Phinisee v. Friewald
Phinisee v. Friewald
Opinion of the Court
MEMORANDUM
RUFE, District Judge *654Rasheena Phinisee filed this civil action on behalf of herself and her minor daughter, A.P., raising claims against five attorneys stemming primarily from her dissatisfaction with the resolution of a medical malpractice case based on harm caused to her daughter. Phinisee
I. FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
For the past eight years, Phinisee has been engaged in litigation stemming from injuries sustained by her daughter, efforts to settle those claims, and her apparent dissatisfaction with attorneys who have represented her. The Third Circuit Court of Appeals recently summarized the history of this dispute as follows:
Ms. Phinisee and A.P., through counsel, Derek Layser and Gilbert Spencer, filed a medical malpractice suit in 2010 under the Federal Tort Claims Act in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. They alleged that A.P. developed biliary atresia, a disorder that causes liver failure, as a result of her ingestion through breast milk of Macrobid, a medication prescribed for Ms. Phinisee at a federally-funded health care clinic. With the parties' consent, the case was referred to a United States Magistrate Judge. The Government moved for summary judgment on the ground that Ms. Phinisee and A.P. could not establish the causal element of their negligence claim. While the Government's motion was pending, the parties attended a settlement conference where the Government offered to settle the case for $1.2 million. With Ms. Phinisee's authorization, her counsel accepted the offer. The day after the conference, Ms. Phinisee informed her counsel that she had decided to withdraw her acceptance because she had discovered that the settlement proceeds, which were to be placed in a special needs trust for the benefit of A. P., were subject to a lien held by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare ("DPW") for past medical expenses paid through Medicaid. The amount of the lien was $703,491.25. Ms. Phinisee then discharged her counsel and retained new counsel.
In May, 2012, the Government moved to enforce the settlement agreement. At a hearing on this motion, Ms. Phinisee testified that she had not been informed of the DPW Medicaid lien and, upon learning of its existence, no longer believed that the Government's offer adequately protected A.P. She additionally argued that the settlement conference could not have resulted in a binding agreement because the Government's offer was contingent upon its ability to obtain approval from the Assistant U.S. Attorney General, and because her former counsel had misled her into dropping claims brought in her own name. Former counsel testified that the Medicaid lien was discussed with Ms. Phinisee on the day of the conference; that she was happy with the $1.2 million offer; and that she authorized them to accept it.
*655The Magistrate Judge granted the Government's motion to enforce the settlement on August 6, 2012. Former counsel then filed a petition for minor's compromise, and the Magistrate Judge approved it on September 4, 2012. Ms. Phinisee and A.P. then moved unsuccessfully for reconsideration of both rulings. On appeal to this Court, they contended that the Magistrate Judge erred in granting the Government's motion to enforce the settlement; in denying reconsideration of the enforcement ruling; and in approving the petition for minor's compromise. We affirmed in a non-precedential opinion, holding that the settlement was enforceable; that due process was not violated by former counsel's filing of the petition for minor's compromise; and that the petition for minor's compromise was not substantively inadequate, see A.P. ex rel. Phinisee v. United States,
The Department of Health and Human Services paid the $1.2 million settlement on September 10, 2014. The amount owed specifically to Ms. Phinisee and A.P. after attorneys' fees-$859,587.73-was placed in an escrow account of the Law Firm of Layser & Freiwald, pending the creation of a special needs trust and the resolution of the DPW Medicaid lien. The funds remain in the escrow account undistributed to this day. In the meantime, Ms. Phinisee again sought new counsel [Dennis Friedman] and sued her former attorneys [Derek Layser, Gilbert Spencer, Spencer & Associates, and Layser & Friewald, P.C.] for negligence, alleging that they induced her to settle for significantly less than the value of her claim. The District Court granted former counsel's motion to dismiss this negligence action, and we affirmed on appeal in a non-precedential opinion, see Phinisee v. Layser,
In August, 2017, nearly three years after the settlement was paid, Ms. Phinisee filed a pro se Rule 60(b)(6) motion and amended motion, alleging fraud on the court in connection with the settlement, which she again argued was inadequate. The Magistrate Judge summarily denied the Rule 60(b)(6) motion and the case was reassigned to a new Magistrate Judge. In September, 2017, Aaron J. Freiwald, Esquire, of Friewald Law (formerly, Layser & Freiwald, P.C.), petitioned the Magistrate Judge for the appointment of a guardian ad litem for A.P., on the ground that the settlement proceeds had yet to be distributed and were not being used for their intended purpose. Ms. Phinisee renewed her request for Rule 60(b)(6) relief.
At the direction of the Magistrate Judge, the U.S. Attorney submitted a response to the Rule 60 motion and to attorney Friewald's petition for the appointment of a guardian ad litem for A.P. The U.S. Attorney responded that, in September, 2016, Ms. Phinisee retained attorney Kevin Buttery to complete the necessary legal requirements for the settlement funds to be made available to A.P. It appeared to the U.S. Attorney that Buttery made substantial progress toward that goal; however, the attorney-client relationship broke down, and he terminated his representation by way of an August 16, 2017 letter. The U.S. Attorney was unaware of any further efforts by Ms. Phinisee to obtain new counsel.
