Source: https://paandwvaccidentaldeathlawyer.wordpress.com/
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 08:56:38+00:00

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I previously reported in a post that on September 28, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced that it issued a final rule prohibiting the use of pre-dispute binding arbitration agreements with regard to long-term care facilities / nursing homes that receive federal funding from Medicare and Medicaid. Not long after CMS announced the final rule, the American Health Care Association, which is an association for long-term care providers, and other plaintiffs filed a motion in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi seeking a preliminary injunction to enjoin CMS from enforcing the final rule. See American Health Care Association et al. v. Sylvia Mathews Burwell, in her official capacity as Secretary of Health and Human Services et al., Civil Action No. 3:16-cv-00233, U.S. District Court for the N.D. Miss.
On November 7, 2016, District Judge Michael P. Mills of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Mississippi granted the motion for preliminary injunction in favor of the plaintiffs. This was a win for long-tem care facility and nursing homes, as the final rule regarding arbitration provisions did not go into effect on November 28, 2016. Although Judge Mills stated that CMS’s final rule was based on sound public policy, he ultimately found that the plaintiffs had made a sufficient showing that CMS did not have the authority to enact the final rule. One of the factors Judge Mills had to consider in granting the preliminary injunction was whether there existed a substantial likelihood of success on the merits. Judge Mills found that to be the case.
Despite the ruling, the parties will continue to litigate the issue of whether CMS had the authority to enter the rule, although the federal government will have an uphill battle.
On December 5, 2016, a Case Management Order was entered setting a schedule for the filing of pleadings in the case. Oral argument is also scheduled for July 20, 2017 before Judge Mills.
Thus, you should expect to continue to see pre-dispute arbitration agreements in the admission documents for long-term care facilities / nursing homes.
Our law firm, Goldsmith & Ogrodowski, LLC, brings lawsuits for personal injury, wrongful death, and survival in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. This includes lawsuits involving nursing home negligence, pedestrian and bicyclist injuries and deaths, oil and gas injuries and deaths; construction injuries and deaths; injuries and deaths from a failure of fall protection; injuries and deaths on towboats and the rivers, such as the Allegheny River, Ohio River, Monongahela River, and Kanawha River; Jones Act injuries and deaths; FELA injuries and deaths, and other transportation injuries and deaths on the roadways from tractor-trailers and dump trucks. If you have questions about the above, or your or your family’s legal rights regarding an accidental or wrongful death or a survival action, contact us for a free consultation at 877-404-6529, 412-281-4340, or info@golawllc.com. Our website is www.golawllc.com.
This entry was posted in Pennsylvania Accidental Death, Uncategorized, West Virginia Accidental Death, West Virginia Wrongful Death on December 9, 2016 by golawllc.
Although the below case, which involves the tragic death of an 11-day-old child, pertains to a criminal statute, it is important to civil matters from the standpoint of how the judiciary looks at the plain language of a statute when interpreting the statute.
In West Virginia v. Louk, 237 S.E.2d 219 (W.Va. 2016), the defendant injected methamphetamine when she was thirty-seven weeks pregnant. Hours later, the defendant suffered acute respiratory distress caused by the methamphetamine. Due to concerns the fetus was being deprived of oxygen, a doctor performed an emergency C-section. A forensic pathologist, who performed the autopsy on the child, stated the child was born “essentially brain dead” from a lack of oxygen. Id. at 222. A Nicholas County, West Virginia Grand Jury indicted the defendant on one felony count of child neglect resulting in death pursuant to W.Va. Code Section 61-8D-4a. A jury later convicted defendant. She was sentenced to be incarcerated for three to fifteen years. The defendant appealed the conviction.
On appeal, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals addressed this issue: “whether a pregnant woman who ingests a controlled substance which results in harm to her subsequently born child can be charged with child neglect resulting in death, as set forth in W.Va. Code Section 61-8D-4a.” Id. W.Va. Code Section 61-8D-4a provides: “If any parent, guardian or custodian shall neglect a child under his or her care, custody or control and by such neglect cause the death of said child, then such parent, guardian or custodian shall be guilty of a felony ….” Id. at 222-23.
The defendant argued that an “unborn child” or “fetus” is not a “child” under W.Va. Code Section 61-8D-4a and thus the statute did not apply to her.
