Lopez v. Contra Costa Reg’l Med. Ctr. (Summary)

EMTALA

Lopez v. Contra Costa Reg’l Med. Ctr., No. C 12-03726 LB (N.D. Cal. Apr. 5, 2013)

The United States District Court for the Northern District of California denied a hospital’s motion to dismiss claims of EMTALA violations and medical negligence. A widower sued the hospital after his wife died from birth complications, alleging that his wife’s admission to the hospital was not made in good faith because the hospital knew that it did not have the staff or facility to stabilize her medical condition.

The district court recognized that EMTALA does not apply to inpatients but held that the EMTALA claim was sufficient to survive a motion to dismiss, noting that there was a fact issue about the hospital’s good faith in admitting her.