Benson v. Rapides Healthcare System, L.L.C.

188 So. 3d 1139, 15 La.App. 3 Cir. 1083, 2016 WL 1358485, 2016 La. App. LEXIS 659
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 6, 2016
DocketNo. 15-1083
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 188 So. 3d 1139 (Benson v. Rapides Healthcare System, L.L.C.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Benson v. Rapides Healthcare System, L.L.C., 188 So. 3d 1139, 15 La.App. 3 Cir. 1083, 2016 WL 1358485, 2016 La. App. LEXIS 659 (La. Ct. App. 2016).

Opinion

PICKETT, Judge.

| tThe plaintiff and the defendant appeal the trial court judgment in this medical malpractice case. For the following reasons, we affirm the judgment in part and reverse the judgment in part.

: FACTS

On October 21, 2007, While trimming trees "with the assistance of a neighbor, Mitch Benson began experiencing severe chest pain. Mr. Benson was transported to the emergency room (ER) at Savoy Medical Center1 (Savoy) in Mamou. He arrived at 4:50 p.m.2 and was treated by [1142]*1142ER physician, Dr. Clifford Godley. Dr. Godley determined that Mr. Benson was experiencing an acute ST elevation myocardial infarction, a heart attack, and that his right coronary artery was 100% blocked. At 5:00 p.m., he consulted Dr. Charles Monier, an interventional cardiologist,3 who advised Dr. Godley to immediately administer a thrombolytic agent which is used to dissolve blood clots. Dr. Monier also advised Dr. Godley that he would know within twenty to twenty-five minutes if the thrombolytic therapy dissolved the clot.

Dr. Monier was not employed by Savoy but was the director of its catheterization laboratory (cath lab) where diagnostic imaging equipment is used to visualize the arteries of the heart and treat any blockages or abnormality found. Dr. Monier testified that he informed Dr. Godley that Savoy’s cath lab was not |2open on Sundays; therefore, he had to be prepared to transfer Mr. Benson to a hospital that had a cath lab open that day if the thrombolytic agent did not dissolve the clot. Dr. Monier also testified that he recommended Dr. Godley contact the referral hospital before administering the' thrombolytic agent because some doctors do not like to perform cath procedures after the use of a thrombolytic agent fails.

Dr. Godley administered thrombolytic therapy, but it failed to dissolve the clot. An attempt by Savoy employees to get the cath lab staff to the hospital to perform a cath procedure on Mr. Benson failed, and' at 7:02 p.m., Savoy contacted Acadian Ambulance to transport Mr. Benson to the Heart Hospital of Lafayette. At 8:02 p.m., when the ambulance arrived at Savoy, Dr. Godley signed an order transferring Mr. Benson to the Heart Hospital. . A cath procedure was performed on Mr. Benson at 10:31 p.m. that evening to clear the blockage in-his heart.

Mr.'Benson filed a medical review panel claim against Savoy, Dr. Godley, as an employee of Savoy, and Dr. Monier, asserting that their treatment of him was negligent and caused him to sustain greater heart damage than he would have had if he had been transferred to the Heart Hospital immediately after it was known the thrombolytic therapy failed. The medical review panel found in favor of each health care provider, and Mr. Benson filed suit against the three health care providers. During the course of the litigation, Dr. Godley was shown not to be employed by Savoy, but Mr. Benson never named him, individually, or his employer as a defendant. Mr. Benson settled his claims against Savoy for less than $100,000, and it was dismissed. from the litigation. Mr. Benson reserved his right to proceed against the Louisiana Patients’ Compensation Fund Oversight Board (PCF), as provided in the Louisiana Malpractice Act, La.R.S. 40:1299.41-1299.49⅛4 and asserted a claim against the PCF for damages in excess of $100,000 caused by Savoy’s negligence.

A jury trial was held in May 2015. Dr. Godley passed away before the trial. Mr. Benson, argued that only Savoy was liable to him because its employees delayed his transfer from Savoy to the Heart Hospital and that the delay resulted in increased damage, to his heart. He presented evidence that Dr. Godley’s treatment of him [1143]*1143did not fall below the standard of care. The PCF. argued that Dr. Godley committed medical malpractice in failing .to transfer Mr. Benson within the time frame recommended by Dr. Monier and that only Dr. Godley had authority to transfer Mr. Benson; therefore, Savoy employees were not responsible for the delayed transfer of Mr. Benson.

During trial,, neither Mr. Benson nor Savoy presented evidence to establish that Dr. Monier’s treatment of Mr. Benson constituted negligence, and he filed a motion for directed verdict at the conclusion of Mr. Benson’s presentation of evidence. Dr. Monier averred that no evidence established his .treatment -of Mr. Benson fell below the standard of care, applicable to him; therefore, he was entitled to have the claims against him dismissed. The motion was not opposed, and the trial court granted the .motion, dismissing Mr. Benson’s claims against Dr. Monier.

At thé conclusion of the trial, the jury returned a verdict in Mr. Benson’s favor. It assigned Dr. Godley with 60% liability and Savoy 40% liability for' Mr. Benson’s claims and awarded Mr. Benson the following damages:

$62,500 Past & future emotional and mental anguish

$31,250 Past & future physical pain and suffering

$31,250 UPast & future loss of enjoyment of life .

$31,250 Past & future scarring and disability

$31,250 Loss of chance for better treatment

Both Mr. Benson and Savoy filed motions for judgment notwithstanding the verdict. Mr. Benson urged that the evidence did not establish Dr.- Godley’s treatment of him was negligent because no expert evidence established the standard of care applicable to him and that his treatment fell below that standard of care. He also argued that three- of the jury’s five damage awards were too low. Savoy argued that no evidence established negligence on the part of any Savoy employee that rendered it liable to Mr. Benson. The trial court denied both motions, finding the evidence presented at trial provided a reasonable basis for all the jury’s findings. The trial court also awarded Mr. Benson $175,000 in damages for loss of earning capacity although he had not requested such damages..

Both parties appealed the trial court’s judgment.

ASSIGNMENTS OF ERROR

Mr. Benson assigns three issues for review:

1. Did the jury err in allocating 60% of the fault against a non-party, Dr. Clifford Godley, without expert testimony?
2. Did the District Court err in failing to admit into evidence the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active . Labor Act (EMTALA) Transfer Pol- - icy of Rapides Healthcare System, LLC d/b/a Savoy Medical Center attached to Rapides’ Requests for Production of Documents, and in light of that legal error, is the applicable standard of review manifest error or de novo? ■
3. Did the jury abuse its discretion regarding its award for past and future emotional and mental anguish, past and future physical pain and suffering, and past and future scarring and disability?

Savoy assigns for review the following as errors it contends were committed in the trial court:

[1144]*1144|B1. The jury committed error, either • manifest or legal, in concluding that Savoy committed medical malpractice, in any percentage, and specifically in the amount of 40%.
2. The jury committed ■ error, either manifest or legal, in concluding that Dr. Clifford Godley’s fault herein was any less than 100%, and was specifically in error in limiting his percentage of fault to 60%.
8.

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188 So. 3d 1139, 15 La.App. 3 Cir. 1083, 2016 WL 1358485, 2016 La. App. LEXIS 659, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/benson-v-rapides-healthcare-system-llc-lactapp-2016.