Defendant is a California corporation that owns and operates a 60-bed skilled nursing home facility, located at 420 South Bonnie Brae Street in Los Angeles. (See PTO at 3, ¶ 3).

8. Defendant receives both Medicare and Medi-Cal funds. (See Reporter’s Transcript (“RT”) at 66).

9. More than half of defendant’s residents use wheelchairs. (See RT at 79-80, 88).

10. Plaintiff has been an adult resident of Bonnie Brae since 2009. (See PTO at 3, ¶ 5).

11. From April 2009 to January 11, 2012, plaintiff lived in Room 20, a two-person room. (See PTO at 3, ¶ 11; RT at 15-16).

12. Plaintiff could not use the bathroom in Room 20 without assistance. (See RT at 52). For example, the door to the bathroom in Room 20 was equipped with a knob handle, which required more than 10 pounds of force to open. (See PTO at 3, ¶ 12). The doorway was barely wide enough for his wheelchair to fit through and the sink was too low for plaintiff to fit his knees underneath it. (See Montano Decl. at ¶ 24(b)). Plaintiff could not use the faucets on the sink and the towel dispenser was too high. (See id.). Due to the difficulty plaintiff had with the bathroom in Room 20, he used the sink in the hallway. (See RT at 10).

13. While living in Room 20, plaintiff repeatedly asked defendant’s employees to modify the bathroom door and sink to allow him access. (See PTO at 3, ¶ 13).

14. In or about May 2011, defendant’s employees informed plaintiff that he was going to be moved to a room with less space for his wheelchair because defendant wanted to use Room 20 to house female residents. (PTO at 3, ¶ 14). Plaintiff in[1124]*1124formed defendant’s employees that he did not want to be moved to the new room because it did not provide enough space for him to move around in his wheelchair and he could not enter the bathroom. (Id. at ¶ 15).

15. On June 2, 2011, plaintiff delivered a letter to defendant requesting that he not be moved from Room 20. (PTO at 4, ¶ 16). Defendant responded to plaintiffs letter of June 2, 2011, stating, in part, that plaintiff “will be allowed to stay in his current room. Even if he is moved to a different room within this facility, any of the rooms he has been given a choice to select, will accommodate his wheelchair.” (Id. at 4, ¶ 17).

16. From January 11, 2012, to January 23, 2012, plaintiff was hospitalized at California Hospital due to stomach and kidney problems. (See RT at 9; PTO at 4, ¶ 18). When plaintiff returned to Bonnie Brae, he was moved to Room 2. (See PTO at 4, ¶ 18).

17. Defendant does not need plaintiffs permission to move plaintiff from one room to another. (See RT at 7-8). Defendant has a policy whereby patients lose théir bed if they are gone for more than seven days. (See id. at 82-83).

18. In Room 2, plaintiff had less room to move around because he had to share the room with three other people. (See RT at 23). Plaintiff also could not access the bathroom in Room 2 because his wheelchair would not fit through the doorway. (See id.; Montano Deck at ¶¶ 10 & 24®).

19. Plaintiff also complained of Room 2 being too hot, and several times had difficulty breathing due to the heat. (See RT at 26).

20. Although Michelle Cayton, an employee of Bonnie Brae, testified that Bonnie Brae keeps the room temperature at 74 degrees, (see RT at 73-74), the court did not find the witness credible on this point, ie., whether the temperature in plaintiffs room was too hot.

21.On February 10, 2012, shortly after returning from the hospital, plaintiff delivered a letter to defendant explaining the issues he was having with Room 2 and requested that he be assigned back to Room 20 or another two-person room of the same size or larger, with a bathroom and sink he could use. (See PTO at 4, ¶ 22; RT at 15-16).

,22.

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79 F. Supp. 3d 1120, 2015 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1658, 2015 WL 93327, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/montano-v-bonnie-brae-convalescent-hospital-inc-cacd-2015.