Case Name: HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY HOSPITAL AUTHORITY, etc., et al., Petitioners, v. Rebecca COFFARO, Respondent
Court: Florida Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 2002-10-03
Citations: 829 So. 2d 862
Docket Number: No. SC00-665
Parties: HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY HOSPITAL AUTHORITY, etc., et al., Petitioners, v. Rebecca COFFARO, Respondent.
Judges: ANSTEAD, C.J., and SHAW and LEWIS, JJ., concur.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 829
Pages: 862–872

Head Matter:
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY HOSPITAL AUTHORITY, etc., et al., Petitioners, v. Rebecca COFFARO, Respondent.
No. SC00-665.
Supreme Court of Florida.
Oct. 3, 2002.
Michael N. Brown of Allen Dell, Frank & Trinkle, P.A., Elaine Seymour of Guem-mer & Seymour, P.A., Marlene S. Reiss of Stephens, Lynn, Klein & McNicholas, P.A.; and Thomas M. Hoeler of Burton, Schulte, Weekley, Hoeler, Robbins & Beytin, P.A., Tampa, FL, for Petitioners.
No Appearance, for Respondent.

Opinion:
QUINCE, J.
We have for review a decision on the following question certified by the Second District Court of Appeal as one of great public importance:
IS A 90-DAY EXTENSION PURCHASED UNDER SECTION 766.104(2), FLORIDA STATUTES (1995), INCLUDED IN THE LIMITATIONS PERIOD WHEN CALCULATING WHETHER A PLAINTIFF IS ENTITLED TO AN ADDITIONAL 60 DAYS UNDER SECTION 766.106(4) FOR FILING SUIT?
See Coffaro v. Hillsborough County Hosp. Auth., 752 So.2d 712, 715 (Fla. 2d DCA 2000). We have jurisdiction. See art. V, § 3(b)(4), Fla. Const. For the reasons expressed below, we answer the certified question in the negative and approve the decision of the Second District.
Rebecca Coffaro (Coffaro) alleges that she suffered harm as a result of the medical negligence of several health care providers, Hillsborough County Hospital Authority d/b/a/ Family Care Medical Center (HCHA), Mental Health Care, Inc. d/b/a/ Baylife Centers (MHC), Anthony Pidala, Jr., M.D. (Pidala), David Tulsiak, M.D. (Tulsiak), Emergency Medical Associates of Tampa Bay, P.A. (EMA), and St. Joseph's Hospital (SJH). After participating in the presuit procedures mandated by chapter 766, Florida Statutes, Coffaro filed suit against these health care providers on April 3, 1998. The trial court found that Coffaro's claims were barred by the statute of limitations and granted summary judgment in favor of HCHA, MHC, and SJH, and dismissal with prejudice in favor of Pidala, Tulsiak, and EMA.
Coffaro appealed both orders to the Second District Court of Appeal, where the cases were consolidated. The Second District reversed the orders of the trial court, finding that Coffaro's claims were not barred by the statute of limitations because she was entitled to the benefit of both the sixty-day tolling period provided for in section 766.106(4), Florida Statutes (1995), and the ninety-day extension of the statute of limitations purchased pursuant to section 766.104(2), Florida Statutes (1995). In addition, the district court certified the question stated above. We approve the decision of the district court and hold that the ninety-day extension of the statute of limitations purchased under section 766.104(2) is not added to what remains of the original statute of limitations but is added after the sixty-day extension period under section 766.106(4).
This case involves Florida's medical malpractice statutory scheme. We explained the general statutory time-line requirements of the scheme in Hankey v. Yarian, 755 So.2d 93 (Fla.2000):
Pursuant to section 95.11(4)(b), Florida Statutes (1997), an action for medical malpractice must be commenced within two years from the time the incident giving rise to the action occurred or within two years from the time the incident is discovered or should have been discovered with the exercise of due diligence. However, before a claimant can file a medical malpractice suit, chapter 766 prescribes a number of requirements and provisions which seek to enhance the prospect of a settlement, and which affect the running of the limitations period.
First, a claimant must conduct a reasonable investigation to determine if there are grounds for a good faith belief that there was negligence in his care or treatment. See § 766.104(1), Fla. Stat. (1997). After the completion of this pre-suit investigation, and during the two-year period provided for in section 95.11(4)(b), the claimant must serve a notice of intent to initiate litigation to each prospective defendant. See §'766.106(2), Fla. Stat. (1997). Importantly, as it relates to the limitations issue before us, no suit may be filed for a period of ninety days after this notice of intent is mailed to any prospective defendant [n. 1]. See § 766.106(3)(a),
Fla. Stat. (1997). In this regard, section 766.106(4) provides:
[D]uring the 90-day period, the statute of limitation is tolled as to all potential defendants. Upon stipulation by the parties, the 90-day period may be extended and the statute of limitations is tolled during any such extension. Upon receiving notice of termination of negotiations in an extended period, the claimant shall have 60 days or the remainder of the period of the statute of limitations, whichever is greater, within which to file suit [n. 2].
