Montanez v. 178 Lowell St. Operating Co.
Montanez v. 178 Lowell St. Operating Co.
Opinion
*700
The plaintiff, Sandra Montanez, appeals from the judgment of dismissal of her G. L. c. 93A claim pursuant to Mass. R. Civ. P. 12 (b) (6),
On March 31, 2014, following the transfer of her mother, Benita Sanchez, from the Lexington Healthcare Center, a nursing home owned by the defendant (hereafter, nursing home or defendant) in which Sanchez had lived for approximately ten years, until August 2013, the plaintiff in her capacity as guardian for her mother sent a request to the nursing home for all her mother's medical records from January 1, 2013, forward. No records were received. On May 15, 2014, through her counsel, she sent the nursing home a demand letter pursuant to G. L. c. 93A, § 9. This letter was never answered. On May 21, 2014, her counsel received a copy of the records, not certified as to their completeness. The plaintiff inventoried the records, which appeared incomplete, and on June 27, 2014, her counsel sent another request, this time for a certified copy of the records. On July 9, 2014, the request was answered by the nursing home's counsel, who stated that the records already sent were complete, apart from some inadvertently-omitted "interim physician's order sheets," which he included in this correspondence. The plaintiff then sent a final request for a certified copy of the records on July 11, 2014.
After receiving no response to this last request, the plaintiff, on July 29, 2014, brought suit as her mother's guardian, seeking damages under G. L. c. 93A and an injunction ordering the nursing home to produce the complete records for copying *888 and inspection. Immediately following service, the nursing home offered to allow the plaintiff to inspect and copy the records, and a judge denied the plaintiff's motion for a preliminary injunction. The plaintiff inspected the records at the nursing home's counsel's office, and discovered approximately twenty pages that had not previously been disclosed. The defendant filed a motion to dismiss the complaint, which was allowed by a different judge. *701 The judge concluded that the complaint did not state a claim for a G. L. c. 93A violation, and that the claim for injunctive relief was moot. 3 The plaintiff now appeals. 4
The plaintiff's mother died while the defendant's motion to dismiss was under advisement. We must at the outset therefore address whether the cause of action survives the death of the plaintiff's mother. At least those claims under c. 93A that are "contractual in nature" survive death. See
Kraft Power Corp
. v.
Merrill
,
As to the standing of the plaintiff, we note initially that, because the mother's estate had no personal representative when judgment entered, the notice of appeal was properly filed by the plaintiff's attorney of record. See Mass. R. A. P. 30 (a), as amended,
As to the merits, this is not a malpractice claim, so it falls into the category of "entrepreneurial and business aspects of providing medical services" that is actionable under G. L. c. 93A.
*889
Darviris
v.
Petros
,
Title
The plaintiff argues that the defendant violated various other regulations that, unlike those cited above, apply by their terms to *703 "residents" of long-term care facilities. The defendant argues that these regulations do not apply to former residents, like the plaintiff's mother. Since we conclude that the complaint alleges violations of § 164.524(b)(2)(i) that suffice to describe a c. 93A claim, even were the defendant correct, something we need not and do not decide, reversal would be required.
Finally, the defendant argues that there was no injury alleged here. The plaintiff points to the legal fees involved in her attempt to obtain the records. The defendant responds that legal fees are not cognizable as an injury flowing from an alleged violation of c. 93A. But as we have explained, "If a c. 93A violation forces someone to incur legal fees and expenses that are not simply those incurred in vindicating that person's rights under the statute, those fees may be treated as actual damages in the same way as other losses of money or property."
McLaughlin
v.
American States Ins. Co
.,
The attachments to the complaint include the letter dated June 27, 2014, sent by the plaintiff's counsel in response to the apparent provision of incomplete records by the defendant. This letter seeks provision of all the plaintiff's mother's records on the basis of Federal regulations. It sought to vindicate her rights under those regulations, not G. L. c. 93A. Likewise, the complaint includes a free-standing count for injunctive relief. That, too, seeks to vindicate the plaintiff's underlying rights
*890
rather than her rights under c. 93A. Should the plaintiff prevail, the legal fees incurred in the preparation of both the letter and the aspect of this case that does not depend on success under c. 93A would amount to actual damages incurred as a result of the defendant's failure timely to provide the records at issue. Costs like these incurred as a result of the underlying violative conduct are recoverable as damages. See
McLaughlin
,
So ordered .
The plaintiff does not challenge the dismissal of the claim for injunctive relief.
In her memorandum of law in opposition to the defendant's motion to dismiss, the plaintiff requested, in the alternative, leave to amend her complaint so that she could state a claim. However, she made no formal motion. The judge initially did not address this request; she later denied it. Because we hold that the plaintiff stated a claim, we need not address this issue.
Case-law data current through December 31, 2025. Source: CourtListener bulk data.