Einhorn

Plaintiff Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago appeals from a judgment dismissing its complaint for money due for hospital and related medical services. We are called upon to determine whether a private provider of medical services is entitled to reimbursement for the cost of those services from the patient’s parents under the provisions of Civil Code section 206. We conclude that the section does not impose a liability upon defendants and therefore affirm the judgment.

The facts are undisputed. Plaintiff provided the adult son of defendants with certain necessities of life, consisting of hospital accommodations and related medical services and supplies, the reasonable value of which was $16,670.20; no part of that sum was paid, except $1,669.50, leaving unpaid the sum of $15,000.70, for which plaintiff seeks reimbursement from the parents. At the time that the services were provided to defendants’ son, he was in need and unable to maintain himself by work. Plaintiff and the parents had not entered into any agreement providing for the reimbursement to the hospital for the cost of the medical services.

The issue, as framed by the parties, can be simply stated: Absent an…