Kinkade v. Wiseman, No. Cv 96-0475532s (Dec. 30, 1997)
Opinion of the Court
The parties to this action are Shawn B. Kinkade (hereinafter the plaintiff') and Dana Wiseman, M.D., P.C. (hereinafter the "defendant"). The plaintiff filed a complaint in this court with a return date of September 10, 1996. According to that pleading, the plaintiff had previously filed charges of discrimination with the Equal Employment and Opportunity: Commission and the State of Connecticut Commission on Human Rights and Opportunities (hereinafter the "CHRO"), against Dana Wiseman on December 20, 1994. The plaintiff alleges that he received a Notice of Right to Sue from the United States Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division on October 5, 1995, and that he filed a complaint thereafter in federal court on December 8, 1995. See 1 United States District of Connecticut, Civil No. 3:95CV2767 (AWT) (hereinafter the "federal court" and "federal claims" or "federal complaint"). The federal complaint alleged violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Federal Rehabilitation CT Page 13267 Act, respectively. against Dana Wiseman, individually, and the Town of East Hartford (hereinafter the "town"). The plaintiff alleges that he received a Release to Sue from the CHRO, on February 29, 1996.
Within a week of receiving the Release to Sue, the plaintiff filed a request to amend his complaint1 in federal court that added allegations based on the Connecticut Fair Employment Practices Act, Connecticut General Statutes §
The claims raised by the plaintiff sound in negligence and discrimination. In support of his claims. the plaintiff alleges that in May of 1994 he had applied to become a firefighter/paramedic with the Town of East Hartford. According to the plaintiff, the chief of the East Hartford Fire Department informed him personally on May 20, 1994, that he was a successful candidate. The plaintiff participated in a physical examination conducted at the town's Health Department on the same day. Several weeks later, the plaintiff received a letter from the town that stated that 23 others had been hired as firefighter/paramedics and that his rank had been reduced regarding his eligibility for future firefighter/paramedic jobs.
The plaintiff alleges that he learned that the defendant had concluded, based on the single physical examination, that the plaintiff was "not qualified" to be a firefighter/paramedic. The defendant allegedly concluded that the plaintiff suffered from low levels of high density lipoprotein and from labile hypertension. The plaintiff alleges that both conditions are treatable. He claims that the defendant violated the CFEPA by summarily concluding that the plaintiff was "Not qualified" to serve as a firefighter/paramedic; by failing to investigate whether, in fact, the plaintiff could perform the responsibilities of the firefighter/paramedic position before reporting to the town that he was unqualified; and that the defendant performed his duties negligently.
On October 10, 1996, the defendant filed a pleading entitled Motions to Dismiss, to Strike and for Summary Judgment on Behalf of Dana Wiseman, M.D., P.C. The combined motions were accompanied CT Page 13268 by verified copies of the complaint, the Endorsement Order issued by the federal court and dated August 12, 1996, a Release to Sue from the CHRO signed on February 29, 1996, and a copy of a Request to Amend Complaint dated March 4, 1996 with a typewritten notation dated August 12, 1996 by Judge Thompson denying the plaintiff's request to amend as it pertained to the proposed additional CFEPA claim. The defendant's motion also attached a notarized Affidavit in Support, signed by Dana Wiseman, M.D.; a copy of a Professional Services Contract between Dana Wiseman, M.D., and the Town of East Hartford; and a copy of a document entitled Medical Requirements for Prospective Firefighter Applicants. Town of East Hartford. A twenty-three page Memorandum of Law in Support of Motions to Dismiss. to Strike and for Summary Judgment on Behalf of Dana Wiseman, M.D., P.C. accompanied the defendant's motions. None of the moving papers separated out the defendant's motions or theories of relief
After being granted additional time within which to respond to the defendant's motions, the plaintiff filed a Memorandum in Opposition to Defendant's Motions to Dismiss, to Strike and for Summary Judgment. Attached to the plaintiffs memorandum were copies of an Affidavit in Support signed by Dana Wiseman, M.C., the Endorsement Order of the federal court, the CHRO Release to Sue, an unsigned uncertified Second Amended Complaint dated March 4, 1996, relating to the federal case, and a copy of an unpublished Superior Court decision. After oral argument was heard, by letters of various dates, both parties briefed additional case law and urged the court to consider it.
The defendant argues that the plaintiff failed to comply with the requirement of C.G.S. §
In response to the defendant's motion, the plaintiff argues that the 90 day requirement was tolled by his litigation in federal court, that the defendant corporation, Dana Wiseman, M.D., P.C., is a proper party as the employer of Dana Wiseman, CT Page 13269 M.D., and that the defendant has wrongly applied the malpractice statute of limitations to his negligence claim.
