Morganstern v. Mercy Hosp.

• Court: Superior Court of Maine
• Decided: November 5, 2007
• Docket: CUMcv-06-565
• Status: Unpublished

Opinion

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CUNBERLAND, ss. '*'- CIVIL ACTION .,

CHARLES MORGANSTERN,

Plaintiff

ORDER ON MOTION TO DISMISS MERCY HOSPITAL, JENNIFER LAMB, and MARILYN SCHIAVONI

Defendants

Before the Court is Defendants Mercy Hospital, Jennifer Lamb and Marilyn

Schiavoni's ("Defendants") motion to dismiss Plaintiff Charles Morganstern's

("Plaintiff') complaint, as well as Defendants' motion to seal.'

BACKGROUND

The facts as alleged by Plaintiff can be summarized briefly as follows. Plaintiffs

sister, Jacqualyn Morganstern, was a patient at Mercy Hospital from December 1, 2005

through her death in February, 2006. During this time, Plaintiff regularly visited Ms.

Morganstern. At no time relevant to this case was Plaintiff a patient of Mercy Hospital or

of any of the hospital staff named in this action.

On January 3 1, 2006, staff at Mercy Hospital questioned Plaintiff regarding their

belief that he had engaged in inappropriate physical contact with his sister of a sexual

I Defendants' motions to dismiss and to seal are both predicated on the applicability of the Maine Health Security Act to Plaintiffs complaint. As such, the analysis of Defendants' motion to dismiss, discussed at length in the body of this opinion, is equally applicable to Defendants' motion to seal. nature. The next day, following a visit with his sister, Plaintiff was confronted by Mercy

Hospital staff regarding the alleged inappropriate sexual contact with his sister. This time,

Portland Police Officers accompanied the staff. After being detained for a period of time,

Plaintiff was given a criminal trespass notice prohibiting him from visiting his sister and

preventing him from claiming his sister's body upon her death.

Plaintiff subsequently initiated the present lawsuit, alleging defamation and

defamation per se by Defendants, premised on the allegations against Plaintiff. These

allegations were allegedly made to the Portland Police Department, the Maine

Department of Health and Human Serviccs and between staff members of Mercy

Hospital. Plaintiff intends to prove that Defendants made these allegations either with

knowledge that they were untrue or with reckless disregard for their truth.

DISCUSSION

The outcome of Defendants' motion to dismiss turns on whether Plaintiffs cause

of action is subject to the procedural requirements of the Maine Health Security Act

("MHSA") contained in 24 M.R.S.A. 5 2903(1). Plaintiff concededly has not complied

with the MHSA's rcquirements for bringing a cause of action in the Superior Court. As a

result, if his case is subject to the MHSA, it must be dismissed.

The MHSA states that "[nlo action for professional negligence may be

commenced until the plaintiff has [filed a written notice of claim under oath, participated

in the screening panel process, and complied with the MHSA's statute of limitations]."

24 M.R.S.A. $ 2903(1)(A)-(C). The statute defines an "action for professional negligence

as "any action for damages for injury or death against any health care provider, its agents or employees, or health care practitioner, his agents or employees, whether based upon

tort or breach of contract or otherwise, arising out of the provision or failure to provide

health care services." 24 M.R.S.A. fj 2502(6).

Although Defendants admit that Plaintiffs defamation claims are not the kind of

action typically subject to the MHSA's requirements, they nonetheless argue that the

MHSA is applicable here, citing language from a Law Court decision stating that "[tlhe

broad statutory definition, including the term 'or otherwise,' reveals the legislature's

intention that the MHSA fully occupy the field of claims brought against health care

providers." Dutil v. Burns, 674 A.2d 910, 911 (citing Musk v. Nelson, 647 A.2d 1198,

1201 (Me. 1994)).

