Case Title: CENTRAL VERMONT MEDICAL CTR. v. Town of Plainfield

Citation: 268 A.2d 788

Docket Number: 10-70

State: vermont

Court: Vermont Supreme Court

Date: 1970-07-22T00:00:00Z

Document:
268 A.2d 788 (1970) CENTRAL VERMONT MEDICAL CENTER v. TOWN OF PLAINFIELD. No. 10-70. Supreme Court of Vermont, Washington. July 22, 1970. Free & Bernasconi, Barre, for plaintiff. Hiram S. Hunn, Town Agent, Plainfield, for defendant. Before HOLDEN, C. J., and SHANGRAW, BARNEY, SMITH and KEYSER, JJ. SHANGRAW, Justice. The Barre City Hospital and Heaton Hospital merged to form the plaintiff, Central Vermont Medical Center. All accounts receivable of these two hospitals were assigned to the plaintiff on August 5, 1968. The plaintiff brought suit in the Washington County Court on October 16, 1969 to recover for hospital care furnished at various times by the Barre City Hospital and Heaton Hospital prior to October 1, 1968, as evidenced by the accounts so assigned. No. 147 of the Public Acts of 1967, revised the state welfare laws and now charges the Department of Social Welfare with the responsibility to furnish relief to a transient person. This act repealed the statutory municipal requirement for such assistance. Section 46 of No. 147 reads: *789 Of further importance in this case is section 214 of Title 1 which reads: The defendant filed a motion to dismiss and assigned several grounds in support thereof. The motion was denied. The defendant requested and was granted permission to appeal before final judgment under the provisions of 12 V.S.A. section 2386. The lower court certified this question: The question is narrow, yet, on this interlocutory appeal the defendant has advanced ten claims in support of its motion to dismiss, which relate to the sufficiency of the allegations of the plaintiff's complaint. It will be seen that the question certified relates to the force and effect of the 1967 statute. It does not reach or include the sufficiency of the pleadings. This Court is limited to the question certified and will not consider such other question which might at some other point in the case be properly considered. In re Crescent Beach Association, 126 Vt. 448, 453, 126 A.2d 497; Dresden School District v. Norwich Town School Dist., 124 Vt. 227, 228, 203 A.2d 598. Other than the question certified, the grounds set forth in defendant's motion to dismiss are irrelevant at the present time and cannot be considered by this Court. This suit was not commenced until October 16, 1969. By the question certified we are called upon to determine whether plaintiff's right to recover from the defendant town for medical and hospital services provided prior to October 1, 1968 is abolished or barred by No. 147 of the Acts of 1967. Chapter 15 of Title 33 V.S.A. was repealed effective October 1, 1968. We call attention to the case of Harris v. Town of Townshend, 56 Vt. 716 decided by this Court in 1883. This was a negligence action founded upon a statute authorizing recovery of damages against towns, when injuries were suffered by an act or omission to maintain roads. After the statute was repealed, the plaintiff brought suit against the Town of Townshend. The Court held, by virtue of RL Section 28, which is the ancestor of our current Title 1, Section 214, that the repeal of the statute did not affect an existing cause of action, although the suit had not been commenced at the time of the repeal. In holding that the plaintiff's cause of action constituted "a right accruing, accrued, acquired, or established", Chief Justice Royce commented as follows: The two hospitals performed certain acts, relying upon Chapter 15, of Title 33 for the right to recover fair compensation for *790 care so provided. Their cause of action for services rendered had accrued and did not depend upon the filing of a writ or other enforcement of that right by the plaintiff as assignee. It is the clear intent of No. 147 of the Acts of 1967 that towns continue to be liable for relief furnished prior to October 1, 1968, but not thereafter. The act operates prospectively and relieves towns of liability for medical care and services furnished after October 1, 1968. Thereafter it places the liability upon the State of Vermont. Section 214 of Title 1 preserves the right to recover from municipalities for such care furnished prior to October 1, 1968, even though the action is commenced after that date. Otherwise, the plaintiff and all hospitals similarly situated would be left without a remedy, either against the town or the State. The certified question is answered in the negative; and the cause is remanded.