Finally, by filing a petition to the clerk of the circuit court, a claimant is entitled to an automatic ninety-day extension to the statute of limitations. See § 766.104(2), Fla. Stat. (1997). All of these provisions impact the running of the limitations period, and appear designed to facilitate negotiations between the parties.
[n. 1] In Boyd v. Becker; 627 So.2d 481, 483-84 (Fla.1993), we held that the statute of limitations is tolled from the time the defendant receives the notice of intent, not from the time the claimant mails it.
[n. 2] The wording of section 766.106(4) makes it appear that the "60 days or the remainder of the period of the statute of limitations" language only applies when the parties have stipulated to an extension of the ninety-day tolling provision. However, this argument was raised and rejected in Rhoades v. Southwest Florida Regional Medical Center, 554 So.2d 1188, 1190-91 (Fla. 2d DCA 1989), wherein the court held that the sixty days or the remainder of the statute of limitations applies to the ninety-day tolling provision, even when no extension has been agreed to. We approved this interpretation in Tanner.
Hankey, 755 So.2d at 95.
The instant case involves the interplay between section 766.104(2) and section 766.106(4). As the Second District noted, these provisions of the medical malpractice statute must be liberally construed in favor of access to courts. See Coffaro, 752 So.2d at 714; see also Patry v. Capps, 633 So.2d 9 (Fla.1994).
Section 766.104(2) provides:
Upon petition to the clerk of the court where the suit will be filed and payment to the clerk of a filing fee, not to exceed $25, established by the chief judge, an automatic 90 day extension of the statute of limitations shall be granted to allow the reasonable investigation required by subsection (1). This period shall be in addition to other tolling periods. No court order is required for the extension to be effective. The provisions of this subsection shall not be deemed to revive a cause of action on which the statute of limitations has run.
(Emphasis added.) On the other hand, section 766.106(4) provides:
The notice of intent to initiate litigation shall be served within the time limits set forth in s. 95.11. However, during the 90 day period, the statute of limitations is tolled as to all potential defendants. Upon stipulation by the parties, the 90 day period may be extended and the statute of limitations is tolled during any such extension. Upon receiving notice of termination of negotiations in an extended period, the claimant shall have 60 days or the remainder of the period of the statute of limitations, whichever is greater, within which to file suit.
(Emphasis added.)
The certified question can only be answered by determining when the ninety-day extension pursuant to 766.104(2) (purchased extension) goes into effect and under what circumstances a plaintiff is entitled to the sixty-day period provided for in section 766.106(4). The health care providers argue the purchased extension is to be applied to the remaining statute of limitations period at the time of purchase. Thus, the ninety-day period would be added to the month Coffaro had left on the original statute of limitations period, the limitations period left to the plaintiff would therefore exceed sixty days, and she would not be entitled to the sixty days under section 766.106(4). Coffaro, on the other hand, argues the purchased extension is not to be applied at the time of purchase, but is to be tacked on to the end of the statute of limitations period. Under this interpretation, she would only have thirty days left of the original limitations period and would be entitled to both the sixty-day period under section 766.106(4), and the ninety-day purchased extension under section 766.104(2). We agree with Coffaro.
Although not directly at issue in that case, we discussed section 766.104(2) and the ramifications of the purchased extension in Hankey and said:
Section 766.104(2) specifically provides that this ninety-day period "shall be in addition to other tolling provisions." Again, we agree with the Fourth District that the "extension" provided for under section 766.104(2) is a genuine extension of time to be added to the limitations period, rather than a tolling (suspension) as provided for under section 766.106(4). In fact, we approved this interpretation of section 766.104(2) in Tanner. See id. at 182. Hence, this time period is to be tacked on to the end of the limitations period and does not run simultaneously with the separate ninety-day tolling period provided in section 766.106(f). See id. ("This automatic extension is separate and additional to any other tolling period.") (citing Novitsky v. Hards, 589 So.2d 404 (Fla. 5th DCA 1991)); Rothschild, 707 So.2d at 953; Kalbach v. Day, 589 So.2d 448, 449-50 (Fla. 4th DCA 1991).
755 So.2d at 98 (emphasis added). This interpretation of section 766.104(2) is in keeping with the purpose of the medical malpractice statute and the principle that its provisions should be liberally construed to allow the parties access to courts. Thus, we hold the ninety-day extension purchased pursuant to 766.104(2) is to be tacked on to the end of the statute of limitations period and we answer the certified question in the negative.
With this interpretation of section 766.104(2), it follows that all other applicable provisions of the medical malpractice statute which toll or extend the statute of limitations period under the particular circumstances must be taken into consider ation before applying the ninety-day purchased extension. In this case, at the time that the negotiations were terminated the plaintiff had one month left on the original two-year statute of limitations period. Because only one month remained and because the ninety-day purchased period from section 766.104(2) is not added to the month, she was entitled to the benefit of the sixty-day period of section 766.106(4). Thereafter, the ninety-day purchased period is added to determine when the plaintiffs medical malpractice complaint must be filed.