After reviewing the plain language of the statute and other statutes passed by the West Virginia Legislature that specifically mention and define “fetus” and mention “unborn child,” the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals held that W.Va. Code Section 61-8D-4a does not mention “fetus” or “unborn child.” As such, the court further held that the child neglect resulting in death statute does not encompass prenatal acts. Id. at 228. Because the statute does not apply to a fetus or unborn child or to prenatal acts, the court vacated the conviction and remanded the matter to the circuit court for the entry of a judgement of acquittal. Id.
This case is an example of the difficult issues that a court can face in civil and criminal matters. Yet, the court must follow the plain language of a statute as written and passed by the legislature.
Our law firm, Goldsmith & Ogrodowski, LLC, brings lawsuits for wrongful death and survival in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. If you have questions about your or your family’s legal rights regarding an accidental or wrongful death or a survival action, contact us for a free consultation at 877-404-6529, 412-281-4340, or info@golawllc.com. Our website is www.golawllc.com.
This entry was posted in West Virginia Accidental Death, West Virginia Wrongful Death on October 14, 2016 by golawllc.
Over the past year, I have reported on cases in which the Superior Court of Pennsylvania refused to require arbitration of wrongful death and survival actions, despite the existence of an arbitration agreement with a nursing home facility, arising from the alleged action or inaction of the nursing home causing the death of a resident. On September 28, 2016, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in Taylor v. Extendicare Health Facilities, Inc., 2016 WL 5630669 (Pa. Sep. 28, 2016), disagreed with those prior decisions and reversed the Superior Court of Pennsylvania in Taylor.
By way of background, in the reversed decision from the Superior Court of Pennsylvania, Taylor v. Extendicare Health Facilities, Inc., 113 A.2d 317 (Pa. Super. 2015), the Superior Court previously held that a survival claim arising from the death of Anna Marie Taylor at an Extendicare Facility could not be separated (or bifurcated) from the wrongful death claim of her beneficiaries. The court held this despite William Taylor, pursuant to a power of attorney authorizing him to act on Mrs. Taylor’s behalf, signing an arbitration agreement requiring the arbitration of all disputes arising out of Ms. Taylor’s stay at the Extendicare Facility as part of the admissions paperwork. In so holding, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania relied on Pennsylvania Rule of Civil Procedure 213(e), which requires the consolidation of survival and wrongful death actions for trial.
In reversing the Superior Court, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania focused on the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”), which Congress passed in 1925. According to the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the FAA “provides that arbitration agreements ‘shall be valid, irrevocable, and enforceable, save upon such grounds as exist at law or in equity for the revocation of any contract.'” Taylor, 2016 WL 5630669 at *1. After reviewing opinions issued by the United States Supreme Court pertaining to the preemptive effect of the FAA on conflicting state laws, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania concluded “that the FAA preempts the application of Rule 213(e), and requires arbitration of the survival claim against Extendicare.” Id.
The Supreme Court of Pennsylvania did express sympathy for nursing home residents subject to arbitration agreements and stated “the contract formation process that attends nursing facility admission can be a crisis-driven, stress-laden event involving the superior bargaining power of one party over the other. … Indeed, nursing home defendants have reaped significant benefits from channeling medical malpractice claims into arbitration to the detriment of medical malpractice victims.” Id. at *16. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania ultimately stated that it could not disregard or defy controlling precedent from the United States Supreme Court. Id.
What is the effect of Taylor in Pennsylvania? For now, it appears that survival actions subject to nursing home arbitration agreements will likely have to go through the arbitration process when Pennsylvania substantive law applies, unless the plaintiff can prove a common law defense such as mistake, lack of consideration, impracticability, unconscionability etc.
Fortunately, as I reported in my prior post, on September 28, 2016, which was the same day of the Taylor decision, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced that it issued a final rule prohibiting the use of pre-dispute binding arbitration agreements as to long-term care facilities / nursing homes that receive federal funding from Medicare and Medicaid. The new rule goes into effect on November 28, 2016, but, unfortunately, is not retroactive, so the Pennsylvania Supreme Court’s reversal in Taylor will still affect arbitration agreements entered into prior to November 28, 2016.