One example of a case applying the general rule recognized in Dutil, is Saunders

v. Tisher, 2006 ME 94, 902 A.2d 830. That case involved a patient's suit against his

former psychiatrist based on the doctor's actions in having the patient involuntarily

admitted to a mental hospital. Id 7 10, 902 A.2d at 833. In that case, the patient brought

suit for violations of the Maine Civil Rights Act, intentional infliction of emotional

distress, and negligent infliction of emotional distress, Id. 7 5 , 902 A.2d at 832, and

argued that these claims were not subject to the procedural requirements of the MHSA,

Id. 7 8,902 A.2d at 832.

In analyzing whether the MHSA applied in Saunders, the court recognized that

"the intent of the Legislature in enacting the MHSA was to stem the tide of rising

malpractice costs, and thereby the cost of health care in general. To do so, the Legislature

essentially made the MHSA applicable to any case that could implicate medical malpractice insurance." Id. 7 15, 902 A.2d at 834. Thus, "[allthough [the patient] styles

his complaint as one for a violation of his civil rights, because the actions of [the doctor]

described in [the] complaint regard health care services, and implicate medical

malpractice insurance, the complaint falls within and is subject to the provisions of the

MHSA." Id. 7 15, 902 A.2d at 834-35.

Although Defendant argues that Saunders stands for the proposition that "non-

traditional claims against health care providers" are subject to the requirements of the

MHSA, that case demonstrates the inapplicability of the act to the present case. Saunders

involved a suit by a patient against his doctor for actions arising out of the provision of

health care services. Defendant cites no cases in which the MHSA has been applied to

suits brought by third parties against health care providers for damages caused to that

third party, as opposed to a patient.2 Nor has Defendant argued how a hospital's medical

malpractice insurance could be implicated by a defamation lawsuit. See id. Quite simply,

defamation of a third party by hospital employees is not medical malpractice subject to

the MHSA merely by virtue of that defamation occurring inside a hospital. See id.

This conclusion is unaltered by Defendant's argument that reporting suspected

abuse of patients is statutorily required of nurses and other hospital employees under the

Adult Protective Services Act ("APSA"). 22 M.R.S.A. 4 3477. As an initial matter, while-

that duty applies to a wide range of medical professionals, it equally applies to

2 In fact, in a case where a father sought to bring a cause of action for his own damages against a physical therapist that "employed 'bizarre and inappropriate' treatment modalities, and implanted in the mind of [his] daughter false memories of sexual abuse perpetrated by [the father]," the Law Court refused to permit a negligence claim under the MHSA. Flanders v. Cooper, 1998 M E 2 8 , l l 2 & 3, 706 A.2d 589,589-90. In that case, the court recognized that a suit for professional negligence under the MHSA could not lie because the therapist owed the father no duty of care. Id. 1[ 14,706 A.2d at 592. professionals outside of the medical field who are similarly in a position to recognize

abuse, including social workers, law enforcement officials, humane agents employed by

the Department of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources and clergy members. 22

M.R.S.A. 9 3477(10), (17), (22) & (23). Further, this statutory duty was in relation to

Defendants' care of Ms. Morganstern. Nothing in the APSA created a relationship

between Defendants and Plaintiff such the alleged actions of the Defendants could

constitute medical m a ~ ~ r a c t i c e . ~

The entry is:

Defendantsf motion to dismiss is DENIED. Defendantsf motion to seal is DENIED.

The clerk shall incorporate t h s Order into the docket b y reference pursuant to M.R. Civ. P. 79(a).

Dated a t Portland, Maine this ~7~ d a y of - f p z d ,2007.

Justice, Superior court

3 It is notable that the APSA contains its own safeguards to protect those who are subject to its reporting requirement. Specifically, the APSA states that a party who reports abuse in "good faith . . . is immune from any civil liability that might otherwise result from these actions." 22 M.R.S.A. fj 3479-A(1). Good faith is presumed in any proceeding regarding immunity under the APSA. 22 M.R.S.A. Cj 3479-A(2). CCURTS ~dCounty IX 287 041 12-0287

