BERNARDO CARLOS PERDOMO, APPELLANT,
v.
JACKSON MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, PUBLIC HEALTH TRUST, ETC., JANE CHATFIELD, JAY WEINSTEIN, JOHN DOE INSURANCE COMPANY, ETC., ET AL., APPELLEES

Fla. 3d DCA | 1983-12-27
No. 83-881
Before SCHWARTZ, C.J., and BARK-DULL and JORGENSON, JJ.
443 So. 2d 298 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (1983) Positive Treatment
Cited by 8 cases

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Synopsis

The appellate court affirmed the dismissal of a third amended complaint, finding that the plaintiff failed to state a cause of action for wrongful discharge or other civil rights violations. The court held that the complaint lacked allegations of discriminatory animus or deprivation of due process.


Holding

No, the complaint failed to state a cause of action. It did not allege racial or class-based discriminatory animus for wrongful discharge, nor did it sufficiently allege a deprivation of due process. Defamation claims were also defeated by immunity or failure to state a claim, and conspiracy and loss of consortium claims were derivative or not cognizable.


Headnotes

[1] A cause of action under 42 U.S.C. …

[2] A claim for wrongful discharge under the Civil Rights Act of 1891 requires an allegation of discharge due to membership in a protected class, constitutionally-protected a…

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Key Quotes

“However, nowhere does the plaintiff allege some racial, or otherwise class-based, invidiously discriminatory animus underlying defendants’ complained-of actions. Accordingly, no Equal Protection cause of action has been stated.”

Establishes the lack of a required element for an Equal Protection claim.

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Facts & Procedural History

The appellant filed a third amended complaint alleging wrongful discharge, defamation, conspiracy, and loss of consortium against Jackson Memorial Hos…

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Opinion of the Court
PER CURIAM.

PER CURIAM.

The appellant appeals from a final order dismissing his third amended complaint with prejudice. The order reads in pertinent part as follows:

“The main thrust of the Third Amended Complaint is an attempt to state a cause of action for wrongful discharge under the Civil Rights Act of 1891. Throughout the complaint, Plaintiff alleges that his constitutional and civil rights have been denied.

However, nowhere does the plaintiff allege some racial, or otherwise class-based, invidiously discriminatory animus underlying defendants’ complained-of actions. Accordingly, no Equal Protection cause of action has been stated. See Griffin v. Breckenridge, 403 U.S. 88 [91 S.Ct. 1790, 29 L.Ed.2d 338] (1971). Further, while Plaintiff indicates in Paragraph 37(c) that an administrative hearing was afforded him, he nowhere alleges that he was not given an opportunity to be heard, to present testimony and other evidence, or to cross-examine his employer’s witnesses. In other words, no cause of action based on deprivation of property without due process has been stated. Where, as here, a remedy (the administrative hearing) has been provided to Public Health Trust employees who are dismissed, since Plaintiff has not alleged that the remedy provided him through that hearing is not sufficient to satisfy the requirements of due process, no cause of action is stated under 42 U.S.C. Section 1983. See Parrott v. Taylor, 451 U.S. 527, 543-44 [101 S.Ct. 1908, 1916-17, 68 L.Ed.2d 420] (1981).

The assertion of wrongful discharge appears, under various theories (including defamation and fraud), in every count of the Third Amended Complaint. However, as Plaintiff has not alleged that he was discharged because of his membership in a protected class, or because he engaged in constitutionally-protected activity, or that the administrative hearing afforded him did not satisfy procedural due process requirements, a cause of action for wrongful discharge has nowhere been stated.

Turning to the remaining allegations of the complaint, Plaintiff asserts: (1) that co-worker Defendants, while acting within the scope of their employment at the hospital, defamed Plaintiff through the letter of dismissal placed in his personnel file, (2) that certain defendants acted as supervisors and directors at the hospital without proper licensure, (3) that defendants conspired to defame Plaintiff, and (4) that Plaintiffs wife has suffered a consequent loss of consortium.

Within the four corners of the complaint, Plaintiffs allegations fail to state a cause of action, or affirmatively defeat assertion of a claim against defendants, based upon defamation alone.* See Paul v. Davis, 424 U.S. 693 [96 S.Ct. 1155, 47 L.Ed.2d 405] (1976) (no cause of action under 42 U.S.C. Section 1983 for defamation alone); City of Miami v. Wardlow, 403 So. 2d 414 (Fla.1981) (public employee absolutely immune from suit for defamation based on actions within scope of duties); McCuller v. Jackson Memorial Hospital Public Health Trust, 418 So. 2d 1155 (Fla. 3d DCA 1982) (same as Wardlow); Sanchez v. Mercy Hospital, 386 So. 2d 42 (Fla. 3d DCA 1980); Frank v. Campbell Property Management, Inc., 351 So. 2d 364 (Fla. 4th DCA 1977); Timmons v. Firestone, 283 So. 2d 63 (Fla. 4th DCA 1973); Stern v. First National Bank of South Miami, 275 So. 2d 58 (Fla. 3d DCA 1973) (under Fla.R.Civ.P. 1.110(d), affirmative defense may be raised on motion to dismiss where defense is apparent on face of complaint). Further, Florida’s Clinical Laboratory Law, Chapter 483, Florida Statutes, does not appear to imply a private right of action such as Plaintiff here seeks to assert. See Cort v. Ash, 422 U.S. 66 [95 S.Ct. 2080, 45 L.Ed.2d 26] (1975).

