County of Santa Clara v. Super. Ct.

Filed 4/26/

CERTIFIED FOR PUBLICATION

IN THE COURT OF APPEAL OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA

SIXTH APPELLATE DISTRICT

COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, H048486

(Santa Clara County Petitioner, Super. Ct. No. 19CV349757)

v.

THE SUPERIOR COURT OF SANTA

CLARA COUNTY,

Respondent,

DOCTORS MEDICAL CENTER OF

MODESTO et al.,

Real Parties in Interest.

Petitioner County of Santa Clara operates a health care service plan, licensed under the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act. Real parties in interest Doctors Medical Center of Modesto and Doctors Hospital of Manteca, Inc. (collectively, the Hospitals) provided emergency medical services to members of the county’s health plan and submitted reimbursement claims to the county. The county reimbursed the Hospitals for only part of the claimed amounts. The Hospitals sued the county for the full amounts of their claims, the operative complaint alleging a single cause of action for breach of an implied-in-fact or implied-in-law contract. The county demurred, asserting it is immune from the Hospitals’ suit under the Government Claims Act (Gov. Code, § 810 et seq.). Respondent court overruled…