Applying Florida's medical malpractice statutory scheme and our holding to the facts of this case, Coffaro's statute of limitations computation is as follows: Coffaro's statute of limitations began to run on September 2, 1995, and was set to expire two years later on September 2, 1997. On July 31, 1997, Coffaro mailed her notice of intent to litigate to petitioners. Petitioners received the notice of intent to litigate as follows: MHC — August 4; HCHA, Dr. Pídala, Dr. Tulsiak, and EMA — August 5; and SJH — August 8. For purposes of the statutory scheme, the date petitioners received the notice of intent is the date used in computing statutory time requirements. See Boyd v. Becker, 627 So.2d 481, 483-84 (Fla.1993) (holding statute of limitations is tolled from the time the defendant receives the notice of intent, not from the time the claimant mails it). Therefore, as of August 4(MHC), August 5 (HCHA, Dr. Pidala, Dr. Tulsiak, and EMA), and August 8(SJH), the statute of limitations was tolled for ninety days as to each respective defendant. See § 766.106(3)(a), Fla. Stat. (1997); see also Hankey, 755 So.2d at 100 (concluding that "the two-year limitations period is suspended temporarily and begins to run again under section 766.106(4) at the expiration of the stated time period or when the defendant responds to the notice of intent"). It is also important to note that as of the dates the notices of intent were received, fewer than sixty days remained in Coffaro's limitations period. This fact is significant for future calculations pursuant to section 766.106(4). Finally, on August 11, 1997, while the statute of limitations was tolled for ninety days, Coffaro purchased a ninety-day extension of the statute of limitations pursuant to section 766.104(2). As discussed, the purchased extension is to be added to the end of the limitations period.
Coffaro received termination of negotiation letters from the health care providers in November 1997. Specifically, the dates are as follows: SJH — November 5; Pídala, Tulsiak, and EMA — November 7; MHC— November 14; and HCHA — November 26. Section 766.106(4) directs that when a claimant receives a notice of termination of negotiations, the claimant "shall have 60 days or the remainder of the period of the statute of limitations, whichever is greater, within which to file suit." Because fewer than sixty days remained in Coffaro's original limitations period when the notices of intent were received, she had sixty days to file suit from the dates she received the termination of negotiation letters. Coffaro also had the benefit of the purchased extension, which gave her an additional ninety days to file suit. Thus, Coffaro had a total of 150 days (60 plus 90) from the dates she received the notices of termination to file suit. Because Coffaro filed suit on April 3, 1998, her claims were filed within the statute of limitations.
Accordingly, we conclude that Coffaro's claims are not barred by the statute of limitations. We therefore answer the certified question in the negative and hold that the ninety-day purchased extension of time should be added to the end of the statute of limitations after consideration of all applicable tollings and extensions. We approve the decision of the district court and remand this ease for proceedings consistent with this opinion.
It is so ordered.
ANSTEAD, C.J., and SHAW and LEWIS, JJ., concur.
PARIENTE, J., concurs with an opinion, in which ANSTEAD, C.J., concurs.
WELLS, J., dissents with an opinion, in which HARDING, Senior Justice, concurs.
. This ninety-day purchased extension of the statute of limitations is accomplished by the filing of a petition with the clerk's office and payment of a fee not to exceed $25.
. In Rhoades, the Second District stated:
We hold, therefore, that upon the expiration of the 90-day tolling of the statute of limitations provided in section 769.57(4), Florida Statutes (1987), or a stipulated extension of that time, the claimant has 60 days or the remainder of the period of the statute of limitations, whichever is greater, within which to file suit.
554 So.2d at 1191 (emphasis added). In so holding, the court examined the legislative intent of the statute, and concluded that "[a]ny uncertainty as to legislative intent should be resolved by an interpretation that best accords with the public interest." Id. Likewise, in Tanner v. Hartog, 618 So.2d 177 (Fla. 1993), we approved the holding in Rhoades by stating:
We believe that the [Rhoades] court was correct in rejecting the argument that the "sixty days or remainder" language of the statute should be construed so narrowly. Finding the "sixty days or remainder" language to be applicable even where no mutual extension of the ninety-day tolling is present, the question then becomes how this extra time should be added to the limitations period.
618 So.2d at 183. Thus, the "60 days or the remainder" language applies even when no extension of the ninety-day tolling period has been agreed to by the parties.
. We reiterate our prior holding that the sixty-day period provided for in section 766.106(4) is applicable even when there has been no extension of the ninety-day tolling period under section 766.106(3)(a), Florida Statutes (1995). See Hankey v. Yarian, 755 So.2d 93 (Fla.2000); Tanner v. Hartog, 618 So.2d 177 (Fla.1993).
. The computation for each health care provider is as follows: November 5(SJH) plus 150 days = April 4, 1998; November 7 (Pída-la, Tulsiak, and EMA) plus 150 days =April 6, 1998; November 14(MHC) plus 150 days = April 13, 1998; and November 26 (HCHA) plus 150 days = April 25, 1998.