CLARENCE JACKSON AND ROSA JACKSON, HIS WIFE, APPELLANTS,
v.
BISCAYNE MEDICAL CENTER, INC., A FLORIDA CORPORATION, MICHAEL SUSSMAN, INDIVIDUALLY AND ARGONAUT INSURANCE COMPANY, A CALIFORNIA CORPORATION, APPELLEES

Fla. 3d DCA | 1977-06-14
No. 77-233
Before HENDRY, C. J., and BARKDULL and NATHAN, JJ.
347 So. 2d 721 Florida District Court of Appeal, Third District (1977) Caution
Cited by 42 cases

AI-generated. These summaries, headnotes, and key points are machine-generated and may contain errors or omissions. Always verify against the full opinion text below. Not legal advice.


Holding

Counts alleging intentional torts and breach of contract arising from a hospital patient's removal do not require pre-suit mediation under the medical liability statute, and such counts stated valid causes of action.


Headnotes

[1] Claims of negligence and negligent training against a medical center are subject to a mandatory medical liability mediation panel prerequisite.

[2] Claims of false arrest, malicious prosecution, assault and battery, slander, and breach of contract arising from alleged intentional acts by hospital employees are not su…

Previewing 2 of 4 headnotes on this case. FLexlaw’s editorially structured points of law — every proposition, pinpointed — are reserved for members.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

Facts & Procedural History

Appellants sued for negligence, negligent training, false arrest, malicious prosecution, assault and battery, slander, and breach of contract after a …

The full statement of facts, procedural history, and disposition for this case are member content.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

© FLexlaw, Inc. — AI-generated enrichments are proprietary. All rights reserved.


Opinion of the Court
HENDRY, Chief Judge.

HENDRY, Chief Judge.

Appellants appeal an order dismissing their complaint. We reverse, in part.

The complaint was based upon the factual allegation that appellant Clarence Jackson was wrongfully removed from appellee Biscayne Medical Center, Inc., without medical authorization. In seven counts, the complaint alleged negligence, negligent training, false arrest, malicious prosecution, assault and battery, slander and breach of contract.

Appellees filed a motion to dismiss the complaint based upon both a failure to comply with the “medical liability mediation panel” prerequisite of Section 768.133, Florida Statutes (1975), now renumbered Section 768.44, Florida Statutes (1976 Supp.), and a failure to state a cause of action. The above motion was granted and this appeal follows.

Initially, we note that the order of dismissal did not state the grounds upon which it was based. We are therefore faced with the task of determining which, if any, of the counts can proceed without first being submitted to mediation, pursuant to the aforementioned statutory section. Those counts that may proceed must then be tested to determine whether or not, taking all material allegations as true and viewing them in light of the applicable substantive law, any count states a cause of action. Hochman v. Lazarus Homes Corporation, 324 So. 2d 205 (Fla. 3d DCA 1975).

As for counts I and II, couched in terms of negligence and negligent training of hospital employees, respectively, we are of the opinion that the complained of acts giving rise to those counts are within the purview of Section 768.44, Florida Statutes (1976 Supp.) and must first be submitted to a medical liability mediation panel before being maintained in a court of law in this state. See Mount Sinai Hospital of Greater Miami, Inc. v. Wolfson, 327 So. 2d 883 (Fla. 3d DCA 1976).

Counts III through VII, however, have no connection with medical negligence (malpractice). Appellant was allegedly falsely arrested and maliciously prosecuted for trespassing at the hospital. In an attempt to remove appellant from the hospital premises, employees of the hospital allegedly assaulted and battered appellant, and slandered him while he was being arrested for trespassing. Also alleged as a specific count was breach of contract by appellee, for the wrongful removal of appellant from the hospital.

We are of the opinion that the above counts, as alleged, do not fall within the scope of Section 768.44, Florida Statutes (1976 Supp.). Appellees contend that since all of the complained of acts arise from one “transaction,” i.e., the alleged wrongful removal of appellant from the hospital without medical authorization, each count should be subject to the mediation prerequisite. We disagree. None of the remaining causes of action deal with medical malpractice. Simply stated, they are all intentional acts, allegedly committed by hospital employees on hospital premises, while within the scope of their employment. The fact that these acts originate, rather remotely, from a hospital-patient relationship, will not bring them into the ambit of medical malpractice. To hold otherwise would lead to the absurd result that every wrongful act committed by a hospital employee in a hospital surrounding amounts to medical malpracticé. Certainly, our Legislature did not desire those results. It is therefore our view, that the trial judge erred in dismiss ing counts III through VII on the basis that they should have proceeded pursuant to the mediation prerequisite of Section 768.44, Florida Statutes (1976 Supp.).