STEVEN LECHNER ESQ 4 4 SOUTH S T EREEPORT ME 04032

30URTS County 287 041 12-0287

DANIEI, RAPAPORT ESQ 4 HOLLY RUSSELL ESQ P R E T I FLAHERTY BELIVEAU PACHIOS & HALEY PO BOX 9546 PORTLAND ME 04112-9546 , ..- ~- c· . ~ ~ ! .. 1 ~-' . \". STATE OF MAINE ~/, SE~; LAhD. SS SUPERIOR COURT CUMBERLAND, ss u L EF~ ~\ 'SOFFIe[ CIVIL ACTION DOCKET NO. CV-~6-p65 I lCOl NOV - 5 P 4: I a K,E-C- C t~('(\" 11/5/;;2 od CHARLES MORGANSTERN, Plaintiff ORDER ON v. DEFENDANT'S MOTION FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT MERCY HOSPITAL, Defendant .L\ '~ " , '

Before the Court is Defendant Mercy Hospital's Motion for SummafyEB 0 6 i.OU~

Judgment pursuant to Maine Rule of Civil Procedure 56 on all counts of Plaintiff

Charles Morganstern's Complaint.

BACKGROUND The Plaintiff Charles Morganstern ("Morganstern") filed a Complaint on

October 11, 2006 with this Court alleging that the Defendant Mercy Hospital (the

"Hospital"), a Maine non-profit corporation, defamed him. l Morganstern's sister

Jacqualyn Morganstern ("Jacqualyn") was a patient at the Hospital from

December 2005 to the date of her death in February 2006. Jacqualyn was

admitted for an eating disorder and both parties agree that by the end of her

hospital stay, Jacqualyn was incapacitated and non-verbal.

Morganstern and Jacqualyn were each other's only living close relatives

and had lived together for more than twenty years prior to Jacqualyn's death.

While his sister was in the Hospital, Morganstern would visit frequently, usually

once in the morning and again in the evening. It is undisputed that the Hospital

1Specifically, Morganstern alleges defamation per se and defamation against the Hospital. nursing staff found Morganstern to be impatient and demanding when he

visited.

At least five nurses at the Hospital stated that they observed physical

conduct by Morganstern toward Jacqualyn that they believed was inappropriate

in nature. This alleged inappropriate conduct included Morganstern kissing his

sister on the lips, lying in bed with his sister while holding her closely, leaning

on his sister, and having his hand under the sheets in the area of his sister's

pelvis. One of the nurses, Marilyn Schiavoni ("Schiavoni"), reported what she

had seen to the Charge Nurse, who then contacted Hospital security, the

Portland Police Department and the Department of Health and Human Services

("DHHS"). Both Nurse Schiavoni and fellow nurse Jennifer Lamb ("Lamb")

gave statements to the police regarding what they had seen. The Portland Police

Department then issued a criminal trespass notice to Morganstern, barring him

from entering Hospital property. In total, the nurses' statements were made to

each other, to a licensed social worker, to the police, to Hospital security and to

the DHHS. Morganstern denies that he ever engaged in any inappropriate

conduct with his sister, including kissing or touching her in her pelvic area.

Morganstern admits that he has not suffered any economic loss as a result

of the statements made by Hospital staff about him. He further stated in a

deposi tion that he has not seen any doctor or psychiatrist or psychologist for any

mental or emotional problems since the time of his sister's death. In response to

deposition questions about any harm to his reputation as a result of the

statements made by Hospital staff, Morganstern stated that "There could have

been harm to [his] reputation," but that there has not been yet ("Not at this time,

no").

2 The Hospital filed this Motion for Summary Judgment on all counts of

Morganstern's Complaint on September 24,2007.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

Summary judgment is proper where there exist no genuine issues of

material fact such that the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of

law. M.R. Civ. P. 56(c); Arrow Fastener Co., Inc. v. Wrabacon, Inc., 2007 ME 34,

15,917 A.2d 123, 126. "A court may properly enter judgment in a case when the

parties are not in dispute over the [material] facts, but differ only as to the legal

conclusion to be drawn from these facts." Tondreau v. Sherwin-Williams Co., 638

A.2d 728, 730 (Me. 1994). A genuine issue of material fact exists "when the

evidence requires a fact-finder to choose between competing versions of the

truth." Farrington's Owners' Ass'n v. Conway Lake Resorts, Inc., 2005 ME 93

878 A.2d 504, 507. An issue of fact is material if it "could potentially affect the

outcome of the suit." Id. An issue is genuine if "there is sufficient evidence to

require a fact-finder to choose between competing versions of the truth at trial."

