Public Health Law Archives - New York Appellate Digest

Evidence, Medical Malpractice, Negligence, Public Health Law

THE JURY WAS INSTRUCTED ON THE CRITERIA FOR CONSCIOUS PAIN AND SUFFERING IN THIS NURSING-HOME MALPRACTICE CASE, BUT THE JUDGE DID NOT FIRST DETERMINE PLAINTIFF HAD SOME LEVEL OF COGNITIVE AWARENESS; THE CONSCIOUS PAIN AND SUFFERING CRITERIA ARE THE SAME FOR MALPRACTICE AND FOR VIOLATION OF PUBLIC HEALTH LAW 2801-D; NEW DAMAGES TRIAL ORDERED (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department vacated the $2.5 million pain and suffering award in this nursing-home malpractice case because the jury was instructed on the elements of “conscious” pain and suffering, but the judge did not first determine plaintiff had some level of cognitive awareness. The suit alleged the nursing home’s failure to monitor plaintiff-resident’s blood sugar level led to brain injury and death. A new trial on damages was ordered. The First Department noted that the criteria for “conscious pain and suffering” damages is the same for malpractice and violation of Public Health Law 2801-d:

The court should not have allowed the jury to award damages for pain and suffering without first determining that the decedent “experienced some level of cognitive awareness following the injury”… . There is no legal basis for applying this rule in the general negligence/malpractice context but not in the context of a violation of PHL 2801-d. Although PHL 2801-d(4) provides that “[t]he remedies provided in this section are in addition to and cumulative with any other remedies available to a patient, . . . including tort causes of action, and may be granted regardless of whether such other remedies are available or are sought,” this language has been interpreted as authorizing a separate cause of action, not a separate category of damages … . Smith v Northern Manhattan Nursing Home, Inc., 2021 NY Slip Op 03818, First Dept 6-15-21

June 15, 2021/by Bruce Freeman

Administrative Law, Contract Law, Medicaid, Municipal Law, Public Health Law, Social Services Law

FUNDS FOR PERSONAL CARE SERVICES ARE MEDICAID FUNDS SUBJECT TO THE AUDIT AND RECOUPMENT AUTHORITY OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK HUMAN RESOURCES ADMINISTRATION; APPELLATE DIVISION REVERSED (CT APP)..

The Court of Appeals, reversing the Appellate Division, determined funds paid for personal care were Medicaid funds which were subject to the audit and recoupment authority of the City of New York Human Resources Administration (HRA). The facts are explained in the Appellate Division decision:

For the reasons stated in the dissenting opinion below (Matter of People Care Inc. v City of New York, 175 AD3d 134, 147-152 [1st Dept 2020] [Richter, J.P., dissenting]), we conclude that the funds for personal care services paid to petitioner People Care, Inc. under the Health Care Reform Act (Public Health Law §§ 2807-v [1] [bb] [i], [iii]) are Medicaid funds subject to the audit and recoupment authority of the City of New York Human Resources Administration (HRA) in accordance with the parties’ 2001 contract. Matter of People Care Inc. v City of N.Y. Human Resources Admin., 2021 NY Slip Op 01834, CtApp 3-25-21

March 25, 2021/by Bruce Freeman

Constitutional Law, Public Health Law, Religion

THE REPEAL OF THE RELIGIOUS EXEMPTION TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH LAW REQUIRING VACCINATION AGAINST MEASLES IS CONSTITUTIONAL (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, in a full-fledged opinion by Justice Pritzker, determined that the repeal of the religious exemption to the Pubic Health Law which allowed parents to refuse to vaccinate their children against measles was constitutional. The statute also allows a medical exemption, which was not repealed. The declaratoy-judgment complaint was dismissed for failure to state a cause of action:

It is well settled that, “the right of free exercise [of religion] does not relieve an individual of the obligation to comply with a valid and neutral law of general applicability on the ground that the law proscribes (or prescribes) conduct that [one’s] religion prescribes (or proscribes)” … . As such, to state a federal free exercise claim, a plaintiff generally must establish that “the object or purpose of a law is the suppression of religion or religious conduct” … . Significantly, if the law is neutral and of general applicability, a rational basis is all that is required to meet constitutional muster under the First Amendment, even if the law “proscribes (or prescribes) conduct that [one’s] religion prescribes (or proscribes)” … . * * *