This entry was posted in Pennsylvania Accidental Death, Pennsylvania Accidental Death Lawyer, Pennsylvania Survival Action, Pennsylvania Wrongful Death, Pennsylvania Wrongful Death Action on October 7, 2016 by golawllc.
An elderly loved one needs to be immediately admitted to a nursing home / long-term care facility. In a rush and happy that a bed is found, you or the elderly person frantically rush through and sign the admission paperwork, including a contract. A few days, months, or years later the elderly person is injured because of the nursing home’s negligence. An attorney is retained to represent the injured person and files a lawsuit in state or federal court. Immediately after filing the Complaint, defense counsel for the nursing home responds that you do not have the right to maintain the lawsuit in state or federal court and have a jury decide whether the nursing home was negligent and thereby caused damages. The reason: hidden in those documents that were signed upon admission to the nursing home existed a pre-dispute arbitration clause. In other words, you or the elderly person agreed to give up the right to have a jury hear the claims. Instead, the claim of negligence and damages will be heard by a lawyer or group of lawyers outside of state or federal court.
To prevent this from happening in the future, on September 28, 2016, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (“CMS”), which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced that it issued a final rule prohibiting the use of pre-dispute binding arbitration agreements. This rule only applies to long-term care facilities / nursing homes that receive federal funding from Medicare and Medicaid. The announcement can be accessed by clicking on the following: CMS finalizes improvements in care, safety, and consumer protections for long-term care facility residents .
The new arbitration regulation becomes effective on November 28, 2016, and applies moving forward. Thus, if the pre-dispute arbitration provision in the nursing home / long-term care facility contract was agreed to prior to November 28, 2016, the arbitration provision will not be barred by the new regulation.
The new regulation gives protection to the elderly entering into a long-term care facility / nursing home by preserving their right to a jury trial. (Interestingly, as I previously commented on in prior blog posts, the Superior Court of Pennsylvania already refuses to enforce pre-dispute arbitration agreements in wrongful death and survival actions. See Brosius v. HCR Manorcare, LLC, 2016 WL 1625790 (Pa. Super. April 25, 2016).).
Thus, if you find that you or a loved one will be entering into a long-term care facility or nursing home prior to November 28, 2016, you need to carefully read through the admission documents or hire an attorney, such as an attorney that focuses on elder law or one that handles nursing home negligence cases, to review the admission documents for a pre-dispute arbitration agreement.
This entry was posted in Pennsylvania Accidental Death, Pennsylvania Accidental Death Lawyer, Pennsylvania Survival Action, Pennsylvania Wrongful Death, Pennsylvania Wrongful Death Action, Uncategorized, West Virginia Wrongful Death on September 30, 2016 by golawllc.
Earlier this week, a bicyclist, Dennis Flanagan, from McKees Rocks was killed after an SUV struck him, while on his bicycle, on West Carson Street, near the Station Square bus station.
According to an article in the Tribune Review written by Michael Walton, Flanagan began riding his bicycle daily to improve his health following a diagnosis of high blood pressure.
Over the past several years, the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation and the City of Pittsburgh have worked together to install numerous bike lanes throughout Pittsburgh. West Carson Street, which runs through the South Side neighborhood of Pittsburgh, and is a busy road, however, does not have a separate bike path.
BikePGH, which is an advocacy group that focuses on making Pittsburgh’s streets and communities safe and accessible for people to bike and walk, is calling for changes to West Carson Street, including, according to WPXI News, the addition of a bike lane.
Our law firm, Goldsmith & Ogrodowski, LLC, brings lawsuits for wrongful death and survival in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. This includes lawsuits involving pedestrian and bicyclist injuries and deaths, oil and gas injuries and deaths; construction injuries and deaths; injuries and deaths from a failure of fall protection; injuries and deaths on towboats and the rivers, such as the Allegheny River, Ohio River, Monongahela River, and Kanawha River; Jones Act injuries and deaths; FELA injuries and deaths, and other transportation injuries and deaths on the roadways from tractor-trailers and dump trucks. If you have questions about the above, or your or your family’s legal rights regarding an accidental or wrongful death or a survival action, contact us for a free consultation at 877-404-6529, 412-281-4340, or info@golawllc.com. Our website is www.golawllc.com.