In addition, after carefully reviewing the allegations of Counts III through VII, we are of the opinion that those counts do state valid causes of action. We note that as to count IV, malicious prosecution, appellees stated in their motion to dismiss that no cause of action was pled because the case against appellant was “nolle prossed.” The law is, however, clear, that the essential prerequisite to bringing an action of malicious prosecution — a bona fide termination of prosecution in favor of a plaintiff — is satisfied if there is either an adjudication on the merits in a judicial proceeding or, if there is a nolle prosequi or declination to prosecute entered in good faith by the prosecutor. Davis v. McCrory Corporation, 262 So. 2d 207 (Fla. 2d DCA 1972).

Appellees further stated in their motion that count III, false arrest, could not be prosecuted against appellee, Biscayne Medical Center, because the hospital never arrested appellant. Notwithstanding the above contention, the courts of Florida have equated the torts of false arrest and false imprisonment, stating that the difference is one of terminology. Johnson v. Weiner, 155 Fla. 169, 19 So. 2d 699 (1944); 32 Am.Jur.2d, False Imprisonment, § 2 (1967). In that appellee did allegedly exercise unlawful restraint upon appellant, detaining him against his will, and did procure the arrest of appellant, we hold that a cause of action does lie against appellees — though said count might have been more descriptively styled as one for false imprisonment, rather than false arrest. See Washington County Kennel Club, Inc. v. Edge, 216 So. 2d 512 (Fla. 1st DCA 1968).

Accordingly, the order of dismissal is affirmed, as it applies to counts I and II, negligence and negligent training; however, as it applies to counts III through VII, the order of dismissal is reversed and remanded for further proceedings not inconsistent herewith.

Affirmed in part; reversed and remanded in part.


Cases With Similar Vibessemantic neighbors from the corpus


Citator

Cited By (20 total)

  • Meyer Weissman and Anna Weissman v. K-Mart Corp., 396 So. 2d 1164 (Fla. 3d DCA 1981)
    …that the third element of a malicious prosecution action may be satisfied by either a favorable decision on the merits or a bona fide termination of the proceedings. Gatto v. Publix Supermarket, Inc., supra; Jackson v. Biscayne Medical Center, Inc., 347 So. 2d 721 [*1168] (Fla. 3d DCA 1977); Davis v. McCrory Corp., 262 So. 2d 207 (Fla. 2d DCA 1972). In State v. Anders, 388 So. 2d 308 (Fla. 3d DCA 1980), this court found that the trial court’s dismissal of criminal charges against the defendant for lack of pr…
    1 / 2
  • …ful arrest by the deputy sheriff. The action of the private citizen constituted far more than merely supplying information to law enforcement officers or accusing plaintiffs of a crime. Plaintiff also cites Jackson v. Biscayne Medical Center, Inc., 347 So. 2d 721 (Fla.3d DCA 1977). In this case the Court held that a complaint stated a cause of action for false arrest where it alleged that the defendant hospital’s employees detained plaintiff against his will and procured his arrest by law enforcement officer…
  • Union OIL OF Cal. v. Watson, 468 So. 2d 349 (Fla. 3d DCA 1985)
    …based on an earlier criminal case, the alternative requirement of a “bona fide termination of the proceedings” is met by a good faith nolle prose-qui or declination to prosecute. Gatto, 387 So. 2d at 380-81, Jackson v. Biscayne Medical Center, Inc., 347 So. 2d 721 (Fla. 3d DCA 1977). "Bona fide” as used in this sense means that the termination was not bargained for or obtained by the accused upon a promise of payment or restitution. Freedman v. Crabro Motors, Inc., 199 So. 2d 745 (Fla. 3d DCA 1967). . A dism…

Previewing 3 of 20 citing cases — full citator treatment, depth of discussion, and citing context are member features.

Join FLexlaw to unlock all legal intelligence

Authorities Cited

Full citator, related cases, and AI research tools

Open in FLexlaw