Since the counts regarding the goals of the “conspiracy” (defamation, wrongful discharge and improper licensure) fail, so too the conspiracy count fails. See Liappas v. Augoustis, 47 So. 2d 582 (Fla.1950). Further, Plaintiff has failed to allege a conspiracy in this case. See Buckner v. Lower Florida Keys Hospital District, 403 So. 2d 1025, 1029 (Fla. 3d DCA 1981).

Lastly, Plaintiff properly alleges in Paragraph 59 that the alleged Consortium claim is derivative. Accordingly, it cannot stand alone. Further, loss of consortium is not within the spectrum of interests guaranteed by the Constitution or Federal law. Such a claim is not cognizable in a civil rights action, and is neither ancillary nor pendent to such an action. See Walters v. Village of Oak Lawn, 548 F.Supp. 417 (N.D.Ill.1983 ).

Because this Court has determined that the Motion to Dismiss has merit, and because Plaintiffs counsel has indicated to the Court that he does not wish a further opportunity to amend the Third Amended Complaint, it is ORDERED and ADJUDGED that the Third Amended Complaint filed herein be, and the same is hereby, dismissed with prejudice.” Following a review of the order, we find no error and affirm. See and compare City of Miami v. Wardlow, 403 So. 2d 414 (Fla.1981); McNayr v. Kelly, 184 So. 2d 428 (Fla.1966); Scott v. National Airlines, Inc., 150 So. 2d 237 (Fla.1963); McCuller v. Jackson Memorial Hospital Public Health Trust, 418 So. 2d 1155 (Fla. 3d DCA 1982); Metropolitan Dade County v. Mingo, 339 So. 2d 302 (Fla. 3d DCA 1976); Gaballah v. Johnson, 629 F. 2d 1191 (7th Cir.1980).

Affirmed.

*

Plaintiff s allegations of stigma plus the loss of employment have already been addressed by the Parratt due process analysis above.


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Citator

Cited By

  • Skoblow v. Ameri-Manage, Inc., 483 So. 2d 809 (Fla. 3d DCA 1986)
    …Accordingly, summary judgment was properly entered in favor of Dale, MeMurtrey, Uhrig and Dominguez on the defamation count. Likewise, summary judgment was properly entered in favor of Burton on this count. See Perdomo v. Jackson Memorial Hospital, 443 So. 2d 298 (Fla. 3d DCA 1983) (where count regarding the goal of a conspiracy (defamation) fails, so too the conspiracy count fails). We also affirm the summary judgment entered in favor of Ameri-Manage on the section 1983 action in the plaintiff’s second cou…
  • City OF Lake Worth v. Walton, 462 So. 2d 1137 (Fla. 4th DCA 1984)
    …other statutory code requiring fine properly law distinctions. 721 F. 2d at 1065 (footnote omitted). The single Florida case we have found tends to support the application of Section 1983 to intentional acts. See Perdomo v. Jackson Memorial Hosp., 443 So. 2d 298 (Fla. 3d DCA 1983). Florida provides the means for adequate redress for a city’s wrongful failure to promote a policeman entitled by law to promotion. See Devin v. City of Hollywood, 351 So. 2d 1022 (Fla. 4th DCA 1976), which holds that a policeman…
  • S.M. Fischer v. G.W. Metcalf, M.D., 543 So. 2d 785 (Fla. 3d DCA 1989)
    …onation of an officer did not impose duty for benefit of special class and thus did not give rise to cause of action for civil liability); Tourismart of America, Inc. v. Gonzalez, 498 So. 2d 469 (Fla. 3d DCA 1986); Perdomo v. Jackson Memorial Hosp., 443 So. 2d 298 (Fla. 3d DCA 1983); Roger Rankin Enters., Inc. v. Green, 433 So. 2d 1248 (Fla. 3d DCA 1983) (Pearson, J., specially concurring). In his dissent in Cannon v. University of Chicago, 441 U.S. 677, 99 S.Ct. 1946, 60 L.Ed.2d 560 (1979), Justice Powell n…

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