University of Utah Hospital v. Bethke
Idaho Supreme Court
101 Idaho 245, 611 P.2d 1030 (1980)
- Written by Sharon Feldman, JD
Facts
Two infants, both of whom were residents of Minidoka County, Idaho, were transferred to the University of Utah Hospital and Medical Center (the medical center) (plaintiff) for treatment. The medical center brought an action against Minidoka County clerk August Bethke and members of the Board of County Commissioners (collectively, the county) (defendants), seeking reimbursement of the infants’ medical expenses under an Idaho statute requiring the county to pay for hospital expenses incurred by the medically indigent. Construing Idaho Code (I.C.) § 31-3502(2), which defined “hospital” as “a facility licensed as such in Idaho providing community service for in-patient, medical and/or surgical care of acute illness or injury and/or obstetrics,” the court ruled that the statute requiring reimbursement was not applicable if the treating hospital was not licensed in Idaho. The medical center appealed the grant of summary judgment to the county, arguing that the statute should be construed to include hospitals located outside of Idaho.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Donaldson, C.J.)
Dissent (Shepard, J.)
What to do next…
Here's why 832,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
- Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,500 briefs, keyed to 994 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
- The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
- Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
- Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.
