ABUSSAMAA R. RAMZIDDIN VS. LGTC/ACCURATE MED TRANS NJ (L-0828-18, MERCER COUNTY AND STATEWIDE) ( 2021 )

NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE
APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION
This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court ." Although it is posted on the
internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited. R. 1:36-3.
SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY
APPELLATE DIVISION
DOCKET NO. A-5644-18
ABUSSAMAA R.
RAMZIDDIN,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
LGTC/ACCURATE MED
TRANS NJ and ACCURATE
MEDICAL TRANS,
Defendants-Respondents.
____________________________
Argued January 27, 2021 – Decided February 25, 2021
Before Judges Whipple, Rose and Firko.
On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law
Division, Mercer County, Docket No. L-0828-18.
Abussamaa R. Ramziddin, appellant, argued the cause
pro se.
David J. DiSabato argued the cause for respondents
(DiSabato & Considine, LLC, attorneys; David J.
DiSabato, on the brief).
PER CURIAM
Plaintiff Abussamaa R. Ramziddin, a self-represented litigant, appeals
from an August 29, 2019 order granting summary judgment to defendant
LogistiCare Solutions, LLC (LogistiCare), improperly pled as LCTC/Accurate
Med Trans NJ. We affirm.
I.
We derive the following facts from the summary judgment motion record
viewed in the light most favorable to plaintiff. Templo Fuente De Vida Corp.
v. Nat'l Union Fire Ins. Co. of Pittsburgh, 224 N.J. 189, 199 (2016). Plaintiff, a
Medicaid recipient, alleges he arranged for non-emergency medical
transportation to his healthcare provider appointments on two dates and that co-
defendant Accurate Medical Transport (Accurate) did not get him to his
appointments on time. LogistiCare is a non-emergency medical transportation
(NEMT)1 broker that arranges transportation for eligible Medicaid participants
in this State.
On January 19, 2018, plaintiff was scheduled through LogistiCare to have
Accurate drive him to his primary care doctor for prescription medication
1
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Medicaid
covers the cost of "non-emergency medical transportation" for eligible patients
to and from the doctor’s office, the hospital, or another medical office for
Medicaid-approved care. CENTERS FOR MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES,
FACT SHEET: LET MEDICAID G IVE Y OU A RIDE (April 2016).
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maintenance and to his orthopedic doctor, who was treating plaintiff for severe
osteoarthritis. Plaintiff arrived late for the appointments because Accurate did
not pick him up at the time he requested. The primary care doctor was able to
reschedule plaintiff's appointment, but since the doctor "missed the window to
have him put the refills in the computer," plaintiff had to see a cardiologist
instead in April 2018 to obtain his medication.
On January 29, 2018, plaintiff contacted LogistiCare again to arrange
transportation for another appointment, this time with a rheumatologist , to
undergo injections in his knees. Accurate arrived more than an hour late, and
LogistiCare could not confirm for plaintiff whether Accurate was running on
time. Upon arrival at the rheumatologist's office, plaintiff was told the doctor
would be unable to treat him because of his late arrival, and plaintiff advised
LogistiCare of this. Thereafter, plaintiff waited two-and-a-half hours for
Accurate to take him home.
On April 13, 2018, plaintiff filed a complaint against defendants in the
Law Division alleging he missed appointments and was "forced to pay for
medication out[-]of[-]pocket" and suffered "severe anxiety, paranoia, and
anxiousness jeopardizing [his] mental health that is regulated by mental health
professionals." The record shows plaintiff sought $85,000 in compensatory and
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punitive damages, although not pled with specificity in the complaint. Plaintiff
also alleged in his complaint that the "gross negligence" and "insurance fraud"
on the part of defendants delayed him "from receiving life sustaining
medication" and led to a denied medical examination. LogistiCare filed its
answer on July 26, 2018. Plaintiff served Accurate, but it never filed an answer
or otherwise moved with respect to the complaint, resulting in a final judgment
by default being entered on February 15, 2019.
In its discovery responses, LogistiCare certified it is an NEMT broker that
arranges transportation for Medicaid recipients. LogistiCare asserted in its
answers to interrogatories that it has no contractual or implied relationship with
plaintiff. At the close of discovery, LogistiCare filed a motion for summary
judgment. LogistiCare submitted the certification of Lori Bonderowitz in
support of its motion for summary judgment. She certified that "LogistiCare is
not affiliated with, or related to, [Accurate]" and "does not contract with
individual Medicaid participants, such as [p]laintiff." Bonderowitz's
certification also stated "LogistiCare does not provide the actual transportation
for requesting participants" and "does not have a contractual relationship with
[p]laintiff."
