DocketNumber: No. CV97 011 28 58
Citation Numbers: 1998 Conn. Super. Ct. 14965, 23 Conn. L. Rptr. 567
Judges: HURLEY, JUDGE TRIAL REFEREE.
Filed Date: 12/16/1998
Status: Non-Precedential
Modified Date: 4/18/2021
The defendant has now filed a motion to strike the plaintiff's complaint on the ground that the complaint fails to state a claim upon which relief may be granted for. In particular, the defendant argues that, pursuant to §
A review of the summons and the complaint reveals some inconsistencies. While the summons lists "the Estate of Josephine Ferrara c/o Pasqualina Fitzgerald and Vincent Ferrara" as the plaintiff bringing the action, the caption to the complaint accompanying the summons identifies Pasqualina Fitzgerald, Executrix, as the plaintiff. Paragraph two of the complaint further states that "Pasqualina Fitzgerald and Vincent Ferrara were appointed co-executors of the Estate of Josephine Ferrara . . . and are now acting in such capacity in bringing the present action."
"Technically it is the summons rather than the complaint which describes the parties." Estate of Tapia v. Burns, Superior Court, judicial district of Fairfield at Bridgeport, Docket No. 284858, 10 CONN. L. RPTR. 91 (September 20, 1993) (Fuller, J.). An estate is not a legal entity and cannot initiate a suit or be sued. Issac v. MountSinai Hospital,
In the present case, however, both the caption to the complaint and the complaint itself make perfectly clear the fact that this present action is being brought by the executors to the estate and not the estate itself. Furthermore, the caption to the summons refers to both co-executors, albeit in "c/o" the estate.
Thus, the court finds the inconsistencies in pleading of slight significance. In Chestnut Realty, Inc. v. CHIRO,
The defendant's argument that the plaintiff has failed to file a good faith certificate raises a more significant issue for the court. As the complaint alleges a cause of action against a CT Page 14967 health care provider, General Statutes §
"Whether the plaintiff's cause of action is one for malpractice depends upon the definition of that word and the allegations of the complaint . . . Malpractice is commonly defined as the failure of one rendering professional services to exercise that degree of skill and learning commonly applied under all the circumstances in the community by the average prudent reputable member of the profession with the result of injury, loss or damage to the recipient of those services." Barnes v.Schlein,
The complaint alleges that the decedent, Josephine Ferrara, was a patient at a nursing home operated by the defendant and that the decedent was admitted to rehabilitate from a history of brain tumor and related complications. According to the complaint, the defendant was aware that the decedent was in a confused and disoriented condition and suffered from visual deficits.
According to the complaint, the decedent suffered injuries when, "while alone in her room, [the decedent] attempted to sit in her wheelchair. While the plaintiff was transferring herself to her wheelchair, the wheelchair moved from under her causing plaintiff to fall to the floor and sustain the injuries . . ." (Amended complaint, September 22, 1997, ¶ 7.) The plaintiff alleges that the defendant was careless and negligent in that: 1) the defendant knew that the plaintiff was in a confused and disoriented condition and, nonetheless, allowed the plaintiff unsupervised access to the wheelchair; 2) the defendant placed a wheelchair in the plaintiff's room; 3) the defendant failed to assist the plaintiff in transferring her from her bed to the wheelchair; 4) the defendant failed to lock the wheels on the plaintiff's wheelchair; 5) the defendant failed to provide video monitoring of the plaintiff's room, to prevent injury while transferring to her wheel chair; 6) failed to exercise reasonable care by failing to apply break locks on the wheelchair; 7) the defendant knew that the dangerous condition existed for more than a reasonable time; and 8) the defendant knew of the defect and failed to inspect or remedy that defect. (Amended Complaint, ¶ 10.)
In certain aspects, the plaintiff does allege conduct on the part of the defendant that can be interpreted as simple negligence. The alleged negligent supervision of a patient, for instance, has been found not to constitute a medical procedure that requires expert testimony to prove. See Badrigan v. ElmcrestPsychiatric Institute, supra,
Some of these allegations, however, are premised on the belief that the defendant knew of the plaintiff's "confused and CT Page 14969 disorientated condition" and the fact that she suffered from "visual deficits." In the court's opinion, these allegations do sufficiently give rise to unique medical questions that are appropriate for expert testimony. Allegations that the plaintiff was rehabilitating from "brain tumor and related complications" do pose an inquiry that cannot be answered without implicating the appropriate standard of medical care. See Levett v. Elkind,
However, there are other allegations of negligence in the complaint that are merely negligence and do not require expert medical testimony such as the claim that the defendant failed to lock the wheels on the plaintiff's wheelchair, or failed to apply break locks on the wheelchair or the alleged negligent supervision of the plaintiff.
The court, therefore, finds that while some of the allegations of negligence require specialized medical knowledge, others do not.
"If a motion to strike is directed at the entire complaint, the motion must fail if any of the plaintiff's claims is legally sufficient." Doyle v. A P Realty Corp.,
Accordingly, the motion to strike is hereby denied.
D. Michael Hurley Judge Trial Referee