Pleading Standards
Practice Book § 112 sets out an order that must be followed for the filing of pleadings. According to the rule, the motion to dismiss must precede the motion to strike and any answer or special defenses. Practice Book § 112. But a motion to dismiss based on want of subject matter jurisdiction may be raised at any time. Goodson v. State,
Motion to Dismiss
A motion to dismiss attacks the jurisdiction of the court.Gurliacci v. Mayer,
"It is axiomatic that once the issue of subject matter jurisdiction is raised, it must be immediately acted upon by the court' . . ." (Citations omitted.) Federal Deposit InsuranceCompany v. Peabody,
"[T]he court, in deciding a motion to dismiss, must consider the allegations of the complaint in their most favorable light." (Internal quotation marks omitted.) Savage v. Aronson,
Discussion
For the foregoing reasons, the court will first consider the claim raised by the defendant's combined motion that raises a jurisdictional question and treat it as raised pursuant to the motion to dismiss. In this regard, the defendant argues in his memorandum that due to the plaintiff's failure to commence his action in this court within the 90 day window allocated by C.G.S. §
Rules of Statutory Construction
"Well established principles of statutory construction govern [the court's] determination of whether a statutory time period is mandatory or directory. [The court's] fundamental objective is to ascertain and give effect to the apparent intent of the legislature. . . . In seeking to discern that intent, [the court] look[s] to the words of the statute itself" (Ellipses in original; citations omitted; internal quotation marks omitted.) CT Page 13271Doe v. Statewide Grievance Committee,
Our Supreme Court recently decided that certain time restrictions, imposed by language contained in the CFEPA, were mandatory. See Angelsea Productions, Inc. v. CHRO,
In reaching an affirmative answer to each question, the court stated that "[t]he test we have adopted for determining whether such a statutory requirement is mandatory or directory : is CT Page 13272 whether the prescribed mode of action is of the essence of the thing to be accomplished, or in other words, whether it relates to matter material or immaterial to matters of convenience or substance. . . . If it is a matter of convenience, the statutory provision is directory; if it is a matter of substance, the statutory provision is mandatory. . . . Stated another way, language is deemed to be mandatory if the mode of action is of the essence of the purpose to be accomplished by the statute . . . but will be considered directory if the failure to comply with the requirement does not compromise the purpose of the statute. . . ." (Citations omitted; internal quotation marks omitted.) Angelsea Productions, Inc. v. CHRO, supra,
According to the Supreme Court, "the purpose of [the predecessor to today's discriminator complaint procedure provisions] is to guard against subjecting a respondent to a hearing upon ever complaint which might be made to the commission, however unfounded . . . ." (Citations omitted.)Angelsea Productions, Inc. v. CHRO, supra,
The statutory provisions at issue before this court and the provisions interpreted by the court in Angelsea are part of the same statutory scheme, namely the CFEPA. The provisions relevant to this case state:
"§
46a-100 Discriminatory employment practices. Cause of action upon release from commission. Any person who has timely filed a complaint with the Commission on Human Rights and CT Page 13273 Opportunities in accordance with section46a-82 , alleging a violation of section46a-60 and who has obtained a release from the commission in accordance with section46a-101 , may also bring an action in the superior court. . . ."§
46a-101 Release of pending complaint alleging discriminatory employment practice. Time period for bringing action after release. (a) No action may be brought in accordance with section46a-100 unless the complainant has received a release from the commission in accordance with the provisions of this section. . . . (e) Any action brought by the complainant in accordance with section46a-100 shall be brought within ninety days of the receipt of the release from the commission."
The words of these statutes are not ambiguous and there is little need to look beyond their plain meaning to recognize that they permit an aggrieved complainant to sue in the Superior Court but circumscribe the right to sue by imposing mandatory preconditions.
General Statutes §
Our courts have consistently held that failure to comply with the conditions established by the CFEPA "forecloses [a plaintiffs] access to judicial relief because it [deprives] the trial court of jurisdiction to hear his complaint." See Sullivanv. Board of Police Commissioners,
Furthermore, the interpretation of sections
The procedural anti-discrimination provisions of C.G.S. §§
On the undisputed facts, plaintiff has failed to comply with the statutory requirement in several ways. He has failed to bring the action in superior court within 90 days of receipt of release, some six plus months intervening between the release and state suit dates. Even if bringing a claim in federal court under pendent jurisdiction were deemed the statutory equivalent of bringing am action in superior court, plaintiff failed to do so within the 90 day period. Plaintiff only attempted to add a claim for violation of his CFEPA rights in federal court but, the court having denied his request to amend, the claim u as never brought in federal court. As to plaintiffs claim of an equitable tolling of the 90 day period, he has cited no Connecticut authority for same and such would be inconsistent with the mandatory nature of the time limitation.
