Health and Hospital Corp. v. Talevski (21-806)

argument 21-806

Health and Hospital Corp. v. Talevski

Supreme Court of the United States 1h 34m 7 speakers 8 chapters transcribed 8 days ago official recording ↗
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What is the central issue the Court is addressing in Health and Hospital Corp. v. Talevski?

John G. Roberts 0:01
Our argument next in case twenty one eight zero six, Health and Hospital Corporation of Marion County versus Tulebsky. Mr. Robbins?
Gregory G. Garre 0:10
Thank you, Mr Chief Justice, and may it please the Court. The key to spending clause statutes, this Court said in Arlington's Central School District Quote is what the states are clearly told regarding the conditions that go along with the acceptance of federal funds. Among the most costly conditions that may go along with the acceptance of Federal funds is exposure to private litigation under Section nineteen eighty three. This Court made that precise point. uh in Barnes Against Gorman, in which it said with respect to a school that, quote, without doubt The scope of potential damages liability is one of the most In significant factors a school or as in this case a nursing facility would consider in deciding whether to receive federal funds.
Gregory G. Garre 1:04
States are therefore entitled, in our view, to clear notice that they will be subject to such private lawsuits if they expect if they accept spending clause money. Such a clear notice rule comports with the federalism and separation of powers principles at stake in these cases And it accords as well. With the common law treatment of third party beneficiary claims at the time Section nineteen eighty three was enacted. At common law. Third parties generally could not sue to enforce government contract rights unless the contract clearly specified that the breaching party would be liable to injured third parties. Because the Federal Nursing Home Reform Act contains no such clear statement, it should not give rise to Section nineteen eighty three liability.
Gregory G. Garre 1:57
But even if a clear notice rule is not required, The two purported rights that respondent invokes under FINRA do not give rise to Section nineteen eighty three claims. First FINRA and its implementing regulations provide a comprehensive suite of remedies, including a more restrictive private remedy that forecloses Section nineteen eighty three relief under Rancho Palos Verdes. And on this dispositive point, This US Solicitor General agrees with us. Second, The two rights respondent invokes are not unambiguously phrased in terms of the persons benefited. Instead, the two rights invoked here today are but a small piece of an overarching set of requirements addressed to nursing facilities that receive Federal money.
Gregory G. Garre 2:50
and the command to protect and promote those rights a are, as in blessing, system wide commands, not an unambiguous assurance of individual entitlement. What do you mean what do you mean by system commands? Uh in the s that uh as in blessing, the language of the statute, Mr Chief Justice, is directed to the rights uh uh the uh the the obligation of the nursing facility to uh take care of the entire system and not focused on any particular individual. The language protect and promote To promote something, it seems to me, evokes the notion that you are looking out at the whole system in which you promote and protect a certain right.
John G. Roberts 3:40
No, I and I think you have a stronger argument on promote though than you have on protect. Yes. And and the the uh the statute uses both and then you know uh lists a variety of rights and it seems to me that if you're supposed to protect those rights and you're the person who is responsible for conferring uh living up to those rights, that that seems to me that it ought to be sufficiently direct uh under under blessing or Gonzaga or anything others.
Gregory G. Garre 4:09
Um Well I I I'm not inclined to think so, though to be sure, I think our the stronger of our two uh Gonzaga arguments uh uh is the uh middle uh is the uh C Clamor's uh preclusion argument. That's our uh that's our uh pr uh first submission with respect to the question two. But I would say uh with respect to the Chief uh Your Honor's question. Uh it is a mistake, I think, to pick out the particular clauses that embody these two rights and divorce them from the rest of the statute. Pennhurst, after all, enjoins the court to look at the whole statute. And when you do that, when you look at the whole statute, the entirety of the FINRA amendments, what you're going to see is that the core of it contained in subsections B, C and D,

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