Those school children with medical exemptions have been advised by a physician that certain immunizations may be detrimental to their physical health (see Public Health Law § 2164 [8]). There are many arguments to be made as to how children formerly subjected to the religious exemption may also be detrimentally impacted, however, documented concerns as to the physical well-being of children with medical exemptions is a sufficient basis upon which to distinguish the two groups. Indeed, it would be irrational to sacrifice the physical health of some children in the pursuit of protecting public health. In attempting to address the vulnerabilities in its current immunization scheme, the Legislature was permitted to exercise such “broad discretion required for the protection of the public health” … . F.F. v State of New York, 2021 NY Slip Op 01541, Third Dept 3-18-21

March 18, 2021/by Bruce Freeman

Public Health Law, Workers' Compensation

CARRIER PROPERLY ORDERED TO PAY FOR CLAIMAINT’S PAIN TREATMENT WITH MEDICAL MARIJUANA (THIRD DEPT).

The Third Department, in a comprehensive opinion by Justice Egan, determined the Workers’ Compensation Board properly issued a variance allowing coverage for medical marijuana for treatment of claimant’s pain. The opinion is too detailed to fairly summarize here. The carrier’s federal conflict preemption and statutory (Public Health Law) exemption arguments were rejected:

“The federal preemption doctrine has its roots in the Supremacy Clause of the United States Constitution, and federal preemption of state laws generally can occur in three ways: where Congress has expressly preempted state law, where Congress has legislated so comprehensively that federal law occupies an entire field of regulation and leaves no room for state law, or where federal law conflicts with state law” … . At issue here is conflict preemption, “which occurs when compliance with both federal and state law is a physical impossibility, or where the state law at issue . . . stands as an obstacle to the accomplishment and execution of the full purposes and objectives of Congress” … .

* * * [R]equiring the carrier to reimburse claimant … does not serve to subvert, in any way, the principal purposes of the Controlled Substances Act in combating drug abuse and controlling “the legitimate and illegitimate traffic in controlled substances” … , particularly where, as here, claimant was validly prescribed and authorized to use medical marihuana by his pain management specialist to both treat his chronic pain and reduce his reliance on opiates. Matter of Quigley v Village of E. Aurora, 2021 NY Slip Op 01174, Third Dept 2-25-21

February 25, 2021/by Bruce Freeman

Agency, Arbitration, Contract Law, Public Health Law

ALTHOUGH THE PUBLIC HEALTH LAW GAVE THE DECEDENT’S DAUGHTER THE AUTHORITY TO EXECUTE THE NURSING HOME’S ADMISSION AGREEMENT ON BEHALF OF HER FATHER, THE PUBLIC HEALTH LAW DID NOT GIVE HER THE AUTHORITY TO SIGN A BINDING ARBITRATION AGREEMENT ON HER FATHER’S BEHALF; THEREFORE THE DECEDENT’S WIFE WAS NOT BOUND BY THE ARBITRATION AGREEMENT IN HER SUIT AGAINST THE NURSING HOME (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff wife’s adult daughter had the authority, pursuant to the Public Health Law, to execute the nursing home’s admission agreement on behalf of plaintiff’s husband (her father), who was deemed incapable of making health-care related decisions. In addition to the admission agreement, plaintiff’s daughter signed a binding arbitration agreement on her father’s behalf. After plaintiff’s husband died, plaintiff sued the nursing home which asserted that that the matter was subject to the arbitration agreement. The First Department held that, pursuant to the Public Health Law, plaintiff’s daughter had the authority to sign the admission agreement, because it related to her father’s health care, but she did not have the authority to sign the arbitration agreement:

The authority of the decedent’s daughter to act as a “surrogate” decision-maker pursuant to PHL 2994-d at the time decedent was admitted to JHL was limited to making decisions regarding “[a]ny treatment, service, or procedure to diagnose or treat an individual’s physical or mental condition” (PHL 2994-a[12]). Although she had authority, pursuant to PHL 2994-d, to execute the Agreement for purposes of admitting her father into the facility for health care treatment, she did not have the authority to execute the Binding Arbitration Agreement on his behalf. Such agreement was entirely optional and had no bearing on the father’s health care. Accordingly, it is entirely outside of the purview of surrogate decision-maker’s authority set forth in PHL 2994-d. Gayle v Regeis Care Ctr., LLC, 2021 NY Slip Op 01197, First Dept 2-25-21