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In opposition to the motion, plaintiff submitted a July 2016 report from
the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General
entitled, "New Jersey Did Not Adequately Oversee Its Medicaid Nonemergency
Medical Transportation Brokerage Program." Plaintiff did not file a responding
statement either admitting or disputing each of the facts in LogistiCare's motion
as required by Rule 4:46-2(b).
On August 1, 2019, the trial court heard oral argument on LogistiCare's
motion. In its oral opinion, the court found that plaintiff failed to present
evidence to establish a prima facie case of negligence or the existence of a
contract between himself and LogistiCare. The court reasoned and concluded:
I'm going to grant the motion respectfully. You know,
that these aren't mere technicalities. These are the legal
proofs that have to be established in order to get this
case before a factfinder, and it hasn't been done here.
We have a trial scheduled for next week.
In terms of the negligence claim here, there's no
disputed facts on the elements of the negligence claim,
meaning that you haven't established that Logisti[C]are
owed a duty, that Logisti[C]are breached any duty, that
there's any—a breach was the proximate cause of any
harm or that there were any damages.
With respect to the contract claim, there's no
evidence here of a contract between the plaintiff and
Logisti[C]are. There's no evidence here of a breach or
that any damages were sustained as a result of the
alleged breach.
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So taking all facts and inferences in your favor as
I'm required to do in this type of case, in this type of
motion, on this motion for summary judgment, and
reading your papers very indulgently, which I had done,
there's nothing here that allow[s] the case can go
forward in terms of being presented to a jury or any type
of factfinder.
Accordingly, the court granted LogistiCare's motion for summary
judgment and scheduled a proof hearing as to Accurate for August 27, 2019.
The court informed plaintiff to bring medical reports and any proof of economic
loss to the proof hearing and to be prepared to "show some type of relationship
between the two" in respect of Accurate.
Plaintiff and counsel for LogistiCare appeared at the August 27, 2019
proof hearing; no one appeared on behalf of Accurate. Plaintiff testified at the
hearing that defendant LogistiCare caused him to miss routine treatment and
medication, which in turn caused him pain and disrupted his treatment and
medication schedule. Although plaintiff's appendix includes three letters from
medical providers detailing the importance of his uninterrupted medical
treatment,2 the letters do not state plaintiff was injured by the delayed
2
The trial court stated at the August 27, 2019, hearing that it had not seen the
letters; however, at the hearing, plaintiff explained the content of the letters he
said he submitted. The court found that even if they had been included in
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appointments. The letters are dated November 5, 2019, April 5, 2019, and April
1, 2019—all at least one year after the January 2018 incidents at issue here.
Notably, the November 2019 letter is dated after the two August 2019 hearings;
thus, the trial court would not have received it, nor could it have been part of
discovery.
In its ruling following the proof hearing, the court found plaintiff did not
meet his burden of proof on the issue of negligence, breach of contract, and
damages as against Accurate and awarded no relief. This appeal ensued.
On appeal, plaintiff argues the trial court erred in granting summary
judgment to LogistiCare and dismissing the complaint because: (1) LogistiCare
breached its duty of care to plaintiff and failed to engage in mandatory, standard
operating grievance procedures and policies pursuant to the State's NEMT code;
and (2) alternatively, this court should apply the last clear chance doctrine to
compensate plaintiff for his pain and suffering. Specifically, in his notice of
appeal, plaintiff asserts that LogistiCare caused him monetary loss, "severe
anxiety, paranoia, and anxiousness . . . triggering [his] [s]chizophrenic disorder
. . . . Continuously keeping [p]laintiff [in a] severe agitated and aggravated
plaintiff's filings, they would still not establish a connection between plaintiff's
condition and the alleged delay in treatment.
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state, provoking bouts of depression caused by [LogistiCare's] lackadaisical
attitude and maladroit behavioral approach[,] which resulted in severe edema
and palpitations . . . ." LogistiCare seeks affirmance of the order granting its
summary judgment motion or in the alternative, summary disposition of
plaintiff's appeal pursuant to Rule 2:8-3(b).
II.
We review a summary judgment decision de novo, under the same
standard that governs the trial court. RSI Bank v. Providence Mut. Fire Ins. Co.,
234 N.J. 459, 472 (2018) (citing Bhagat v. Bhagat, 217 N.J. 22, 38 (2014));
Globe Motor Co. v. Igdalev, 225 N.J. 469, 479 (2016). Summary judgment must
be granted if "the pleadings, depositions, answers to interrogatories and
admissions on file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there is no
genuine issue as to any material fact challenged and that the moving party is
entitled to a judgment or order as a matter of law." R. 4:46-2(c); Brill v.
Guardian Life Ins. Co. of Am., 142 N.J. 520, 529 (1995). If no issue of fact
exists, an appellate court "affords no special deference to the legal
determinations of the trial court." RSI Bank, 234 N.J. at 472 (quoting Templo
Fuente, 224 N.J. at 199).
