Opinion ID: 2977728
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Plaintiff’s EMTALA Claim Against Dr. Lessem

Text: Plaintiff has brought suit against both the hospital and Dr. Lessem. EMTALA’s provision authorizing private suits expressly allows claims “against the participating hospital,” but does not refer to claims against individuals. 42 U.S.C. § 1395dd(d)(2)(A). Although the question of whether EMTALA allows a private right of action against an individual physician is one of first impression for this Court, other circuits to have considered the issue have held or opined that EMTALA does not authorize an action against an individual physician. See Baber v. Hosp. Corp. of Am., 977 F.2d 872, 877-78 (4th Cir. 1992); King v. Ahrens, 16 F.3d 265, 271 (8th Cir. 1994); Eberhardt v. City of L.A., 62 F.3d 1253, 1256-57 (9th Cir. 1995); Delaney v. Cade, 986 F.2d 387, 393-94 (10th Cir. 1993); Gatewood v. Wash. Healthcare Corp., 933 F.2d 1037, 1040 n.1 (D.C. Cir. 1991) (dicta). We agree with our sister circuits that EMTALA does not authorize a private right of action against individuals. “The question of the existence of a statutory cause of action is, of course, one of statutory construction.” Touche Ross & Co. v. Redington, 442 U.S. 560, 568 (1979). It is possible that Congress meant to include individual physicians in the civil enforcement provision and simply neglected to do so; however, in comparing the civil enforcement provision with the government enforcement provision that precedes it, the omission of any reference to physicians in the civil enforcement provision appears intentional. The government enforcement provision authorizes the Department of Health and Human Services to commence its own actions against violators of EMTALA. 42 U.S.C. § 1395dd(d)(1). Unlike the civil enforcement provision, the provision authorizing government enforcement expressly states that “any No. 07-2111 Moses v. Providence Hospital and Medical Ctrs., et al. Page 20 physician who is responsible for the examination, treatment, or transfer of an individual in a participating hospital, including a physician on-call for the care of such an individual, and who negligently violates a requirement of this section . . . is subject to a civil penalty” and exclusion from further participation in government programs. § 1395dd(d)(1)(B). As previously discussed, “where Congress includes particular language in one section of a statute but omits it in another section of the same Act, it is generally presumed that Congress acts intentionally and purposely in the disparate inclusion or exclusion.” Russello, 464 U.S. at 23. Congress clearly knew how to make individuals responsible under the statute, because it did so in the provision subjecting violators to federal enforcement. Given the contrast in these two consecutive subsections of the statute, Congress’ omission of any reference to individuals in the civil enforcement provision must have been intentional. Moreover, to the extent that the absence of such a reference arguably causes ambiguity with respect to this issue, the legislative history reveals an intent to preclude private suits against individuals. According to the report of the House Judiciary Committee, the committee recommended amendments changing the civil enforcement provision to its current form in order to “clarif[y] that actions for damages may be brought only against the hospital which has violated the requirements of [the statute].” H.R. Rep. No. 99-241, pt. 1, at 132, reprinted in 1986 U.S.C.C.A.N. 579, 728. No other statement from Congress suggests any alternative reading of the provision. Because the statute contains no language plainly at odds with this stated purpose, we view the Judiciary Committee’s report as further support for our conclusion that private plaintiffs may not sue individuals under EMTALA. Thus, the district court’s grant of summary judgment dismissing Plaintiff’s claim against Dr. Lessem pursuant to EMTALA is affirmed. No. 07-2111 Moses v. Providence Hospital and Medical Ctrs., et al. Page 21