February 25, 2021/by Bruce Freeman

Dental Malpractice, Negligence, Public Health Law

THE LACK OF INFORMED CONSENT CAUSE OF ACTION IN THIS DENTAL MALPRACTICE CASE SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN DISMSSED DESPITE PLAINTIFF’S SIGNING A CONSENT FORM (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the lack of informed consent cause of action should not have been dismissed in this dental malpractice action:

To establish a cause of action for malpractice based on lack of informed consent, a plaintiff must prove (1) that the person providing the professional treatment failed to inform the patient of reasonably foreseeable risks and benefits associated with the treatment, and the alternatives thereto, that a reasonable medical practitioner would have disclosed under similar circumstances, (2) that a reasonably prudent patient in the same position would not have undergone the treatment if he or she had been fully informed, and (3) that the lack of informed consent is a proximate cause of the injury (see Public Health Law § 2805-d …). “The mere fact that the plaintiff signed a consent form does not establish the defendants’ prima facie entitlement to judgment as a matter of law” … .

Here, although the injured plaintiff signed a consent form, the defendants submitted in support of their motion, inter alia, a transcript of the injured plaintiff’s deposition, during which she testified that the defendants never explained the risks of the tooth extraction or whether there were any alternatives … . Xiao Yan Ye v Din Lam, 2021 NY Slip Op 00895, Second Dept 2-10-21

February 10, 2021/by Bruce Freeman

Mental Hygiene Law, Public Health Law

A COMPETENT ADULT MAY REVOKE A HEALTH CARE PROXY; HERE PETITIONER’S MOTHER REVOKED THE PROXY BY EXECUTING A DOCUMENT REVOKING ALL DOCUMENTS OF AUTHORITY IN FAVOR OF PETITIONER (FIRST DEPT).

The Second Department determined that a document executed by Angela M., Mark M.’s mother, revoking all documents of authority in favor of Mark M. included a health care proxy:

“A competent adult may revoke a health care proxy by notifying the agent or a health care provider orally or in writing or by any other act evidencing a specific intent to revoke the proxy” (Public Health Law § 2985[1][a]). Angelina M. revoked the health care proxy prior to her incapacitation by executing a written revocation expressly revoking “any and all” documents of authority “of every nature[,] type[,] and description” in favor of Mark M. Contrary to Mark M.’s contention, the revocation is not limited to powers of attorney related to Angelina M.’s interest in real properties and certain limited liability companies and reflects Angelina M.’s intent to revoke all documents of authority in his favor, including the health care proxy. Also contrary to Mark M.’s contention, the revocation is clear and unambiguous, and the Supreme Court properly declined to consider the affidavit of the attorney who drafted the revocation … . Matter of Angelina M. (Mark M.), 2021 NY Slip Op 00649, First Dept 2-4-21

February 4, 2021/by Bruce Freeman

Family Law, Fraud, Public Health Law, Real Estate, Trusts and Estates

PLAINTIFF, WHO WAS BORN TWO YEARS BEFORE HIS MOTHER AND FATHER WERE MARRIED, WAS A DISTRIBUTEE OF HIS FATHER’S ESTATE; IT HAS YET TO BE DETERMINED WHETHER DEFENDANT YOUSEF FRAUDULENTLY REPRESENTED HE WAS THE SOLE HEIR WHEN HE TRANSFERRED REAL PROPERTY TO DEFENDANT BASMANOV (FIRST DEPT).

The First Department determined plaintiff demonstrated he was a distributee of his father’s estate. Plaintiff was born two years before his parents married and both his father’s and mother’s names were on plaintiff’s birth certificate. The court noted that it has yet to be established whether defendant Yousef fraudulently represented himself as the sole heir of the estate when he transferred real property to defendant Basmanov:

Pursuant to Domestic Relations Law § 24, if a mother and father enter into a civil or religious marriage after the birth of their child, the child is legitimated for all purposes of New York law, even if the marriage is void or voidable (§ 24[1]). Therefore, such child automatically becomes a distributee of both birth parents, without any need to satisfy one of the paternity tests set forth in Section 4-1.2(a)(2) of the EPTL … .

