St. Joseph Hospital v. Rizzo

The plaintiff in these consolidated appeals is a hospital seeking to collect from a patient’s wife, claiming that she is liable for her husband’s medical bills because she owed a duty of support to her sick husband, under the common law necessaries *10doctrine and RSA 546-A:2 (1974). The Superior Court (Hampsey, J.) dismissed the hospital’s claims in each case, and the hospital appealed. We affirm the dismissal of the statutory claims; on the common law claims, we reverse and remand for further proceedings.

The parties have stipulated to the facts. The plaintiff, St. Joseph Hospital of Nashua…