St. Joseph Hospital v. Novello

15 Misc. 3d 333
CourtNew York Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 2, 2007
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 15 Misc. 3d 333 (St. Joseph Hospital v. Novello) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering New York Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
St. Joseph Hospital v. Novello, 15 Misc. 3d 333 (N.Y. Super. Ct. 2007).

Opinion

[335]*335OPINION OF THE COURT

Joseph D. Mintz, J.

Plaintiffs St. Joseph Hospital of Cheektowaga and Catholic Health System, Inc. (hereinafter CHS) commenced this action for declaratory judgment and injunctive relief under CPLR 3001, and injunctive relief under 42 USC § 1983. They seek to prevent the implementation of recommendations made by defendant New York State Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century as pertain to the recommended closing of the hospital. Plaintiffs move for summary judgment on all causes of action, and defendants cross-move for summary judgment dismissing the complaint in its entirety.

The amended complaint asserts 16 separate causes of action. Most of the causes of action (including the first, second, fourth, fifth, seventh, eighth, tenth, eleventh, fourteenth causes of action) seek a declaration that section 31 of part E of chapter 63 of the Laws of 2005, adding part K (hereinafter the Enabling Act) is unconstitutional under various provisions of the New York and United States constitutions. Several causes of action (including the third, sixth, ninth, twelfth, fifteenth causes of action) seek injunctive relief preventing the defendant New York State Health Commissioner from implementing the determinations of the defendant Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century as required under the Enabling Act, in that such implementation would constitute an abridgment of plaintiffs’ constitutional rights under the color of state law, as prohibited by 42 USC § 1983. The thirteenth cause of action seeks a declaration that the Enabling Act is unenforceable as it is violative of the New York State Administrative Procedure Act and the sixteenth cause of action seeks a declaration that the agreement between defendant George E. Pataki, as Governor of the State of New York, and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services is unconstitutional under the New York State Constitution.

I. The Enabling Act

In 2005, the Legislature determined that a review of health care capacity and resources was necessary in order to promote stability and efficiency in the health care delivery system infrastructure. At that time, the Commissioner of Health had broad powers over health care providers through the control of the providers’ operating licenses. For example, under Public Health Law § 2806 (6) (a), the Commissioner may “suspend, [336]*336limit, modify, or revoke a hospital operating certificate, after taking into consideration the total number of beds necessary to meet the public need.” Nonetheless, the Legislature determined that it would be within the best interests of the state if the review of the health care capacity and resources were conducted by a commission “separate and apart from existing bodies responsible for the establishment and continued oversight of general hospitals and nursing homes.”1 As a result, the Legislature created a temporary commission charged with this review.

Section 2 of the Enabling Act specifies the creation within the executive department of the Commission, its membership and the method of appointment of its members. Subdivision (c) requires the commission to adopt bylaws for the management and regulation of its work. Sections 3 and 4 concern appointment of members and the Commission staff. Section 5 sets forth the factors that the Commission must consider in its deliberations. Section 6 concerns the method of meetings, deliberations and proceedings by the Commission. Section 7 provides for the creation of regional members and advisory committees for each of six regions. It also directs the advisory committee to develop recommendations and specifies considerations in reaching those recommendations. Finally, it directs each regional advisory committee to transmit a report containing its recommendations to the Commission by November 15, 2006, including specific recommendations for which facilities should be closed, resized, consolidated, converted or restructured, with a timetable and any necessary provisions of funds, human capital or training in order to accomplish it. The recommendations must have been accompanied by the advisory committee’s justification for the recommendations, including which of the statutorily required factors were considered. Section 8 provides for the development of recommendations by the Commission, itself, similar to those provisions contained in section 7 pertinent to regional advisory committees. The Commission’s recommendations, pursuant to section 8 (c), were to be transmitted to the Governor and the Legislature by December 1, 2006. Section 9 provides for the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations by the Health Commissioner, notwithstanding any contrary provision [337]*337of law (including Public Health Law § 2806), unless the Governor chooses not to transmit the Commission’s report with approval of the recommendations, or unless a majority of the members of each house of the Legislature vote to adopt a concurrent resolution rejecting the Commission’s report in its entirety, by December 31, 2006.

Section 10 is a severability clause, which reads in its entirety:

“If any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section or part of this act shall be adjudged by any court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, such judgment shall not affect, impair, or invalidate the remainder thereof, but shall be confined in its operation to the clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section or part thereof directly involved in the controversy in which such judgment shall have been rendered. It is hereby declared to be the intent of the legislature that this act would have been enacted even if such invalid provisions had not been included herein.”

The Commission rendered its report on November 28, 2006. The Governor transmitted it to the Legislature with his approval on December 5, 2006. The Legislature did not adopt any resolution rejecting the Commission’s report. As a result, under the terms of the Enabling Act, the Health Commissioner is required to implement the recommendations of the report, pursuant to section 9 (a).

II. Plaintiffs’ Claims Under the Presentment Clause and Separation of Powers Clause of the New York State Constitution

Plaintiffs’ first cause of action claims that the provision of section 9 of the Enabling Act which requires the Health Commissioner to implement the recommendations of the Commission unless the Legislature adopts a concurrent resolution rejecting the report in its entirety constitutes a legislative veto. As such, since it does not provide for the enactment of legislation with presentment to the Governor, plaintiffs claim it violates the Presentment Clause of article iy § 7 of the New York State Constitution. In the second cause of action, plaintiffs claim that section 9’s provision of a transmittal by the Governor followed by the possibility of a legislative veto is contrary to the Separation of Powers Clause in article iy § 7 of the New York State Constitution. Defendants claim that there is no constitu[338]*338tional infirmity, but also claim that due to the severability provision in section 10, the constitutionality of the legislative veto, since unexercised, is moot and that the plaintiffs are without standing to raise the issue of its constitutionality.

A. Severability

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Related

John E. Andrus Memorial, Inc. v. Daines
600 F. Supp. 2d 563 (S.D. New York, 2009)
St. Joseph Hospital v. Novello
43 A.D.3d 139 (Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of New York, 2007)

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
15 Misc. 3d 333, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/st-joseph-hospital-v-novello-nysupct-2007.