This entry was posted in Pennsylvania Accidental Death, Pennsylvania Accidental Death Lawyer, Pennsylvania Survival Action, Pennsylvania Wrongful Death, Pennsylvania Wrongful Death Action, Uncategorized on September 2, 2016 by golawllc.
Did you know that one out of every six worker in the United States that is killed on the job is a truck driver? Probably not. Back in April 2016, I wrote about the “Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries Summary, 2014,” which was conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. The Census tracks work-related deaths. Recently, the U.S. Department of Labor Blog in a posting titled Truck Driver Job-Related Injuries in Overdrive discussed how the U.S. Bureau of Labor statistics data reveal of the danger of being a truck driver.
See Truck Driver Job-Related Injuries in Overdrive .
The above stats are sobering and are a good reminder as to the danger encountered on the roadways.
Our law firm, Goldsmith & Ogrodowski, LLC, brings lawsuits for wrongful death and survival in Pennsylvania and West Virginia. This includes lawsuits involving oil and gas injuries and deaths; construction injuries and deaths; injuries and deaths from a failure of fall protection; injuries and deaths on towboats and the rivers, such as the Allegheny River, Ohio River, Monongahela River, and Kanawha River; Jones Act injuries and deaths; FELA injuries and deaths, and other transportation injuries and deaths on the roadways from tractor-trailers and dump trucks. If you have questions about the above, or your or your family’s legal rights regarding an accidental or wrongful death or a survival action, contact us for a free consultation at 877-404-6529, 412-281-4340, or info@golawllc.com. Our website is www.golawllc.com.
This entry was posted in Pennsylvania Accidental Death, Pennsylvania Accidental Death Lawyer, Pennsylvania Survival Action, Pennsylvania Wrongful Death, Pennsylvania Wrongful Death Action, Uncategorized, West Virginia Accidental Death, West Virginia Wrongful Death on August 26, 2016 by golawllc.
Recently, and as previously discussed in this blog, Pennsylvania state courts have found that an arbitration provision in an admission agreement of a nursing home operator or skilled nursing facility does not waive the right to a jury trial as to a wrongful death claim or survival claim.
Differentiating from recent decisions by other federal district courts in Pennsylvania permitting the wrongful death claim and survival claim to be severed when the nursing home or skilled nursing facility contract contained an arbitration agreement, the Honorable Arthur J. Schwab of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania held in Grkman v. 890 Weatherwood Lane Operating Company, LLC, 2016 WL 3057656 (May 31, 2016), that wrongful death and survival claims against a nursing facility operator would proceed to a jury trial, despite the plaintiff signing, on behalf of his father, an admission agreement with an arbitration clause.
In Grkman, the plaintiff’s father was admitted to the defendant’s skilled nursing facility with an ulcer. Over several months, the ulcer worsened, which allegedly caused additional health complications leading to the death of the plaintiff’s father. So that his father could be admitted to the skilled nursing facility, plaintiff, as Power of Attorney, signed an Admission Agreement containing a clause requiring binding arbitration for any dispute or controversy related to plaintiff’s father’s care at the facility.
Following his father’s death, Plaintiff filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania alleging claims for wrongful death and survival. Pursuant to the terms of the arbitration clause in the Admission Agreement, the defendant skilled nursing facility filed a motion to dismiss the claims.
In denying the motion to dismiss, Judge Schwab found that by applying general agency principles, the plaintiff, as the Power of Attorney, had the right to sign the agreement. By signing the agreement on behalf of his father, plaintiff waived his deceased father’s right to a jury trial as to the survival claim. Judge Schwab also found, however, the plaintiff did not waive his right to file a wrongful death action, which claim belongs to plaintiff and not his deceased father.
Following the above findings, Judge Schwab noted the Admission Agreement contained a choice of law provision stating that the agreement shall be interpreted according to the laws of Pennsylvania. Since Pennsylvania substantive law precludes severance of the wrongful death claim and survival claim, Judge Schwab concluded that both claims must be tried before a jury.
This entry was posted in Pennsylvania Accidental Death, Pennsylvania Accidental Death Lawyer, Pennsylvania Survival Action, Pennsylvania Wrongful Death, Pennsylvania Wrongful Death Action, Uncategorized on June 24, 2016 by golawllc.

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