Couch v. Martinez

357 So. 2d 107
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 8, 1978
Docket50156
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 357 So. 2d 107 (Couch v. Martinez) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Couch v. Martinez, 357 So. 2d 107 (Mich. 1978).

Opinion

357 So.2d 107 (1978)

Ernest R. COUCH, N.C.M., by Ruthie Jerome Scarborough, next friend
v.
Dr. Ramino J. MARTINEZ et al.

No. 50156.

Supreme Court of Mississippi.

February 8, 1978.

Laurel G. Weir, Philadelphia, for appellant.

William E. Ready, Meridian, for appellees.

EN BANC:

ON PETITION FOR REHEARING

BOWLING, Justice, for The Court:

On September 28, 1977, this cause was affirmed without a written opinion. The appellant has filed his petition for rehearing and brief thereon. A majority of the Court are of the opinion that the petition should be granted. The heretofore affirmance of the cause without written opinion is therefore set aside and the following opinion adopted.

Appellant, a non compos mentis, by next friend, filed his declaration in the Circuit Court of Lauderdale County. The lower court sustained a general demurrer filed by both defendants to the declaration. It would serve no useful purpose to set out the declaration in this opinion and discuss in detail each part thereof as to whether all parts taken together state a cause of action. It suffices to say that a majority of the Court are of the opinion that a cause of action is sufficiently stated to require that the general demurrers be overruled and the cause proceed to further development under rules of practice and procedure.

Mississippi Code Annotated section 11-7-35 (1972) states:

The declaration shall contain a statement of the facts constituting the cause of action, in ordinary and concise language, without repetition; and if it contains sufficient matter of substance for the court to proceed upon the merits of the case, it shall be sufficient. It shall not be an objection to maintaining any action that the form thereof should have been different.

The declaration prepared by appellant's attorney is inartfully drawn and should have stated appellant's cause of action more clearly than was done. As heretofore stated, however, a majority of the Court are of the opinion that the allegations of the declaration come within the provisions of the above statute. The cause is therefore reversed and remanded for further proceedings.

REVERSED AND REMANDED.

*108 INZER, P.J., SMITH, P.J., ROBERTSON and LEE, JJ., concur.

PATTERSON, C.J., and SUGG, WALKER, and BROOM, JJ., dissent.

PATTERSON, Chief Justice, dissenting:

I concur in the dissent of Justice SUGG. Attached is a copy of the declaration which is said to state a cause of action. I do not think it does in ordinary and concise language as prescribed by statute.

A reading of the copy of the declaration will point out, in my opinion, its legal conclusions, omissions and deficiencies. At least I cannot state the trial court erred in sustaining the demurrer.

SUGG, J., joins in this dissent.

CIRCUIT COURT LAUDERDALE COUNTY, MISSISSIPPI, NO: 514-H ERNEST R. COUCH, N.C.M. BY RUTHIE JEROME SCARBROUGH, HIS ADULT NEXT FRIEND PLAINTIFF VS. DR. RAMINO J. MARTINEZ, ET AL. DEFENDANTS

DECLARATION

1. The adult Plaintiff, ERNEST R. COUCH, N.C.M., files this suit by his adult daughter and next friend, RUTHIE JEROME SCARBROUGH, and shows the Court that the Plaintiff and the adult Defendants are all resident citizens of Lauderdale County, Mississippi, where the cause of action sued on occurred. The adult Defendants are DR. JAMES T. CHAMPION and DR. RAMINO J. MARTINEZ.

2. On or about September 25, 1976, the Plaintiff had been a patient at East Mississippi State Hospital for more than one year, and for a long period of time prior to that date had been under the constant care and treatment of DR. RAMINO J. MARTINEZ and DR. JAMES T. CHAMPION. At all times mentioned in this Declaration, the said DR. RAMINO J. MARTINEZ was the agent and servant of DR. JAMES T. CHAMPION, acting in the scope of his authority and in furtherance of the business of DR. JAMES T. CHAMPION.

3. For a long period of time prior to said date, and including said date, the said ERNEST R. COUCH had gangrene and this fact was well known by both Defendants and both Defendants had been advised by Competent medical doctors and others that he was in need of hospitalization and treatment that could not be afforded at East Mississippi State Hospital, and that he should be at a Hospital such as Riley Memorial Hospital, or some other qualified hospital. For a long period of time, prior to said date, his gangrene condition had been permitted to become worse by the negligence on the part of DR. RAMINO J. MARTINEZ and DR. JAMES T. CHAMPION, to an extent the flesh cleaved from the bones on both legs and lower extremities, and so that his infection became grave and stayed in an infectuous stage and his temperature rose to more than 105 degrees. The said DR. RAMINO J. MARTINEZ and DR. JAMES T. CHAMPION, both negligently failed to provide competent medical attention for the Plaintiff, and both negligently failed to have his gangrene properly treated and cared for and both negligently permitted him to suffer and his leg condition to go untreated, and his gangrene condition to not properly be treated. Finally, on September 25, 1976, over the objections of Defendants, by the hard efforts of the family of Plaintiff, the Plaintiff was removed to F.G. Riley Memorial Hospital, where it became necessary for both of his legs to be amputated immediately, and the infection cared for, and proper medical attention administered by doctors.

4. Both Defendants negligently failed to provide proper medical attention for Plaintiff; both Defendants negligently permitted *109 Plaintiff to suffer with gangrene for a long period of time without properly having same cared for; both Defendants negligently failed to heed the advice of competent medical doctors, who advised them that he was in need of hospitalization and treatment at other institutions; both Defendants negligently failed to care for his infection and give him proper care and treatment so that his legs could be saved without amputation and his infection not be great, and so that his temperature would not stay at such heighth; and both Defendants both negligently failed to give proper medical attention to an extent that it endangered the very life of Plaintiff, and this was done in a willful and grossly negligent manner; and both Defendants negligently failed to see that Plaintiff received proper nursing and medical care so that he was not toilet facilities and not properly bathed, cleaned, and nursed, and cared for; and both negligently refused to furnish the services of the ambulance owned by the East Mississippi State Hospital to transport Plaintiff to a proper hospital where he could be cared for by proper doctors; and both Defendants both negligently failed to release the Plaintiff from the Hospital, so that he could be cared and treated for at some other Hospital and by other doctors because of the Code of Ethics of the Hospital and doctors not wanting to receive a patient when the other doctors and hospitals were claiming to properly care for him, even though they were not properly caring for him.

5.

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Bluebook (online)
357 So. 2d 107, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/couch-v-martinez-miss-1978.