Full question:
One night a few months ago, my former roommate literally fell into our apartment drunk. He could barely move. He crawled his way into the bathroom and struggled to hold himself up for a few hours to try to vomit. After two hours of showing no recovery signs, I called 911. They took him in. He turned out to be fine after a few more hours. He is now asking me to foot the 911 bill. Can he legally charge me for that bill?
- Category: Civil Actions
- Date:
- State: California
Answer:
The answer will depend in part on whether you signed any documents agreeing to be responsible. Typically, the patient transported or the legal guardian of the patient, if a minor, is ultimately responsible for all billed charges. It will be a matter of subjective determination for the court whether you can be required to indemnify the patient for the emergency services for making a false report or under notions of equity and fairness. Generally, the court will examine all the circumstances and decide how a "reasonable" person would act in a similar situation.
The court will likely not be sympathetic to the former roommate if you can prove the validity of your cause for alarm and don't have a history of repeated 911 calls.
See also:
http://www.longbeach.gov/commercial/ambulance_billing.asp
This content is for informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Legal statutes mentioned reflect the law at the time the content was written and may no longer be current. Always verify the latest version of the law before relying on it.
