Opinion ID: 4556154
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Comparison with section 1430(a)

Text: As a textual matter, while sections 1430(a) and 1424 authorize the imposition of a civil penalty for “each and every” violation (§ 1424, subds. (d), (e)) and civil damages not exceeding the civil penalties that could be assessed “on account of the violation or violations” (§ 1430(a)), respectively, similar language is tellingly absent from section 1430(b). Instead, section 1430(b)’s phrase, “The licensee shall be liable for up to five hundred dollars ($500),” has no unit of measurement to which the $500 cap applies. This difference in terms between the subdivisions suggests the Legislature intended to take a different approach with respect to the $500 cap in section 1430(b). “When one part of a statute contains a term or provision, the omission of that term or provision from another part of the statute indicates the Legislature intended to convey a different meaning.” (Cornette v. Department of Transportation (2001) 26 Cal.4th 63, 73.) In that regard, it bears emphasis that section 1430(b) is “distinct from the administrative enforcement of the Act with which section 1424 is concerned.” (Health Facilities, supra, 16 Cal.4th at p. 302.) For instance, section 1424 requires that the Department consider certain “relevant facts” to determine the amount of each civil penalty. (§ 1424, subd. (a); see State Dept. of Public Health v. Superior Court, supra, 60 Cal.4th at p. 951 [consideration of specific factors must be made public].) These specific facts include but are not limited to the “probability and severity” of the violation’s risk to the patient’s “mental and physical condition”; the patient’s “medical condition”; the 11 JARMAN v. HCR MANORCARE, INC. Opinion of the Court by Chin, J. patient’s “mental condition” and “history of mental disability or disorder”; a facility’s “good faith efforts” to prevent violation from occurring; and the facility’s “history of compliance with regulations.” (§ 1424, subd. (a)(1)–(5).) Likewise, in a public enforcement action brought under section 1430(a), the subject violations and amount of monetary recovery “are expressly tied to the administrative penalty scheme” under section 1424. (Nevarrez, supra, 221 Cal.App.4th at p. 131; see § 1430(a) [recoverable civil damages in private action “may not exceed the maximum amount of civil penalties that could be assessed on account of the violation or violations”].) Moreover, an administrative enforcement action offers a facility certain protections not found in an action brought against a facility under section 1430(b). (See, e.g., § 1423, subd. (b) [Department may issue only one citation for each statute or regulation violated based on a single incident “[w]here no harm to patients, residents, or guests has occurred”]; id., subd. (c) [no citation issued for an “ ‘unusual occurrence’ ” if certain conditions are met].) In contrast, despite a wide range of patient rights (see ante, at p. 10), section 1430(b) provides no guidance on how to determine the monetary recovery for each violation. It does not distinguish amongst these patient rights in terms of available remedies for any violation. Unlike class B, A, and AA violations, which increase in severity and resulting civil penalty according to the nature of the violation (see Kizer, supra, 53 Cal.3d at p. 142 [§ 1424, subds. (c), (d), (e)]), a violation of any of the rights covered under section 1430(b) would be subject to the same $500 cap, the recovery of attorney fees and costs, and injunctive relief. For example, the same $500 cap would apply if a nursing care facility prohibits a patient from making private telephone calls 12 JARMAN v. HCR MANORCARE, INC. Opinion of the Court by Chin, J. (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 22, § 72527, subd. (a)(22)), or if the facility subjects the patient to physical abuse (id., subd. (a)(10)). While it is true that other provisions of the Long-Term Care Act require the Department to determine the number of class AA, A, and B violations a facility has committed (see dis. opn., post, at pp. 7–9), section 1430(b) contains no indication that the Legislature intended juries to exercise the same level of enforcement discretion that the Department exercises in administering the Act. Moreover, many of the rights set out in the Patients Bill of Rights appear to overlap with one another, making it difficult to parse out what constitutes a separate and distinct violation for purposes of section 1430(b). For instance, every patient has the right “[t]o be treated with consideration, respect and full recognition of dignity and individuality” (Cal. Code Regs., tit. 22, § 72527, subd. (a)(12); “[t]o meet with others and participate in activities of social, religious and community groups” (id., subd. (a)(15); “[t]o have visits from members of the clergy at any time” (id., subd. (a)(19); and “[t]o have visits from persons of the patient’s choosing at any time if the patient is critically ill” (id., subd. (a)(20). If a skilled nursing facility denied a resident’s request to receive a visit from a pastor or priest, would this denial constitute four separate violations of the rights above, resulting in a $2000 award? This difficulty in calculating any monetary award is further exacerbated by the circumstance that section 1430(b) “provides no notice as to what evidentiary facts constitute a single continuing violation or separate violations of a patient’s right, or whether a practice or a course of conduct gives rise to one or more violations.” (Nevarrez, supra, 221 Cal.App.4th at p. 136 [addressing due process concerns].) 13 JARMAN v. HCR MANORCARE, INC. Opinion of the Court by Chin, J. Given the range of rights secured by section 1430(b) and the difficulty of distinguishing a series of violations from a continuing violation, it seems fairly improbable that the Legislature intended the $500 cap to be applied in a sliding-scale fashion — with damages tied to the severity of the misconduct — as the dissent suggests. (See dis. opn., post, at pp. 10–11) Had the Legislature intended to craft section 1430(b)’s remedial provision this way, it likely would have provided for a higher monetary cap and directed the jury to base its award on the gravity of the harm, as it has done in other contexts. (See, e.g., Civ. Code, § 1798.150, subd. (a)(2).) These deficiencies, including the lack of textual guidance and specificity, suggest that the Legislature did not focus on calibrating any monetary relief to the nature of each patient right and violation articulated in section 1430(b). As we explain next, section 1430(b)’s legislative history further evinces the Legislature’s intent that the dollar amount refers to the recovery of the entire case, not per violation. (See Stats. 1982, ch. 1455, § 1, p. 5599 [Sen. Bill No. 1930 (1981-1982 Reg. Sess.)].)