Everett Hampton v. Sharon Roberts, R.N.

CourtCourt of Appeals of Kentucky
DecidedJanuary 23, 2026
Docket2025-CA-0033
StatusUnpublished

This text of Everett Hampton v. Sharon Roberts, R.N. (Everett Hampton v. Sharon Roberts, R.N.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Kentucky primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Everett Hampton v. Sharon Roberts, R.N., (Ky. Ct. App. 2026).

Opinion

RENDERED: JANUARY 23, 2026; 10:00 A.M. NOT TO BE PUBLISHED

Commonwealth of Kentucky Court of Appeals NO. 2025-CA-0033-MR

EVERETT HAMPTON APPELLANT

APPEAL FROM FAYETTE CIRCUIT COURT v. HONORABLE KIMBERLY N. BUNNELL, JUDGE ACTION NO. 21-CI-01137

SHARON ROBERTS, R.N. AND APPELLEES TRUSTAFF TRAVEL NURSES, LLC

AND

NO. 2025-CA-0035-MR

APPEAL FROM FAYETTE CIRCUIT COURT v. HONORABLE KIMBERLY N. BUNNELL, JUDGE ACTION NO. 21-CI-01137

JASON ARIC ROBINSON, R.N. APPELLEE OPINION REVERSING & REMANDING

** ** ** ** **

BEFORE: ECKERLE, MCNEILL, AND MOYNAHAN, JUDGES.

MOYNAHAN, JUDGE: Appellant Everett Hampton (“Appellant” or “Mr.

Hampton”) developed a pressure wound while being treated at the University of

Kentucky Hospital (“UK”). He alleged that negligence on the part of Appellees

Sharon Roberts, R.N. (“Nurse Roberts”) and Jason Robinson, R.N. (“Nurse

Robinson”) (collectively, “Appellees”) caused this injury to develop and worsen.

The Fayette Circuit Court granted summary judgment in favor of Appellees, but

we find that genuine issues of material fact remain regarding causation and the

other elements of medical negligence. Accordingly, we REVERSE and REMAND

the case for further proceedings.

BACKGROUND

On April 16, 2020, Mr. Hampton fell at home and injured his back.

This injury caused a series of health problems including muscle spasms,

incontinence, and tingling in his legs. He was taken to Pikeville Hospital on April

19, 2020. Shortly thereafter he developed sepsis and paralysis of the lower

extremities, among other maladies. He was then transferred to UK on April 22,

-2- 2020, due to the severity of his ailments.1 On April 24, 2020, Mr. Hampton

underwent neurosurgery to drain an abscess on his cervical spine. By April 30,

2020, he was extubated and transitioned from the intensive care unit to the acute

care unit for post-operative recovery. The physician’s orders for the acute care

staff included a directive that he was to be repositioned every two hours.2 The

underlying litigation concerns the following post-operative care.

On May 1, 2020, which was a Friday, Nurse Roberts was assigned to

care for Mr. Hampton. It is unclear from the record when precisely she noted a

developing pressure wound3 on his coccyx area. Regardless, rather than input a

wound consult order herself, she left this responsibility to the next shift nurse who

then entered the order at 8:00 a.m. on May 2, 2020—Saturday morning. Critically,

UK does not provide wound consults overnight or on weekends. Consequently, it

was not until the following Monday, May 4, 2020, that Mr. Hampton received a

wound consult by Nurse Robinson, who diagnosed him with moisture-associated

skin damage. Neither Appellee followed up with Mr. Hampton’s care, nor notified

a physician of his skin breakdown. When Mr. Hampton was discharged from UK

1 Although joined in the initial action, UK was later dismissed from this suit. 2 Trial Record (“TR”) 570. 3 Otherwise known as a decubitus ulcer or bedsore.

-3- on May 14, 2020, his injury had progressed to either a stage four or unstageable

sacral pressure wound.4

Appellant disclosed two experts: Tisha Barzyk, DNP (“Barzyk”) and

Robert Villare, M.D. (“Dr. Villare”). Their deposition testimony will be briefly

summarized; additional testimony will be discussed as it becomes relevant to the

analysis. Nurse Barzyk testified to specific actions by both Appellees that, in her

professional opinion, deviated from the applicable standard of care. As to Nurse

Roberts, she identified deficiencies in the timeliness of the wound consult order

and the failure to notify a physician. Regarding Nurse Robinson, she opined that

he fundamentally departed from the standard of care by acting outside the scope of

his practice. Dr. Villare was retained to address causation. He opined that

multiple systemic failures in care aligned to allow the development and worsening

of Mr. Hampton’s condition, and that these failures were the proximate cause of

the stage-four and unstageable sacral pressure wound. His criticisms of specific

conduct largely mirror those identified by Nurse Barzyk.

Appellees argued that Mr. Hampton’s expert testimony was

insufficient to sustain a medical negligence action against each Appellee. The

4 Stage four, the most serious stage, are deep wounds that expose underlying tissue—including muscle, ligaments, tendon, and even bone—to the open air. These wounds pose a very high risk of infection. A pressure wound may be deemed “unstageable” when the severity of the wound is so extensive that it cannot be accurately assessed due to the presence of dead or necrotic tissue that needs to be surgically debrided before the wound can be staged.

-4- Circuit Court agreed, and this appeal followed. On appeal, Nurse Roberts

primarily challenges the sufficiency of Dr. Villare’s causation testimony, but also

contends that Nurse Barzyk: (1) relied on unsupported assumptions and (2) failed

to identify a breach of duty by Roberts. Nurse Robinson raises similar arguments

focused on causation. In essence, Appellees contend that Appellant’s expert proof

fails because it does not establish causation with “sufficient particularity.”

STANDARD OF REVIEW

Summary judgment is appropriate where there is no genuine issue as

to any material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law.

Kentucky Rules of Civil Procedure (“CR”) 56.03; see Steelvest v. Scansteel Service

Center, Inc., 807 S.W.2d 476, 480 (Ky. 1991). In Kentucky, such a judgment is

only proper “when it appears impossible[5] for the nonmoving party to produce

evidence at trial warranting a judgment in [its] favor[.]” Id. at 482; see also

Andrew v. Begley, 203 S.W.3d 165, 169 (Ky. App. 2006); Paintsville Hospital Co.

v. Rose, 683 S.W.2d 255 (Ky. 1985); Pile v. City of Brandenburg, 215 S.W.3d 36,

39 (Ky. 2006). “[T]he movant should not succeed unless his right to judgment is

shown with such clarity that there is no room left for controversy.” Steelvest, 807

S.W.2d at 482. Even if a trial court believes the party opposing the motion may

5 “While the Court in Steelvest used the word ‘impossible’ in describing the strict standard for summary judgment, the Supreme Court later [states] that word was ‘used in a practical sense, not in an absolute sense.’” Lewis v. B & R Corp., 56 S.W.3d 432, 436 (Ky. App. 2001).

-5- not succeed at trial, it should not render a summary judgment if there is any issue

of material fact.6 Id. at 480.

The Kentucky Supreme Court has repeatedly admonished that the rule

is to be cautiously applied for it is clearly not the purpose of summary judgment to

prematurely cut litigants from their right of trial if they have issues to try. Id.

Consequently, the record must be viewed in the light most favorable to the party

opposing the motion, and all doubts are to be resolved in their favor. Id. “Because

summary judgment involves only legal questions and the existence of any disputed

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