Opinion ID: 1930692
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Hinkley's Claim Against the Hospital

Text: [¶ 5] The first question before the court is whether, in light of the MHSA, the procedural provisions of the MTCA apply to medical malpractice actions against governmental entities and their employees. How the MTCA interacts with the MHSA is a question of law that the court reviews de novo. Heber v. Lucerne-In-Maine Village Corp., 2000 ME 137, ¶ 7, 755 A.2d 1064, 1066. [¶ 6] The MTCA states that [e]xcept as otherwise provided by statute, all governmental entities shall be immune from suit on any and all tort claims seeking recovery of damages. When immunity is removed by this chapter, any claim for damages shall be brought in accordance with the terms of this chapter. [3] 14 M.R.S.A. § 8103 (1980). Section 8104-A provides exceptions to the state's immunity for injuries caused by such things as the negligent operation of state vehicles, the negligent construction and maintenance of state buildings, the accidental discharge of pollutants, and the negligent repair and maintenance of public ways. Id. § 8104-A (Supp.2001). Section 8116 provides another exception to state immunity when the state department, agency, or office acquires liability insurance. Id. § 8116. [4] Any action allowed under these exceptions is, however, subject to the Act's 180-day notice provision and two-year statute of limitations. Id. §§ 8107, 8110. [¶ 7] Nevertheless, when a separate statute expressly waives governmental immunity for a particular wrong, the provisions of that statute exclusively govern any action brought under it. Id. § 8113(2) (1980). In such situations, because the MTCA does not apply, claimants are not bound by the Act's procedural requirements. [¶ 8] We have previously determined that the Legislature intended the MHSA to fully occupy the field of medical malpractice claims brought against health care providers and practitioners. Butler v. Killoran, 1998 ME 147, ¶ 6, 714 A.2d 129, 132. Indeed, the MHSA broadly provides that an Action for professional negligence means any action for damages for injury or death against any health care provider, its agents or employees, or health care practitioner, his agents or employees, whether based upon tort or breach of contract or otherwise, arising out of the provision or failure to provide health care services. 24 M.R.S.A. § 2502(6) (2000). Under this Act, the statute of limitations for a medical malpractice action is three years from the time that the action accrues. Id. § 2902. [¶ 9] Hinkley argues that the Legislature waived state immunity for medical malpractice actions through its enactment of the MHSA. He reasons that because the MHSA applies to  any action for damages for injury or death against any health care provider, it necessarily applies to suits against governmental entities. Essentially, Hinkley argues that we should deem this language to be an express waiver of governmental immunity. We decline to do so. [¶ 10] We have stated that a waiver of governmental immunity is not to be implied. Young v. Greater Portland Transit Dist., 535 A.2d 417, 419 (Me.1987). Notwithstanding the obvious breadth of the MHSA, it does not explicitly reference the MTCA, nor does it specifically waive state immunity as to medical malpractice actions. Therefore, because the MHSA does not expressly authorize individuals to bring medical malpractice actions against the state, any such suits must be brought in accordance with the MTCA. See 14 M.R.S.A. § 8103. [¶ 11] Hinkley cites to Heber, 2000 ME 137, 755 A.2d 1064 and Clockedile v. State Dep't of Trans., 437 A.2d 187 (Me.1981), for the proposition that when a statute expressly provides for a specific cause of action, a governmental entity may be sued in accordance with the terms of that statute. He argues that because the MHSA expressly provides for medical malpractice actions, he was not required to follow the procedural provisions of the MTCA. [¶ 12] This argument fails for two reasons. First, the MHSA is a procedural Act. It does not provide for or create the medical malpractice cause of action, but governs how such actions are to be brought. Second, we have never held that an individual could bring suit against a governmental entity under a statute that provides for a specific cause of action without first determining that the statute expressly waived governmental immunity. [¶ 13] In Heber, a 1961 Act specifically stated that the Lucerne-in-Maine Village Corporation shall be liable to any injured person in an action for the recovery of damages for the overflowing of lands. Heber, 2000 ME 137, ¶ 2, 755 A.2d at 1065. Heber was a property owner whose lands were flooded due to the failure of the Village to maintain a proper water level. Id. ¶¶ 3-5. Heber filed an action for damages against the Village pursuant to the 1961 Act. Id. ¶ 4. The Village argued, inter alia, that Heber's suit was barred for failure to comply with the notice provisions of the MTCA. Id. ¶ 15. We first examined the language of the 1961 Act and concluded that it expressly waived governmental immunity. Id. ¶ 14. Only then did we hold that Heber did not have to comply with the MTCA because he brought suit pursuant to the 1961 Act. Id. ¶ 15. [¶ 14] In Clockedile, the plaintiffs were injured when they drove into an unmarked ditch in Yarmouth that had been dug for roadwork. Clockedile 437 A.2d at 188. They brought suit against the Town and the Maine Department of Transportation under the MTCA. Id. at 188 n. 2. In dismissing the suit against the Town, the trial court reasoned that the highway defect statute, 23 M.R.S.A. § 3655, [5] was the exclusive basis of recovery and that the MTCA did not apply. Id. at 190. We vacated this judgment. Although we agreed that section 3655 expressly authorized individuals to bring suit against towns, we determined that it was related to the MTCA so that one could recover from a town i) only under section 3655 for a claim grounded solely on a highway defect, ii) only under section 8104(4) [of the MTCA] for a claim of negligence not involving a highway defect, and iii) under both section 3655 and section 8104(4) for a claim, as here, involving both a passive defect and also actionable negligence. Id. [¶ 15] The MHSA, unlike the statutes at issue in Heber and Clockedile, does not expressly authorize suit against the State. Therefore, claims of medical malpractice against governmental entities and their employees must be brought in accordance with the MTCA as well as the MHSA. Because Hinkley failed to comply with the MTCA's 180-day notice provision and two-year statute of limitations, his claims against PVH and Blaine were properly dismissed.