On November 21, 2017, Ms. Phinisee emailed the District Court Clerk's Office, seeking relief. On November 22, 2017, the Magistrate Judge ordered that the email be disregarded, and advised Ms. Phinisee to file a memorandum replying to the U.S. Attorney's response and attorney Friewald's petition, and a *656proper motion if she desired relief. Ms. Phinisee then filed the required reply memorandum.
In an order entered on January 10, 2018, the Magistrate Judge denied Ms. Phinisee's Rule 60(b)(6) motion to reopen the settlement on the merits and as untimely filed, and granted the petition for appointment of a guardian ad litem. With respect to appointment of a guardian ad litem , the Magistrate Judge noted the need to bring this litigation to an end for the sake of A.P.
A.P. by & through Phinisee v. United States ,
Despite having lost her appeal, Phinisee filed another motion in the 2010 case seeking to reopen the judgment. See Phinisee v. United States , Civ. A. No. 10-1253 (E.D. Pa.) (ECF No. 123). On August 17, 2018, the Honorable Richard A. Lloret, who is presiding over the 2010 case, ordered the parties to provide an accounting of the funds in escrow and a list of recommendations of entities and/or individuals who would be able to serve as guardian ad litem for A.P. Judge Lloret also scheduled a hearing on the matter for September 28, 2018 "for the purpose of resolving any objections to the accounting and appointing a suitable guardian ad litem for the minor, A.P."
On September 11, 2018, Phinisee initiated the instant civil action on behalf of herself and A.P. against the lawyers who have represented her-Aaron Friewald,
Less than a week after filing her Complaint, Phinisee filed a document entitled "Supplemental Filing of Summary Judgment Void Settlement Agreement Under Statute of Frauds." (ECF No. 4.) In that filing, Phinisee argues for the invalidation of the settlement agreement for various reasons, including that it was procured based on fraud.
II. STANDARD OF REVIEW
The Court will grant Phinisee leave to proceed in forma pauperis because it appears that she is not capable of paying the fees to commence this civil action. Accordingly,
Whether a complaint fails to state a claim under § 1915(e)(2)(B)(ii) is governed by the same standard applicable to motions to dismiss under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6), see Tourscher v. McCullough ,
III. ANALYSIS
As a non-attorney proceeding pro se , Phinisee may not represent her minor daughter in this civil action or raise claims on her daughter's behalf. See Twp. of Lyndhurst, N.J. v. Priceline.com, Inc. ,
B. Claims Under § 1983
To the extent Phinisee is raising claims on her own behalf, she cannot state a § 1983 claim for violation of her due process rights. "To state a claim under § 1983, a plaintiff must allege the violation of a right secured by the Constitution and laws of the United States, and must show that the alleged deprivation was committed by a person acting under color of state law." West v. Atkins ,
C. Legal Malpractice Claims
It also appears that Phinisee is raising legal malpractice claims against the Defendants. However, at least some of those claims are barred. Res judicata , or claim preclusion, bars claims that were brought or could have been brought in a previous action. In re Mullarkey ,
Similarly, it appears that Phinisee is attempting to relitigate matters that have already been addressed by this Court and the Third Circuit, including the propriety of the settlement, the appointment of a guardian ad litem for her daughter, and whether her original attorneys acted negligently in their handling of her and A.P.'s claims. To the extent she is trying to do so, the Court concludes that her claims are duplicative and should be dismissed as malicious. Phinisee may be disappointed that the litigation did not resolve in the manner she had hoped but she may not repeatedly litigate the same claims in the hope of getting a different result.
To the extent Phinisee raises claims that are not barred or duplicative it is not clear what those claims are or that the Court has jurisdiction over those claims.
Diversity jurisdiction requires "complete diversity," which in turn requires that "no plaintiff be a citizen of the same state as any defendant." Zambelli Fireworks Mfg. Co. v. Wood ,
IV. CONCLUSION
For the foregoing reasons, the Court will grant Phinisee leave to proceed in forma pauperis , dismiss any claims raised on behalf of A.P. without prejudice, and dismiss Phinisee's claims for failure to state a claim, as barred and malicious, and for lack of subject matter jurisdiction. Phinisee will be given leave to amend in the event she can state a basis for subject matter jurisdiction over a legal malpractice claim against Friedman or Buttery that does not relitigate matters already addressed in her prior cases. She may not raise any claims on behalf of A.P., as A.P.'s claims may only be raised through counsel. To the extent Phinisee requests summary judgment, her requests are denied because the Court has dismissed her claims and because any request for summary judgment is premature. An appropriate Order follows.
The Court will use Phinisee to refer to Rasheena Phinisee and A.P. to refer to her daughter.
Friewald's name has also been spelled Freiwald. The Court has adopted the spelling used in the caption of Phinisee's Complaint in the instant civil action.
The only possible claims here would appear to be brought against Friedman and Buttery, who served as her counsel and who were not included as Defendants in the first malpractice litigation, though it is not clear what specific claims would remain. It is also not clear why any residual issues concerning the appointment of a guardian could not be addressed at the upcoming hearing, where Phinisee will be given an opportunity to be heard on her claims.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- A.P PHINISEE v. Aaron FRIEWALD
- Cited By
- 1 case
- Status
- Published