Lever v. Acadia Hosp. Corp., 2004 ME 35,

exist, they must be resolved in favor of the non-moving party. Beaulieu v. The

Aube Corp., 2002 ME 79,

In response to a defendant's motion for a summary judgment, a plaintiff

having the burden of proof at trial must produce evidence that, if produced at

trial, would be sufficient to resist a motion for judgment as a matter of law.

Northeast Coating Technologies, Inc. v. Vacuum Metallurgical Co., Ltd., 684 A.2d

1322, 1324 (Me. 1996). This requires the plaintiff to establish a prima facie case for

each element of the cause of action. Id.

3 DISCUSSION

I. Existence and Abuse of a Conditional Privilege

The Hospital makes two arguments in support of its Motion for Summary

Judgment. First, the Hospital argues that any statements made by the Hospital

concerning Morganstern are covered by the common law privilege against

liability for defamation in situations where society has an important interest in

promoting the speech at issue. Second, the Hospital argues that it is immune

from liability on the basis of 22 M.R.S.A. § 3479-A(1), which shields health care

professionals from liability for reporting suspected incidents of abuse of

incapacitated adults.

The elements of defamation are: (1) a false and defamatory statement

concerning another; (2) an unprivileged publication to a third party; (3) fault

amounting at least to negligence on the part of the publisher; and (4) either

actionability of the statement irrespective of special ham or the existence of

special harm caused by the publication. Cole v. Chandler, 2000 ME 104, CJ[ 5, 752

A.2d 1189, 1193. Thus, a claim of defamation "requires that the publication be

unprivileged." Id.

A defendant who publishes a defamatory statement is not liable for such

publication if (1) "the matter is published upon an occasion that makes it

conditionally privileged" and (2) "the privilege is not abused." Restatement

(Second) of Torts § 593 (1977); Rice v. Alley, 2002 ME 43, CJ[ 21, 791 A.2d 932, 936.

A conditional privilege against defamation liability "arises in settings where

society has an interest in promoting free, but not absolutely unfettered, speech."

Lester v. Powers, 596 A.2d 65, 69 (Me. 1991). Whether or not a defendant is

entitled to the common law privilege is a question of law. Cole, 2000 ME 104, CJ[ 6,

4 752 A.2d at 1193. Thus, "it is for the court to determine whether the occasion

upon which the defendant published defamatory matter gives rise to a

conditional privilege." Saunders v. VanPelt, 497 A.2d 1121, 1125 (Me. 1985). The

defendant has the burden of proving the existence of a conditional privilege. Id.

Once the existence of a conditional privilege has been established, liability

for defamation exists only if the person who made the publication abused the

privilege. Selander v. Rossignol, 1998 ME 216,

determination of abuse of the privilege is a question of fact. Rice, 2002 ME 43,

21, 791 A.2d at 936. The burden of showing abuse lies with the plaintiff.

Saunders, 497 A.2d at 1125. Abuse of a privilege can include making the

statement "outside normal channels," Rice, 2002 ME 43,

making the statement "with malicious intent," meaning the privilege holder

knows his statement is false or recklessly disregards its truth or validity or acts

with spite or ill will, Id.; or possibly by "unnecessary or unreasonable publication

beyond the scope of the privileged circumstances," Vashling Christina Corp. v.

Stanley, 487 A.2d 264, 267 (Me. 1985). A finding of reckless disregard for the

truth can be made if evidence establishes that the maker of the statement had "'a

high degree of awareness of probable falsity or serious doubt as to the truth of

the statement.'" Rippett v. Bemis, 672 A.2d at 87, quoting Gnat v. Penobscot Bay

Medical Center, 574 A.2d 872, 874 (Me. 1990). "An inadequate investigation of the

truth of the statement by the publisher is not sufficient to show [abuse]." Rice,

2002 ME 43,

Pursuant to 22 M.R.S.A. § 3477, certain persons are required to report

when they have "reasonable cause to suspect that an incapacitated or dependent

adult has been or is at substantial risk of abuse, neglect or exploitation."

