Bay Area Surgical Group, Inc. v. Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health Insurance Company
Filing
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ORDER Granting Motion to Dismiss and Denying Motion to Strike as moot. The April 21, 2011 motion hearing and case management conference are vacated. Signed by Judge Koh on 4/19/2011. (lhklc3, COURT STAFF) (Filed on 4/19/2011)
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UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
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NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA
United States District Court
For the Northern District of California
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SAN JOSE DIVISION
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BAY AREA SURGICAL GROUP, INC.,
Plaintiff,
v.
ANTHEM BLUE CROSS LIFE & HEALTH
INSUR. CO.,
Defendant.
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Case No.: 11-CV-00278-LHK
ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO
DISMISS WITH LEAVE TO AMEND
AND DENYING MOTION TO STRIKE
AS MOOT
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Plaintiff Bay Area Surgical Group, Inc. (“Plaintiff”) brings the instant action against
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Defendant Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health Insurance Company (“Defendant”). In brief,
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Plaintiff alleges that, pursuant to a written assignment agreement, it is entitled to receive full
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payment from Defendant for health care services it provided to a patient as the patient’s assignee.
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Defendant moves to dismiss the complaint for failure to state a claim upon which relief may be
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granted and also moves to strike portions of the complaint. Although Plaintiff’s oppositions were
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due no later than March 31, 2011, as of the date of this Order, Plaintiff has not filed any
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oppositions. The Court deems these motions appropriate for resolution without oral argument, and
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vacates the April 21, 2011 motion hearing and case management conference. See Civ. L. R. 7-1(b).
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For the reasons explained below, Defendant’s motion to dismiss is GRANTED with leave to
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amend. Defendant’s motion to strike is DENIED as moot.
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Case No.: 11-CV-00278-LHK
ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO DISMISS WITH LEAVE TO AMEND AND DENYING MOTION TO STRIKE
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I. BACKGROUND
In the Complaint, Plaintiff describes itself as an ambulatory surgery center that provides
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health care services at its facility in Santa Clara, California. See Compl. ¶ 8. On May 20, 2009, a
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patient of Plaintiff underwent epidural injections. Plaintiff alleges that the patient was insured by a
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“health benefits agreement” with Defendant. Id. Under that agreement, Defendant promised to
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pay for certain costs of health care services incurred by the patient. Id.
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Plaintiff alleges that, on May 20, 2009, the patient executed an “Assignment of Benefits” to
Plaintiff, which authorized Plaintiff, as the patient’s assignee, to bill the insurance carrier
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(Defendant) directly. Pursuant to the assignment agreement, Plaintiff alleges it submitted a timely
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United States District Court
For the Northern District of California
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claim for payment. Id. at ¶ 10. However, according to Plaintiff, Defendant has not made the full
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payment of the outstanding charges.
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Based on these allegations, Plaintiff brings suit for three California state law claims: (1)
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breach of contract; (2) implied covenant of good faith and fair dealing; and (3) common counts.
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Presently before the Court are Defendant’s motion to dismiss for failure to state a claim and motion
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to strike portions of the complaint.
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II. ANALYSIS
Dismissal under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 12(b)(6) for failure to state a claim is
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“proper only where there is no cognizable legal theory or an absence of sufficient facts alleged to
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support a cognizable legal theory.” Shroyer v. New Cingular Wireless Services, Inc., 606 F.3d 658,
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664 (9th Cir. 2010) (quoting Navarro v. Block, 250 F.3d 729, 732 (9th Cir. 2001)). In considering
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whether the complaint is sufficient to state a claim, the court must accept as true all of the factual
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allegations contained in the complaint. Ashcroft v. Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. 1937, 1949 (2009). While a
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complaint need not allege detailed factual allegations, it “must contain sufficient factual matter,
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accepted as true, to “‘state a claim to relief that is plausible on its face.’” Iqbal, 129 S.Ct. at 1949
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(quoting Bell Atlantic Corp. v. Twombly, 550 U.S. 544, 570 (2007)). If the court concludes that the
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complaint should be dismissed, it must then decide whether to grant leave to amend. “[A] district
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court should grant leave to amend even if no request to amend the pleading was made, unless it
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determines that the pleading could not possibly be cured by the allegation of other facts.” Lopez v.
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Case No.: 11-CV-00278-LHK
ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO DISMISS WITH LEAVE TO AMEND AND DENYING MOTION TO STRIKE
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Smith, 203 F.3d 1122, 1130 (9th Cir. 2000) (quoting Doe v. United States, 58 F.3d 494, 497 (9th
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Cir. 1995)).
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Defendant moves to dismiss on the ground that each of Plaintiff’s state law causes of action
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is preempted by the Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (“ERISA”), as
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amended, 29 U.S.C. §§ 1001 et seq. Section 1144(a) of ERISA provides that ERISA provisions
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“supersede any and all State laws insofar as they may now or hereafter relate to any employee
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benefit plan . . . .” See 29 U.S.C. § 1144(a). The provisions of ERISA “apply to any employee
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benefit plan if it is established or maintained--(1) by any employer engaged in commerce or in any
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industry or activity affecting commerce; or (2) by any employee organization or organizations
United States District Court
For the Northern District of California
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representing employees engaged in commerce or in any industry or activity affecting commerce; or
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(3) by both.” See 29 U.S.C. § 1003(a).
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Here, Plaintiff seeks to recover payment as the assignee of one of its patients, a patient
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covered by a health insurance policy with Defendant. The Court finds that the Agreement is an
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“employee benefit plan” as defined in Section 1003(a). See Notice of Removal (with supporting
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declaration identifying Agreement as expressly covered by ERISA). As the Agreement is covered
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by ERISA, Plaintiff’s three state law claims based on violation of the Agreement are preempted.
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See Cedars-Sinai Med. Ctr. v. Nal League of Postmasters, 497 F.3d 972, 978 (9th Cir. 2007)
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(recognizing that “ERISA preempts the state claims of a provider suing as an assignee of the
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beneficiary’s rights to benefits under an ERISA plan”); see also The Meadows v. Employers Health
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Ins., 47 F.3d 1006, 1008 (9th Cir. 1995) (affirming “the principle that ERISA preempts the state
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claims of a provider suing as an assignee of a beneficiary’s rights to benefits under an ERISA
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plan”).1
III. CONCLUSION
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Accordingly, for good cause shown:
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(1) the motion to dismiss is GRANTED with leave to amend;
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(2) the motion to strike portions of the complaint is DENIED as moot;
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The Court does not reach Defendants’ other grounds for dismissal.
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Case No.: 11-CV-00278-LHK
ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO DISMISS WITH LEAVE TO AMEND AND DENYING MOTION TO STRIKE
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(3) any amended pleading must be filed within twenty-one (21) days of the date of this
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Order. Failure to timely amend the complaint will result in dismissal with prejudice;
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and
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(4) the April 21, 2011 motion hearing and case management conference are VACATED.
IT IS SO ORDERED.
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Dated: April 19, 2011
_________________________________
LUCY H. KOH
United States District Judge
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United States District Court
For the Northern District of California
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Case No.: 11-CV-00278-LHK
ORDER GRANTING MOTION TO DISMISS WITH LEAVE TO AMEND AND DENYING MOTION TO STRIKE
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