Plaintiff was born in 1973, nearly two years before his parents subsequently married. At some point, the decedent-father’s name was placed on the plaintiff’s birth certificate, which, pursuant to Public Health Law § 4135(2) in effect at the time, required “the consent in writing of both the mother and putative father, duly verified, and filed with the record of the birth.” Pursuant to Public Health Law § 4103(2), “a certification of birth is prima facie evidence of the facts therein.” …

Defendant Basmanov’s argument that plaintiff failed to establish fraud necessary to warrant voiding the deeds by which defendant Yosef purported to transfer the decedent’s real property to himself, and then to her, is unavailing. Absent proof of fraud, a deed that purports to transfer more than the party owns is valid to the extent of transferring that party’s interest … ; however, it has yet to be established whether Yosef committed a fraudulent transfer by representing himself as the sole heir of the decedent’s estate in order to effectuate the transfer. Tiwary v Tiwary, 2020 NY Slip Op 07479, First Dept 12-10-20

December 10, 2020/by Bruce Freeman

Civil Procedure, Evidence, Negligence, Public Health Law

THE PLAINTIFF SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ALLOWED TO CROSS EXAMINE THE DEFENSE EXPERT USING DECEDENT’S HUSBAND’S DEPOSITION IN THIS NEGLIGENCE AND PUBLIC-HEALTH-LAW VIOLATION CASE; THE DECEDENT’S HUSBAND, A NONPARTY, WAS AVAILABLE TO TESTIFY; THE PLAINTIFF’S VERDICT SHOULD HAVE BEEN SET ASIDE (FOURTH DEPT).

The Fourth Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined plaintiff should not have been allowed to cross-examine the defense expert using the deposition of decedent’s husband, who was available to testify. The defense motion to set aside the verdict in this negligence and Public-Health-Law violation case should have been granted:

Supreme Court erred in allowing plaintiff to cross-examine a defense expert using the deposition of decedent’s husband, a nonparty. CPLR 3117 limits the use of a nonparty’s deposition at trial to either the impeachment of that nonparty as a witness … , or for “any purpose against any other party” in case of the nonparty’s unavailability at trial … . Here, plaintiff was not using the husband’s deposition testimony to impeach the husband’s own trial testimony, and the husband was available and testified at trial. Contrary to plaintiff’s assertion, CPLR 4515 does not permit a party to cross-examine an expert with all the materials that the expert reviewed in formulating his or her opinion, regardless of the independent admissibility of those materials … . “That statute provides only that an expert witness may on cross-examination ‘be required to specify the data and other criteria supporting the opinion’ ” … . Because the testimony pertained directly to the central issue to be resolved by the jury, i.e., the quality of care that decedent received, the error was not harmless … . Williams v Ridge View Manor, LLC, 2020 NY Slip Op 06894, Fourth Dept 11-20-20

November 20, 2020/by Bruce Freeman

Arbitration, Employment Law, Medicaid, Public Health Law

THE ARBITRATOR’S AWARD, REINSTATING NURSING HOME EMPLOYEES WHO WERE FIRED AND INDICTED FOR ALLEGEDLY IGNORING A RESIDENT IN RESPIRATORY DISTRESS, VIOLATED PUBLIC POLICY (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined the arbitrator’s award, reinstating the employees to their former positions as care providers at a nursing home, violated public policy. The employees were fired and indicted for allegedly ignoring an alarm indicating a resident on a ventilator was in distress:

… [T]he record reflects that after the employees were indicted, inter alia, on felony charges, OMIG [Office of Medicaid Inspector General] notified the employees that they were excluded “from participation in the New York State Medicaid program based on New York State regulations authorizing the immediate exclusion of a person who has been charged with committing an act which would be a felony under the laws of New York and which relates to or results from,” among other things, “the furnishing of or billing for medical care, services or supplies.” Pursuant to 18 NYCRR 515.5(c), “[a] person who is excluded from the program cannot be involved in any activity relating to furnishing medical care, services or supplies to recipients of medical assistance for which claims are submitted to the program, or relating to claiming or receiving payment for medical care, services or supplies during the period.” The regulations also preclude reimbursement for medical care, services, or supplies provided by an excluded person (see 18 NYCRR 515.5[b]), and the Department of Health’s published Medicaid Update instructs Medicaid providers “to ensure that they do not employ, or are affiliated with, any individual who has been excluded from either the Medicare or the Medicaid program” … . There is no evidence in the record that the exclusion was vacated. Therefore, the final result of the arbitrator’s award, reinstating the employees to their former positions, creates an explicit conflict with the subject regulations and their attendant policy concerns … . Civil Serv. Employees Assn., A.F.S.C.M.E. Local 1000, A.F.L.-C.I.O. by its Local 830 v Nassau Healthcare Corp., 2020 NY Slip Op 06777, Second Dept 11-18-20

November 18, 2020/by Bruce Freeman