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A non-moving party "cannot defeat a motion for summary judgment
merely by pointing to any fact in dispute." Brill, 142 N.J. at 529. Instead, the
opposing party must "demonstrate by competent evidential material that a
genuine issue of fact exists[.]" Igdalev, 225 N.J. at 479-80 (alteration in
original) (quoting Robbins v. Jersey City, 23 N.J. 229, 240-41 (1957)). The
court must then consider whether that party's proposed evidence, "when view ed
in the light most favorable to the non-moving party, [is] sufficient to permit a
rational factfinder to resolve the alleged disputed issue in favor of the non-
moving party." Brill, 142 N.J. at 540.
It remains "the unqualified affirmative burden of [the non-moving] part[y]
to make a complete and comprehensive showing why summary judgment should
not be entered . . . ." Lombardi v. Masso, 207 N.J. 517, 556 (2011) (Rivera-
Soto, J., dissenting). Bare conclusions, without factual support, will not defeat
summary judgment. Brae Asset Fund, L.P. v. Newman, 327 N.J. Super. 129,
134 (App. Div. 1999).
"To sustain a cause of action for negligence, a plaintiff must establish four
elements: '(1) a duty of care, (2) a breach of that duty, (3) proximate cause, and
(4) actual damages.'" Townsend v. Pierre, 221 N.J. 36, 51 (2015) (quoting Polzo
v. County of Essex, 196 N.J. 569, 584 (2008)). A plaintiff must prove by a
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preponderance of the evidence that the defendant's alleged negligence was a
proximate cause of the injury. Id. at 52. A "plaintiff bears the burden of
establishing those elements 'by some competent proof.'" Davis v. Brickman
Landscaping, Ltd., 219 N.J. 395, 406 (2014) (citing Buckelew v. Grossbard, 87
N.J. 512, 525 (1981)).
"It has long been true that '[d]eterminations of the scope of duty in
negligence cases has traditionally been a function of the judiciary.'" Estate of
Desir v. Vertus, 214 N.J. 303, 322 (2013) (alteration in original) (quoting Kelly
v. Gwinnell, 96 N.J. 538, 552 (1984)). The Supreme Court has identified a four-
part framework that guides a duty analysis, requiring evaluation of four factors:
"the relationship of the parties; the nature of the risk; the ability to exercise care;
and public policy considerations." Id. at 317 (quoting Hopkins v. Fox & Lazo
Realtors, 132 N.J. 426, 438-39 (1993)). However, "[i]n carrying out this
important function, [the Supreme Court has] recognized that '[t]he actual
imposition of a duty of care and the formulation of standards defining such a
duty derive from considerations of public policy and fairness.'" Id. at 322 (third
alteration in original) (quoting Hopkins, 132 N.J. at 439).
At the August 1, 2019 motion hearing, the trial court found plaintiff had
not established that LogistiCare breached a duty to plaintiff. Indeed, plaintiff
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does not dispute this, and conceded at the August 28, 2019 proof hearing that
Accurate, not LogistiCare, failed to perform its duty.
According to LogistiCare's records, Accurate did not arrive in time for
plaintiff's scheduled pickup on January 19, 2018. Again, plaintiff does not
dispute that LogistiCare did as he requested, and plaintiff did not present any
evidence otherwise. As the Supreme Court has noted, to prove the elemen t of
causation, plaintiff bears the burden to
introduce evidence which affords a reasonable basis for
the conclusion that it is more likely than not that the
conduct of the defendant was a cause in fact of the
result. A mere possibility of such causation is not
enough; and when the matter remains one of pure
speculation or conjecture, or the probabilities are at best
evenly balanced, it becomes the duty of the court to
direct a verdict for the defendant.
[Davidson v. Slater, 189 N.J. 166, 185 (2007) (quoting
Reynolds v. Gonzalez, 172 N.J. 266, 284 (2002)).]
Here, plaintiff's proofs fail to show LogistiCare breached any duty of care
under negligence principles and fail to show a contractual relationship between
the parties. Accordingly, the trial court correctly determined there was no
breach that was the proximate cause of any harm to plaintiff. The court properly
granted summary judgment.
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III.
We next turn to plaintiff's argument that he is entitled to punitive damages.
To award punitive damages, the factfinder must find wrongful conduct by
applying the clear and convincing evidentiary standard:
Punitive damages may be awarded to the plaintiff only
if the plaintiff proves, by clear and convincing
evidence, that the harm suffered was the result of the
defendant's acts or omissions, and such acts or
omissions were actuated by actual malice or
accompanied by a wanton and willful disregard of
persons who foreseeably might be harmed by those acts
or omissions. This burden of proof may not be satisfied
by proof of any degree of negligence including gross
negligence.
[N.J.S.A. 2A:15-5.12(a).]