Further, the defendant here is a professional corporation, not the individual doctor. The release to sue is as to the individual doctor, not the corporation. And the attempted amendment in federal court was to bring a claim against the individual doctor, not the corporation.
For the reasons set forth above, the court holds that as to count one of the plaintiffs complaint, which alleges a violation of CFEPA, there is no subject matter jurisdiction and the motion to dismiss is granted.
Motion to Strike
Throughout the defendant's pleadings it argues that the plaintiff has sued the wrong defendant and that the plaintiffs complaint is insufficient because it fails to join a necessary party, Dana Wiseman individually. The plaintiff disputes these contentions.
The purpose of the motion to strike is to test the legal sufficiency of the challenged pleading. R.K. Constructors, Inc.v. Fusco Corp. ,
When deciding motions to strike, our courts do not consider extraneous matter from outside the pleadings. Murphy v. McNamara,
Motion for Summary Judgment
The defendant argues that the plaintiff's negligence claim, the second count, cannot prevail on its merits against the corporate defendant, and that defendant is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. In it's brief, at page 20, it details it's claim that the corporation had no involvement with plaintiff, no duty to him and cannot be liable to him.3 plaintiff has not opposed the claim that the corporation did not deal with plaintiff with any evidentiary material. In contrast, movant has furnished a detailed affidavit as to the relationship between Dr. Wiseman and the town of East Hartford and lack of relationship between the corporate defendant and town, including a verified copy of the contract between the town and doctor.
"'The standards governing our review of a trial court's decision to grant a motion for summary judgment are well established. Practice Book § 384 provides that summary judgment shall be rendered forthwith if the pleadings, affidavits and any other proof submitted show that there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the moving party is entitled to summary judgment as a matter of law. . . . In CT Page 13277 deciding a motion for summary judgment, the trial court must view the evidence in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. . . . The party seeking summary judgment has the burden of showing the absence of any genuine issue [of] material facts which, under applicable principles of substantive law, entitle him to a judgment as a matter of law . . . and the party opposing such a motion must provide an evidentiary foundation to demonstrate the existence of a genuine issue of material fact."' (Citations omitted; internal quotation marks omitted.) Doty v.Mucci,
Having sued the corporate entity, plaintiff in paragraph 3 of his complaint defined the term "Wiseman" in the complaint as the professional corporation. Accordingly, plaintiff's allegations in Count Two are that the corporation performed medical exams of prospective town employees (complaint paragraph 9); the corporation examined plaintiff(complaint paragraph 12); the corporation determined plaintiff was not qualified medically (complaint paragraph 14); the corporation owed plaintiff a duty of care and investigation (complaint paragraphs 22 and 23); the corporation breached that duty to plaintiff and damaged him by its negligence (complaint paragraphs 24 and 25). The doctor was not sued individually nor are any relevant allegations directed toward him.
Dr. Wiseman's uncontroverted affidavit establishes that the contract to examine prospective employees for the town of East Hartford was between the town and the doctor individually and not with or on behalf of the corporation. The affidavit, and attached written contract, establishes that the initial and subsequent contracts were entered into by Dana Wiseman, M.D., not by the corporate defendant, Dana Wiseman, M.D., P.C. It further establishes that the individual received compensation from the town, the individual performed the exams and medical tests on East Hartford town premises, not at the corporate offices, and the individual transmitted the results of such exams and tests without corporate involvement. The written contract with the town specifically provides the town will provide the space for exams, supplies, nursing services and secretarial support. There are no facts in the affidavit to support any claim that the individual was acting on behalf of the corporation or in furtherance of it's business in performing these acts. The affidavit indicates the contrary.
While plaintiff claims the acts of the individual doctor are CT Page 13278 attributable to the corporate defendant, it has offered no evidence that the acts were performed on behalf of the corporation and offered no evidence to contradict defendant's evidence that the relevant acts were performed by the individual solely on his own behalf. Plaintiff has referred to the doctor's affidavit at paragraphs 2, 3 and 4. Plaintiff claims, erroneously, that the Wiseman affidavit states at paragraph 4 that he contracted with the town on behalf of the corporation. In fact, it states the opposite. The general statements at paragraph 2 and 3 of the doctor's affidavit that his practice is located in Glastonbury, is incorporated and employs him and others full-time, do not address the issue of whether the specific exam, test, opinion and other acts complained of by plaintiff were performed by or on behalf of, or in furtherance of the business of the corporation. Nor, reading the affidavit as a whole, do they contradict the specific factual statements that the work in question here was performed by the doctor in an individual capacity, pursuant to contract and without the corporation's involvement.
There being no genuine issue of material fact that the acts alleged in Count Two were not performed by or on behalf of the corporate defendant, it cannot be liable on said count as a matter of law and summary judgment for defendant upon Count Two is granted.
So ordered.
JAMES F. GRAHAM JUDGE, SUPERIOR COURT
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