The Ghost of Cases Past – MSPA Claims LLC, v. Scottsdale Insurance Co.

For those familiar with the slew of MSP Recovery cases that have been ruled upon in the past six (6) months, it will come as no surprise that another court, specifically the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, found that MSPA Claims LLC lacked standing when bringing suit against the Defendant.

Echoing the recently decided cases brought by MSP Recovery and its subsidiaries, the Court again in MSPA Claims v. Scottsdale Insurance found that Plaintiff lacked standing as proof of assignment of rights was not present and as such, granted Defendant’s motion for dismissal. Facts that are almost identical to MSPA Claims 1, LLC v. Ocean Harbor and MSPA Claims 1, LLC. v United Auto. Ins. Co., 204  F. Supp. 3d 1342, 1345 (S.D. Fla. 2016), Plaintiff asserted rights were assigned from Florida Healthcare Plus to La Ley Recovery which then assigned rights of recovery to MSP Recovery. The Court disagreed and specifically noted that although Plaintiff argued Florida Healthcare Plus approved assignment to La Ley to MSPA Claims, prior to receivership, the assignment did not predate the receivership. More pointedly, the Court stated it “is unclear how Florida Healthcare Plus could have approved the assignment…valid if MSP Claims was not yet formed as a company in 2014 when the receiver took over Florida Healthcare Plus[1].”

As such, the Court granted Defendant’s motion for dismissal without prejudice.

With yet another ruling dismissing a claim brought by MSP Recovery, the Floridian courts appear to sharpen their scrutiny regarding cases brought by assignees of rights by Medicare Advantage Plans. The pressing question however, is will other jurisdictions look to these cases as persuasive case law in their own courts? The Gordon Rees Medicare Group will continue to monitor these cases and bring you updates as they become available.

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[1] MSPA Claims 1. LLC v. Scottsdale Ins. Co., 2018 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 218675