5 Registered and licensed practical nurses are included in the list of persons

required to make such reports. 22 M.R.S.A. § 3477(1)(A)(8). A person who in

good faith reports pursuant to this statute is immune from liability, including

civil liability. 22 M.R.S.A. § 3479-A(l). There is a rebuttable presumption of

good faith in proceedings regarding immunity from liability. 22 M.R.S.A. §

3479(2).

For purposes of this Summary Judgment Motion only, Morganstern

"accepts" that the statements at issue are conditionally privileged either under

the common law privilege (the Hospital's first argument) or under the statutory

privilege (the Hospital's second argument). Plaintiffs Objection to Defendant's

Motion for Summary Judgment, page 2. Thus, the only question remaining

before this Court is whether or not there is a genuine issue of material fact

regarding whether or not the Hospital abused these privileges or made the

publications in bad faith. The burden of proving such abuse lies with

Morganstern. See Saunders, 497 A.2d at 1125 ("To recover, the plaintiff must then

show the loss of the conditional privilege through its abuse").

Morganstern makes several arguments in an attempt to meet his burden

of proving that the Hospital abused its privilege. First, Morganstern argues that

the statement of Nurse Lamb that he inappropriately touched his sister under the

bed sheets is false and that Nurse Lamb admits that she did not actually see

Morganstern touch his sister, but rather only saw Morganstern's hand moving

under the sheets in the general area of his sister's pelvis. After Nurse Lamb

made this observation, she spoke with the Portland Police Department.

Morganstern then received a criminal trespass notice barring him from Hospital

property. Morganstern contends that "Nurse's Lamb's false statement alone,

6 particularly given its pivotal role in the adverse consequences to Mr.

Morganstern (the criminal trespass notice issued to him on February 1, 2006, [sic]

when viewed in the light most favorable to the Plaintiff, defeats the summary

judgment motion." Plaintiff's Objection to Defendant's Motion for Summary

Judgment, page 5.

Second, Morganstern argues that the Hospital did not conduct a

reasonable internal investigation of the claims made about alleged improper

conduct with his sister. Specifically, Morganstern objects to the actions of Cathy

McDonald ("McDonald"), the social worker who confronted Morganstern about

his conduct toward his sister the day before the police and DHHS were

contacted. Morganstern maintains that McDonald "accepted allegations [by an

unspecified nurse or nurses] as true and accurate, not as merely allegations

which needed to be investigated..." Plaintiff's Objection to Defendant's Motion

for Summary Judgment, page 6. Thus, Morganstern concludes, "[t]his minimal

'investigation' constitutes a separate ground on which a jury could conclude that

any conditional privilege was abused, and, hence, lost... [as] Mercy Hospital's

failure to conduct a reasonable investigation is akin to reckless disregard for the

truth or falsity of the assertions made against Mr. Morganstern." Id., page 7.

Morganstern further argues that there is evidence of animus towards him

by the Hospital nursing staff. It is undisputed that the Hospital staff found

Morganstern demanding and impatient. In a deposition, Nurse Lamb stated that

she thought Morganstern to be "weird" and had a "gut feeling" that something

was wrong with the way Morganstern behaved toward his sister. According to

Morganstern, this "animus" raises the question of whether the Hospital acted

with malice toward him, thus abusing its privilege.

7 Finally, Morganstern argues that the reports made by the Hospital staff

extended beyond what was necessary under the circumstances to communicate a

concern that inappropriate conduct may have occurred. Morganstern

particularly emphasizes that McDonald reported actual abuse to DHHS in her

first report rather than suspected abuse and that Nurse Lamb's initial report did

not state that she did not actually see Morganstern in actual physical contact with

his sister under the bed sheets. Morganstern contends that these false,

incomplete and inaccurate reports constitute an abuse of a conditional privilege.

