Gooch v. Buford

262 F. 894, 1920 U.S. App. LEXIS 1608
CourtCourt of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
DecidedFebruary 13, 1920
DocketNo. 3326
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 262 F. 894 (Gooch v. Buford) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Gooch v. Buford, 262 F. 894, 1920 U.S. App. LEXIS 1608 (6th Cir. 1920).

Opinion

DONAHUE, Circuit Judge.

The amended declaration contained two counts — one to recover damages for personal injuries to plaintiff caused by the negligence of the defendants; the other to recover damages for the same injuries caused by defendants’ breach of contract. The defendants’ answer denied negligence on their part, averred contributory negligence on the part of the plaintiff, and for a third defense pleaded the statute of limitation. Eor answer to the second count, the defendants denied the making of a contract as in the declaration alleged.

Upon the trial of the issues so joined the court instructed the jury to return a verdict for the defendants on the first count of plaintiff’s amended declaration, which was done accordingly. Upon the second count of the declaration the jury disagreed and were discharged. Final disposition of the second count was reserved for further orders of the court. .Later, upon motion of the defendants, the court entered final judgment, dismissing plaintiff’s petition with costs. This judgment was reversed by this court on the 6th day -of March, 1917, for the reason that the issues upon the second count had not been adjudicated when the motion to dismiss was considered and sustained. Gooch v. Presbyterian Home Hospital, 239 Fed. 828,152 C. C. A. 614. The cause was then remanded to the District Court, with directions to award the plaintiff a new trial upon the second count in the amended declaration in accordance with this judgment of reversal.

The cause then came on for trial in the District Court on the second count, and at the close of all the evidence the court peremptorily instructed the jury to return a verdict in favor of the defendants, and final judgment was entered upon this verdict. This proceeding in error is prosecuted to reverse that judgment.

[1,2] The larger portion of the brief for defendants in error is devoted to a discussion of the effect of the verdict and judgment on the first count in the declaration. It is insisted that there is but one injury, and but one cause of action, and that a verdict and judgment upon either count disposes of the whole case. That is the same question that was presented to this court and decided adversely to defendants’ contention in the first error proceedings, and therefore is no longer an open question in this case. However, it might be well in passing to say that, while each count in the declaration sought to recover damages for the same injuries, aside from the fact that one is based on tort, the other on breach of contract, the right to recover would not depend upon the same facts. Upon the first count it would [896]*896be necessary for the plaintiff to establish by a preponderance of the evidence that defendants had failed, neglected, or refused to give to this patient the usual, ordinary, and reasonable care and attention given by hospitals of this character to patients in like mental and physical condition.

. Upon the second count the question of usual, ordinary, and reasonable care and attention would not be involved, but it would be neces-sarv for the plaintiff to establish by a preponderance of the« evidence that a contract was made with the defendants, as averred in the second count, by the terms of which this patient was to receive special and extraordinary, care, nursing, and watching, which her husband, in view of his knowledge of her mental condition and suicidal tendencies, deemed to be necessary, and which extraordinary service the defendants agreed to furnish, and for which the husband agreed to pay, in addition to the hospital fee for usual and ordinary care and attention.

The fact that upon the trial of the first count in the declaration the plaintiff failed to establish by evidence that defendants were guilty of neglect in failing to provide this patient with ordinary and usual care and attention could not in any way affect or determine the issue as to whether they had given her such special care and attention as required by the terms of this contract, if such contract were in fact made.

The issues presented b}r the second count and the answer thereto, as distinguished from the first count, are: First. Was there a contract made, the terms of which were substantially as averred in the second count of the declaration ? Second. Was there a breach of this contract on the part of the defendants? Third. Did this breach of contract result in injury to the plaintiff? If there was evidence offered by the plaintiff tending to establish these material' averriients, then the cause should have been submitted to the jury upon proper instructions by the court, and it was error to direct a verdict for the defendants.

[3] W. D. Gooch and Alfred Dockery testified on behalf of the plaintiff that her husband, Prof. Gooch, had made a contract with Dr. Buford, one of the partners and representing the partnership operating the Presbyterian Home Hospital, by the terms of which the defendants were to furnish plaintiff a special nurse, for which Prof. Gooch agreed to pay the sum of $15 per week in addition to the ordinary hospital fee of $20 per week for room, board, and ordinary care and attention, furnished to patients in like mental and physical condition; that at the time this contract was made he paid to D:r. Buford $50 on account; that by the terms of this contract this special nurse was to give her entire time and attention to the care of plaintiff; that, whenever this special nurse was required to leave the patient, one of the floor nurses would be called to take her place; that no extra charge would be made for the service of the floor nurse while relieving the special nurse, this service being included in the room rental.

They also testified that Prof. Gooch told Dr. Buford at that time that he had authorized Alfred Dockery, brother of the plaintiff, to act as his agent; that Mr. Dockery lived in the city, and that whenever Dr. Buford wanted to confer with him in reference to her case he could be reached by telephone. Mr. Dockery also testified that three days [897]*897prior to the injury he had called to see his sister, Mrs. Gooch; that when leaving the hospital Dr. Buford called him into his office and told him that the plaintiff was worrying over the expense of the special nurse, and wanted to know if he did not think it best to discharge her; that Mr. Dockery then said to Dr. Buford that he thought the nurse was very necessary to be with the plaintiff at all times, and he would not agree to her discharge; that, if the nurse was to be dismissed, Dr. Buford would have to take the matter up with Prof. C-ooch; that he (Mr. Dockery) would not agree to her discharge.

Mrs. Earl Smith, formerly Miss Jennie Roberts, testified that she was assigned by the hospital as special nurse for the plaintiff; that in obedience to the orders given her Mrs. Gooch was never allowed to be out of her sight during the time she was so employed, except when she was relieved by another nurse. She further testified that she was dismissed from this case by Dr. Buford between 8 and 9 o’clock on the morning of the day the plaintiff was injured; that the plaintiff was injured shortly after the lunch hour; that after she was dismissed from this case she went on general duty as a floor nurse; that on the day plaintiff was injured she carried the lunch tray into her room, then went for her own lunch, but that she did not ask' any one to watch her that day, because she was not her patient any longer, but “just walked into her room and set the lunch down and walked out, the same as she would in any other patient’s room.”

Dr.

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Bluebook (online)
262 F. 894, 1920 U.S. App. LEXIS 1608, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/gooch-v-buford-ca6-1920.