Here, there were no medical reports that showed injury caused by the
delay in service to plaintiff. The trial court explained this to plaintiff at the
August 1, 2019 hearing, instructing him to bring evidence to the August 27,
2019, proof hearing:
All right, so if you're claiming some type of
medical issue from their alleged misconduct, you're
going to have to bring, you know, some type of medical
reports showing that what they did caused you to have
some type of medical issue, or if you have any type of
economic claim, you're going to have to show some
type of relationship between the two, all right?
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At the proof hearing, plaintiff stated that his damages were that LogistiCare
caused him to miss medication and treatment, resulting in edema, extreme
stiffness, inability to walk, and pain. He further stated that he had submitted
letters from his medical providers that show the importance of plaintiff
maintaining his medication schedule and treatment. However, plaintiff
conceded to the court that the letters did not connect the transportation delay to
his medical issues: "It doesn't link the actual time of it. It just states that if I
don't take this medication as regularly scheduled, it could be detrimental. It
could be very harmful."
The trial court found plaintiff did not satisfy his burden of specificity to
show "credible evidence" that his illnesses were a result of delay in treatment.
[W]e're here in a court of law, and . . . you need to
establish your damages to me by credible evidence. . . .
I would need evidence from a medical professional
through a report stating that you have these specific
ailments, illnesses, medical conditions as a result of this
delay of treatment. I don't have that here.
I appreciate generally we all need to stay on our
medications in a timely manner, and if we don't, or if
we miss our medical appointments, there could be
problems, but I don't have that specificity that's
required here. And you don't have to prove it with
complete specificity, but you do need to satisfy your
burden here, and that has not been accomplished.
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The court was correct in its analysis. Plaintiff did not establish causation
and damages by clear and convincing evidence. Therefore, summary judgment
was properly granted to LogistiCare.
IV.
Plaintiff also argues the trial court erred in granting summary judgment to
LogistiCare on his breach of contract claim. To prevail on a breach of contract
claim, a plaintiff must show (1) a valid contract between the parties; (2) that
defendant failed to perform its obligations under the contract; and (3) that the
breach caused the claimant to sustain damages. Murphy v. Implicito, 392 N.J.
Super. 245, 265 (App. Div. 2007).
Although plaintiff alludes to a contract between the State of New Jersey
and LogistiCare, he does not provide proof such a contract exists or how it was
breached or how his claim against LogistiCare implicates that purported
contract.
"To defeat a motion for summary judgment, the opponent must 'come
forward with evidence' that creates a genuine issue of material fact." Cortez v.
Gindhart, 435 N.J. Super. 589, 605 (App. Div. 2014) (quoting Horizon Blue
Cross Blue Shield of N.J. v. State, 425 N.J. Super. 1, 32 (App. Div. 2012)).
"[C]onclusory and self-serving assertions by one of the parties are insufficient
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to overcome the motion[.]" Puder v. Buechel, 183 N.J. 428, 440-41 (2005).
Applying these standards, we discern no reason to reverse.
V.
Finally, for the first time on appeal, plaintiff argues that we should apply
the "last clear chance doctrine" to the matter under review. We generally decline
to address issues not presented to the trial court.
Unless these issues pertain to the trial court's jurisdiction or "matters of
great public interest," we will not consider them. State v. Robinson, 200 N.J. 1,
20-22 (2009). See also State v. Arthur, 184 N.J. 307, 327 (2005); Nieder v.
Royal Indem. Ins. Co., 62 N.J. 229, 234 (1973). Nonetheless, we add the
following brief remarks.
The "last clear chance" doctrine, now replaced by the theory of proximate
cause, has been described as the theory that responsibility for injury rests with
the party last able to avoid the accident. Latta v. Caulfield, 158 N.J. Super. 151,
155-56 (1978) (citing Brennan v. Pub. Serv. Ry. Co., 106 N.J.L. 464, 466 (E. &
A. 1930)). In his brief, plaintiff does not explain how this doctrine applies here,
but merely asserts that the trial court impermissibly assumed "defendant's
attorney[] has acted in good faith."
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Plaintiff argues that the trial court and LogistiCare have no legal authority
to "minimize the stress of the incidents" and to measure how they exacerbated
his physical and mental condition. Further, plaintiff asserts the trial court failed
to weigh the evidence in the light most favorable to him, and argues that there
are genuine issues of material fact because LogistiCare "failed to take
reasonable steps to . . . protect [plaintiff] from harm." Again, we disagree.
Our careful review of the record shows the trial court viewed the evidence
in a light most favorable to plaintiff. The trial court conducted oral argument
and placed its findings of fact and conclusions of law on the record. Based upon
our de novo review, we conclude plaintiff presented no evidence of negligence,
gross negligence or breach of contract or resultant damages. In light of our
holding, we need not address LogistiCare's request for summary disposition of
plaintiff's appeal pursuant to Rule 2:8-3(b).
Affirmed.
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