The Court rejects Morganstern's arguments and finds no abuse of a

conditional privilege by the Hospital for the reasons set forth below. As to

Morganstern's first argument, that Nurse Lamb's false statement concerning her

observations is sufficient to show abuse of a conditional privilege, Morganstern

appears to misinterpret what Nurse Lamb actually said. Morganstern states that

Nurse Lamb falsely stated that she saw Morganstern "inappropriately touch[] his

sister under the bed covers." Plaintiff's Objection to Defendant's Motion for

Summary Judgment, page 4. In fact, however, Nurse Lamb's statement, as set

forth in the police report, was "Because [Morganstern] reached under the covers,

I wasn't able to see where he was touching Jacqualyn, but it appeared to be on

her left thigh area." Nurse Lamb was questioned about this statement at her

deposition by Morganstern's attorney, Mr. Lechner:

Q. . .. Did you report to [the police] that you personally observed Mr. Morganstern having inappropriate physical contact with his sister?

A. Yes.

Q. That you observed it?

8 Q. Okay. And what ­ what was the substance of what you told the detective? What ­ what did ­ what did you report seeing?

A. His hands under her sheets.

Lamb Deposition 83:4 - 83:14. Contrary to Morganstern's interpretation of her

statement, Nurse Lamb said that "she wasn't able to see where" Morganstern

touched Jacqualyn, only that she saw his hand under her sheets.

Moreover, even if the Court were to assume that Nurse Lamb did make a

false statement, the standard for proving abuse of a conditional privilege is not

whether the statement was false or not, but rather whether the person making

the statement did so knowing that it was false or in reckless disregard of the

statement's truth or falsity. The burden of showing this mens rea lies with

Morganstern; thus, Morganstern must show that Nurse Lamb made her

statement with a high degree of awareness of its falsity or with serious doubt as

to its truth. See Rippett, 672 A.2d at 87. Morganstern has not met this burden. To

the contrary, because Nurse Lamb was aware of potential inappropriate conduct

concerning Morganstern that had been reported in Jacqualyn's medical record by

other nurses and because of her own assessment of Morganstern's behavior, it is

almost certain that she had no doubt about the truth of her statement.

Morganstern's second argument is that the Hospital failed to conduct a

reasonable investigation of the claims made against him in reckless disregard of

the validity of those claims. This argument is unavailing, however, as the Law

Court has specifically held that an inadequate investigation of a statement alone

is not sufficient to show abuse of a conditional privilege. See Rice, 2002 ME 43,

23, 791 A.2d at 937; Cole, 2000 ME 104,

more thorough investigation had occurred, there is no evidence that it would

9 have rebutted any of the claims made by the Hospital staff, including the several

nurses who reported inappropriate conduct by Morganstern toward his sister.

Indeed, no fewer than five nurses, including Lamb, Schiavoni, Abbie Howell

("Howell"), Lisa Burrage (JlBurrage") and Karyn Strout ("Strout"), noted

instances of inappropriate conduct by Morganstern in Jacqualyn's medical record

or to their supervisors, and each has affirmed their statements either in

depositions or affidavits. Thus, the instant case is distinguishable from Rippett v.

Bemis, a case in which the Law Court reversed the trial court's entry of summary

judgment in favor of the defendant-police officers who had only "conducted a

cursory investigation interviewing none of the parties involved" before

announcing that the plaintiff had made false accusations about the police

officers. Rippett v. Bemis, 672 A.2d 82, 85 (Me. 1996).

In his third argument, Morganstern maintains that the "animus" of the

Hospital staff towards him raises the question of whether the Hospital acted with

malice toward him. This Court finds no evidence of such malice. The Hospital

admits that some of its nurses, including Nurse Lamb, found Morganstern

demanding and difficult. Some of these same nurses also admitted to finding

Morganstern "weird," particularly with respect to his conduct toward his sister.

However, these admitted feelings do not rise to the level of animus nor do they

. rise to the level of malice sufficient to show abuse of a conditional privilege. The

Court reiterates that a finding of malice requires that the statements were made

by persons who knew their statements to be false or who recklessly disregarded

their truth or that the statements were made out of ill will or spite. See Staples v.

