Thorson v. Bend Mem'l Clinic
Thorson v. Bend Mem'l Clinic
Opinion of the Court
*35This is an action for medical malpractice against defendant Bend Memorial Clinic and its employees, defendants Dr. Dana Rhode and Dr. Francena Abendroth. Plaintiff, who was self-represented below, alleged that Rhode negligently prescribed her Ativan, a benzodiazepine, for a much longer period than medically appropriate, and that Abendroth negligently diagnosed her with, and then treated her for, a seizure disorder rather than recognizing that her seizures were related to plaintiff's withdrawal from Ativan. Plaintiff further alleged that the clinic was negligent for failure to adequately train and supervise its employees. The trial court granted summary judgment to defendants and dismissed the case with prejudice because it concluded that plaintiff had failed to come forward with sufficient evidence to create a dispute of fact as to whether Rhode and Abendroth breached the applicable standard of care. In particular, the court determined that (1) expert testimony was required to *759prove plaintiff's claims against the doctors; (2) under Due-Donohue v. Beal ,
On appeal, plaintiff, who is now represented by counsel, contends that the trial court erred in each respect. She asserts that (1) her medical malpractice claims against Rhode and Abendroth are not the sort for which expert testimony is required; (2) Due-Donohue is wrongly decided and that, as a result, plaintiff's ORCP 47 E affidavit was sufficient to create a genuine issue of fact on her claims; and (3) even if it was not, Meret-Carmen's affidavit sufficed to create a dispute of fact. Plaintiff also contends that her negligent training and supervision claim against the clinic is not the sort that requires expert testimony and that, therefore, the trial court erred in dismissing that claim on summary judgment. We affirm.
We review the trial court's grant of summary judgment to determine whether there is no genuine issue of *36material fact and whether the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. ORCP 47 C. "That standard is satisfied when, viewing the evidence in the record and all reasonable inferences that may be drawn from it in favor of the nonmoving party, no reasonable factfinder could return a verdict for the nonmoving party." Chapman v. Mayfield ,
We start with plaintiff's contention that her particular claims did not require expert testimony. It is well established under Oregon law that, "[i]n most medical malpractice cases, expert testimony is required to establish the standard of care." Trees v. Ordonez ,
The standard-of-care issues raised by plaintiff's claims-the appropriate standard for prescribing Ativan and the standards governing the diagnosis of the cause of seizures in a patient with plaintiff's characteristics-involve matters beyond the experience of an ordinary lay juror. Unlike this case, the cases in which we have concluded that expert testimony is not required generally have involved much simpler allegations of medical negligence, typically concerning fairly obvious instances of negligence, *37such as leaving a sponge, clamp, or other foreign object in a patient following surgery. Id . For that reason, the trial court correctly concluded that plaintiff would be required to introduce expert testimony to prove her particular claims and, more to the point, was required to demonstrate that she had procured the necessary expert testimony in order to avoid summary judgment.
"If a party, in opposing a motion for summary judgment, is required to provide the opinion of an expert to establish a genuine issue of material fact, an affidavit or a declaration of the party's attorney stating that an unnamed qualified expert has been retained who is available and willing to testify to admissible facts or opinions creating a question of fact, will be deemed sufficient to controvert the allegations of the moving party and an adequate basis for the court to deny the motion."
However, as plaintiff acknowledges, in Due-Donohue , we held that a self-represented party may not rely on an ORCP 47 E affidavit to defeat a motion for summary judgment.
Plaintiff urges us to overrule Due-Donohue , and to hold that the phrase "party's attorney" under ORCP 47 E encompasses a self-represented party acting as her own *38attorney. However, "we must not, and do not, 'lightly overrule' our precedents, including those construing statutes." State v. Civil ,
Here, plaintiff makes reasonable arguments in favor of a different construction of ORCP 47 E. However, those arguments, at best, demonstrate that reasonable minds may differ as to whether our decision in Due-Donohue is correct. But they do not demonstrate affirmatively that a different interpretation is compelled by considerations that were overlooked in Due-Donohue or otherwise. Consequently, plaintiff's arguments fall short of persuading us that the decision is plainly wrong. See Civil , 283 Or. App. at 415,
Alternatively, plaintiff asserts that denying her the benefit of ORCP 47 E on account of her self-represented status amounts to a violation of her rights under the state and federal constitutions, and that the trial court erred when it did not recognize those alleged constitutional violations, and remedy them by denying defendants' motion for summary judgment. But plaintiff did not raise those issues below. As a result, they are not preserved for appellate review. See State v. Morrow ,
Finally, plaintiff contends that, even if she cannot rely on an ORCP 47 E affidavit to create a dispute of fact, she submitted evidence demonstrating that she could present the required expert testimony. In support of that argument, she points to an affidavit and letter from Meret-Carmen. In the affidavit, Meret-Carmen opines:
*761"I am attesting to the fact that [plaintiff's] claim against Dr. Dana Rhode, Dr. Francena Abendroth, and Bend Memorial Clinic is valid. I will testify at trial, if necessary, that the standard of care [plaintiff] received was negligent and ultimately resulted in causing her physical damages."
In the letter accompanying the affidavit, Meret-Carmen states that she has spent four years researching "the use and misuse of benzodiazepines" to write a "forthcoming book," and indicates that she has a master's degree in education.
We agree with plaintiff that the substance of Meret-Carmen's affidavit would suffice to create a genuine issue of fact as to whether defendants breached the standard of care and, if so, whether that breach caused plaintiff to suffer damages. See Baughman v. Pina ,
ORCP 47 D's "requirements are satisfied if, from the content of the affidavit read as a whole, an objectively reasonable person would understand that statements in the *40affidavit are made from the affiant's personal knowledge and are otherwise within the affiant's competence ." West v. Allied Signal, Inc. ,
Affirmed.
Plaintiff separately argues that no expert testimony was required to prove that the clinic was negligent in its training and supervision of the doctors. But that claim, as we understand it, is predicated on the assumption that the doctors, absent the proper training and supervision, failed to meet the applicable standards of care, thereby harming plaintiff. As we have concluded, expert testimony was required to demonstrate that the doctors did not meet the applicable standard of care and, thus, necessarily was required to prove plaintiff's claim against the clinic.
Defendant disputes whether it is permissible for us to consider Meret-Carmen's letter, which was not submitted under oath, in addition to her affidavit, in evaluating whether plaintiff's expert evidence demonstrates a genuine issue of material fact. The record reflects that the trial court took the letter into account. Because it does not affect the ultimate resolution of the matter, we treat the letter as if it were part of Meret-Carmen's declaration in the same manner that the trial court did.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Laurie THORSON v. BEND MEMORIAL CLINIC Dana Marie Rhode, M.D. and Francena Diane Abendroth, M.D., Defendants-Respondents.
- Cited By
- 9 cases
- Status
- Published