Opinions of the United 2004 Decisions States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

3-26-2004

Johnson v. Guhl Precedential or Non-Precedential: Precedential

Docket No. 01-3774

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Recommended Citation "Johnson v. Guhl" (2004). 2004 Decisions. Paper 880. http://digitalcommons.law.villanova.edu/thirdcircuit_2004/880

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No. 01-3774

DONALD H. JOHNSON; JUANITA L. JOHNSON; EUGENE V. MARIANI; DOROTHY MARIANI; MARY LOU FLEMING; WILLIAM R. FLEMING; WILLIAM C. SCHAIBLE; PHYLLIS R. SCHAIBLE, by her Court Appointed Guardian; LOIS BENEDETTO; GERALD BENEDETTO; DONNA R. BANKS; CHARLES V. BANKS, Estate of; RAYMOND O. DENMAN, JR.; FRANCES C. DENMAN; CHARLES N. HICKS; MARIE L. HICKS; ANN B. SILBERNAGEL; NORMAN V. SILBERNAGEL; ANNA PRYSTASCH; STANLEY PRYSTASCH; MARY M ACKRON; ANTHONY MACKRON, Estate of; JANET WHALON; HAROLD B. WHALON, JR.; BERNADINE WEISER; RICHARD C. WEISER; GRACE LAFORGE; BLACE LAFORGE; JOHN FILLMORE; MARY FILLMORE; JOHN DOE, (1-5 fictitious names); JANE DOE, (1-5 fictitious names);ROBERT GROSS; GEORGE ALLEN; Social Services; THOMAS KOELHOFFER; FRANCES KOELHOFFER; WILLIAM KELLY; KATHRYN KELLY; MARCELLA FINKEL; JACK FINKEL; EDNA ALLEN; WILLARD NICKERSON; ETHEL NICKERSON; GERALDINE ANN SAHL; GEORGE J. SAHL; MARGARET BAKERIAN; VASGEN BAKERIAN; CHARLES DERROT; LOUISE DERROT; MIGUEL OBREGON; ONELIA OBREGON; ROY W. MCDOWELL; JUNE M. MCDOWELL; JOSEPH MEZZO; CARMELLA MEZZO; MATHILDA GROSS

v.

MICHELLE K. GUHL, Commissioner; STATE OF NEW JERSEY, DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES, MARGARET A. MURRAY, Director, Division of Medical Assistance and Health Service; JOHN ROE, (1-5 fictitious names) their agents, servants, employees, and/or assigns, jointly, severally or in the alternative; EDWARD TESTA, Director, Bergen County Board of Social Services; ELIZABETH LEHM ANN, Director, M orris County Board of Social Services; JAM ES WILLIAM S, Director, Essex County Board of Social Services; JANE ROE, Director, ABC County Board of Social Services, (1-5 fictitious names); ESSEX COUNTY BOARD OF CHOSEN FREEHOLDERS ESSEX COUNTY BOARD OF SOCIAL SERVICES;

Donald H. Johnson, Juanita L. Johnson, William C. Schaible, Phyllis R. Schaible, Charles N. Hicks, Marie L. Hicks, Ann B. Silbernagel, Norman V. Silbernagel, Anna Prystasch, Stanley Prystasch,

Appellants

Appeal from the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey (D.C. Civil Action No. 99-cv-05403) District Judge: Honorable Dennis M. Cavanaugh

Argued April 22, 2003

Before: SCIRICA, AM BRO and W EIS, Circuit Judges

(Opinion filed February 6, 2004 )

Donald M. McHugh, Esquire (Argued) McHugh & Macri 49 Ridgedale Avenue East Hanover, NJ 07936

2 National Academy of Elder Law Attorneys New Jersey Chapter Eugene Rosner, Esquire 1093 Raritan Road Clark, NJ 07066

Attorneys for Appellants

David Samson Attorney General of New Jersey Michael J. Haas Assistant Attorney General M. Elizabeth Doyle (Argued) Deputy Attorney General Office of Attorney General of New Jersey Division of Law, P.O. Box 112 R. J. Hughes Justice Complex 25 Market Street Trenton, NJ 08625

Edwin C. Eastwood, Jr., Esquire Law Offices of Edwin C. Eastwood, Jr. 723 Kennedy Boulevard North Bergen, NJ 08047

Daniel W. O’Mullan O’Mullan & Brady 57 Whippany Road Whippany, NJ 07981

Attorneys for Appellees

ORDER AMENDING PUBLISHED OPINION

AM BRO, Circuit Judge

It is now ordered that the published Opinion in the above case filed February 6, 2004, be amended as follows:

3 On page 3, second column, first full paragraph, line 4, move the apostrophe in “spouse’s” after the second “s”, so that it reads “spouses’”.

On page 5, second column, first full paragraph, line 9, delete the word “an” and add an “s” to the word “exception” so that the phrase reads, “...right to apply for undue hardship exceptions.”

On page 7, second column, line 9, delete the words “the individual”, so that the phrase reads, “the benefit of [the institutionalized spouse...”.

On page 11, first column, line 8, insert the word “as” between “treat” and “countable” so that the phrase reads, “...and instead could have chosen to treat as countable assets in any annuities”.

By the Court,

/s/ Thomas L. Ambro, Circuit Judge

Dated: March 26, 2004

4