Bangor Hydro-Electric Co., 629 A.2d 601, 604 (Me. 1993). Morganstern has failed to

meet his burden of showing such mental state, ill will or spite here. At least

10 three nurses recorded in Jacqualyn's medical record (and later affirmed in

affidavits) that they had individually witnessed instances of inappropriate

conduct by Morganstern on separate occasions. Once this pattern was

established, the nursing staff informed McDonald, the social worker, and

ultimately the DHHS (as it was required to do pursuant to 22 M.R.S.A. § 3477)

and the Portland Police Department.

Finally, this Court also rejects Morganstern's argument that the Hospital

abused its conditional privilege by conveying reports and statements by the

Hospital staff beyond what was necessary under the circumstances. The

statements at issue here were made among the Hospital nursing staff; to

McDonald, a social worker; to Hospital security; to DHHS; and to the Portland

Police Department. None of these persons or organizations were unnecessary or

beyond the reasonable scope considering what was contained in the statements

(namely, suspected sexual abuse of an incapacitated adult). Morganstern does

not allege, nor is there any evidence to support, that any statements were made

to the press or to any private individuals or groups who did not have an interest

in ensuring Jacqualyn's safety and well-being. Nor did the Hospital act

unreasonably or hastily under the circumstances. Several nurses had observed

inappropriate conduct by Morganstern over the course of at least several days

and documented the same on Jacqualyn's medical record. The Hospital staff

then contacted security and the Portland Police Department to report this

conduct. As nurses and social workers are required to do under 22 M.R.S.A. §

3466, the Hospital reported the suspected abuse to DHHS. The statute requires

that reports "must contain the name and address of the involved adult" and

11 "information regarding the nature and extent of the abuse." 22 M.R.S.A. §

3477(2).

For the reasons contained herein, the Court finds no abuse of its

conditional privilege by the Hospital. As such, the Hospital cannot be liable for

defamation and its Motion for Summary Judgment is granted.

II. Morganstern's Discovery Arguments

In addition to arguing that the Hospital abused its conditional privilege,

Morganstern also maintains that the Hospital's Motion for Summary Judgment

must be denied because he is still seeking discovery materials from the Hospital,

including deposing Nurses Howell, Burrage and Strout, each of whom recorded

inappropriate conduct by Morganstern in Jacqualyn's medical record and

affirmed the same in affidavits filed with the Hospital's Motion for Summary

Judgment. According to Morganstern, as these three witnesses have not been

subject to cross-examination, they cannot be used to substantiate the Hospital's

claims that Morganstern acted inappropriately toward his sister. Plaintiff's

Objection to Defendant's Motion for Summary Judgment, page 6 (" ...the

Defendant has provided no witness who claims to have seen all three examples

of inappropriate physical contact. Rather, Defendant has produced affidavits by

three nurses who have not been subjected to cross-examination...").

Morganstern initiated this action on October 11, 2006. In its Trial

Management Conference Order dated September 21, 2007, this Court (Crowley,

J.) set October 27, 2007 as the deadline for discovery in this case. On September

24, 2007, the Hospital filed its Motion for Summary Judgment and Statement of

Material Facts. Thus, Morganstern had over a year since this case began to

conduct discovery. He also had over a month between the date the Hospital

12 filed its Motion and the discovery deadline to conduct discovery or to raise

issues of discovery disputes to this Court. Morganstern failed to do so. Nor did

Morganstern file an affidavit pursuant to M.R. Civ. P. 56(f) to request additional

time for discovery. Accordingly, this Court will not defer action on or refrain

from granting the Hospital's Motion for Summary Judgment on this basis.

Therefore, the entry is:

Defendant Mercy Hospital's Motion for Summary Judgment on all counts of Plaintiff Charles Morganstern's Complaint is GRANTED. Judgment for the Defendant.

The clerk shall incorporate this Order into the docket by reference pursuant to M.R. Civ. P. 79(a).

Dated at Portland, Maine this :S-lt,. daYOf~b /2007.

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