Clayworth v. Bonta
Docket: Nos. 04-15498, 04-15532
Court: Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit; August 2, 2005; Federal Appellate Court
James Clayworth, operating as Clayworth Healthcare Pharmacy, along with two Medicaid recipients, filed a lawsuit against Diana Bonta, the Director of the California Department of Health Services, and the Department itself. Additionally, a group of 14 Medi-Cal service providers and the Disabled Rights Union initiated a separate lawsuit against Bonta. Following unfavorable rulings in district court, Bonta appealed, and these appeals were consolidated. The central legal question was addressed in Sanchez v. Johnson, 416 F.3d 1051 (9th Cir. 2005), which determined that neither Medicaid recipients nor providers possess a private right to contest California’s adherence to Medicaid provisions under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Consequently, the district court's judgment was reversed. The case against the California Department of Health Services was ultimately dismissed due to Eleventh Amendment immunity, and no cross-appeal was submitted. The disposition of this case is not intended for publication and cannot be cited in other cases within this circuit, according to Ninth Circuit Rule 36-3.