# Haleyville Health v. Winston Cty. Hosp.

> Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama · May 10, 1996 · 678 So. 2d 789

URL: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/9933009

## Case

- **Full name:** Haleyville Health Care Center Age, Inc. and Joseph Church v. Winston County Hospital Board D/B/A Burdick-West Memorial Hospital.
- **Court:** Court of Civil Appeals of Alabama
- **Decided:** May 10, 1996
- **Citations:** 678 So. 2d 789; 1996 WL 242353
- **Precedential status:** Published
- **Opinion:** Dissent by Monroe
- **Judges:** Crawley, Monroe, Robertson
- **Cited by:** 4 later opinions in the Frix Law Library

## Citator (automated)

- No negative treatment found by the automated citator. That is not the same as a confirmation that the case is good law; read the citing cases.
- Full citator and citing cases: https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/9933009

## How later opinions describe it (automated extraction)

- recognizing that third-party payors are in a business relationship with patients and health care providers
- recognizing that "a hospital's charges for a Medicare patient `in part reflect what Medicare pays'"

## Opinion text

I agree with those portions of the majority's opinion affirming the trial court's judgment in favor of the hospital and reversing and remanding the cause for the trial court to enter a lower award of compensatory damages. However, I disagree that the $50,000 award of punitive damages should be affirmed; therefore, I respectfully dissent from that part of the majority's opinion affirming the award of punitive damages.
In this case, one health-care provider — the hospital — sued another health-care provider — the nursing home — in a dispute over who had to take the responsibility for the care of a senile, elderly Medicare patient. Both facilities received Medicare payments for the time each kept the patient. I do not believe that one health-care provider can so defraud another health-care provider so as to merit punitive damages when both facilities are receiving Medicare payments for the care of the patient.
Because I do not believe that punitive damages should have been awarded in this case, I must respectfully dissent from that portion of the majority opinion upholding the award of punitive damages. *Page 795

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Source: Frix Law Library, https://www.frixlaw.com/law-library/cases/9933009. Public record. Not legal advice.