Halterman v. Adams County Board of Commissioners

991 N.E.2d 987, 2013 WL 3759898, 2013 Ind. App. LEXIS 343
CourtIndiana Court of Appeals
DecidedJuly 18, 2013
DocketNo. 01A04-1211-CT-558
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 991 N.E.2d 987 (Halterman v. Adams County Board of Commissioners) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Indiana Court of Appeals primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Halterman v. Adams County Board of Commissioners, 991 N.E.2d 987, 2013 WL 3759898, 2013 Ind. App. LEXIS 343 (Ind. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

OPINION

MAY, Judge.

Christopher Halterman appeals a 'summary judgment for Adams County Sheriff Charles Padgett.1 He presents two issues for our review:

1. Whether the trial court abused its discretion when it denied Halter-man’s motion to strike Dr. Bev House’s affidavit; and
2. Whether the trial court erred when it granted summary judgment in favor of Sheriff Padgett.

We affirm.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY

Between March 19, 2009, and April 10, 2009, Halterman was incarcerated in the Adams County Jail. On April 4, he submitted a medical request form concerning boils on his buttock. On April 6, a nurse practitioner examined Halterman and determined he had a “small raised area, with some redness extending approximately 1 cm from the raised area. There was no drainage[.]” (App. at 99.)

Halterman submitted another medical request form on April 8, and the nurse practitioner examined him the same day. She referred Halterman to Adams Memorial Hospital for “outpatient surgery for incision and drainage of his right buttocks abscess.” (Id. at 99-100.) On April 10, the nurse practitioner examined Halter-man as part of a post-hospitaí check, and sent Halterman to the emergency room, where it was discovered he had developed a Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus au-reus (MRSA) infection. Halterman ultimately underwent multiple surgeries, including a colostomy.

■ On September 22, 2010,' Halterman filed suit against the Defendants and Sheriff Padgett, claiming negligence in the treatment of his abscess. Defendants and Sheriff Padgett moved for summary judgment. Halterman filed a Motion to Strike the Affidavit of Dr. Bev House, and Defendants and Sheriff Padgett filed a Motion to Strike a portion of Halterman’s designated evidence.

The trial court denied Halterman’s Motion to Strike, granted Defendants’ and Sheriff Padgett’s Motion to Strike, and granted summary judgment for all Defendants except Sheriff Padgett. The trial court later granted summary judgment for Sheriff Padgett.

DISCUSSION AND DECISION

1. Motion to Strike

We review for an abuse of discretion a trial court’s decision on a motion to strike. Kroger Co. v. Plonski, 930 N.E.2d 1, 5 (Ind.2010). We will reverse only when the decision is clearly against the logic and effect of the facts and circumstances. Id. Halterman argues Dr. House’s affidavit should have been stricken because it was based on insufficient evidence and the conclusions therein were speculative and based on inadmissible evidence. We disagree.

“Affidavits submitted in support of or in opposition to a motion for summary judgment may be stricken for a variety of reasons. But a difference of opinion is not to be one of them.” Id. An expert witness must have sufficient facts or data on which to form an opinion. Burp v. [990]*990State, 612 N.E.2d 169, 172 (Ind.Ct.App. 1993). For an expert opinion to be admissible, the expert must be qualified and “the scientific principles upon which the expert testimony rests [must be] reliable” as determined by the trial court. Indiana Rule of Evidence 702. Experts may testify to opinions based on inadmissible evidence if it is of the type reasonably relied on by experts in the field. Bunch v. Tiwari, 711 N.E.2d 844, 848 (Ind.Ct.App.1999).‘ An expert witness “need not base her opinion on personal knowledge if the opinion is based on evidence of a type normally found reliable and customarily relied upon by others in the witness’s profession or area of expertise.” Id. at 849.

Dr. House stated in his affidavit he reviewed Halterman’s complaint for damages; the Adams County Jail records, which included all of Halterman’s requests for medical treatment, not just those related to the instant case; the Adams County Hospital Records; the nurse practitioner’s records and deposition; and Halterman’s deposition. An expert’s affidavit may be based on medical records and the depositions of the parties. Id. at 848-49. Dr. House relied on the kinds of designated evidence we determined in Bunch was appropriate in the medical field, and therefore the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it denied Halterman’s motion to strike Dr. House’s affidavit.

2. Summary Judgment

The standard of review of a summary judgment is the same as that used in the trial court: summary judgment is appropriate only where there is no genuine issue of material fact and the.moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Lean v. Reed, 876 N.E.2d 1104, 1107 (Ind. 2007). In determining whether summary judgment is appropriate, we construe all facts and reasonable inferences in favor of the nonmoving party. Jackson v. Scheible, 902 N.E.2d 807, 809 (Ind.2009). Our review is limited to those materials designated to the trial court. Mangold ex rel. Mangold v. Ind. Dep’t of Natural Res., 756 N.E.2d 970, 973 (Ind.2001). We must carefully review a decision on summary judgment to ensure a party is not improperly denied its day in court. Id. at 974. We affirm summary judgment on any legal basis supported by the designated evidence. Cincinnati Ins. Co. v. Davis, 860 N.E.2d 915, 922 (Ind.Ct.App.2007). The appellant bears the burden of persuading us summary judgment was erroneous. Id.

To prevail on a claim of negligence, a plaintiff must demonstrate: “(1) duty owed to plaintiff by defendant; (2) breach of duty by allowing conduct to fall below the applicable standard of care; and (3) compensable injury proximately caused by defendant’s breach of duty.” Williams v. Cingular Wireless, 809 N.E.2d 473, 476 (Ind.Ct.App.2004), trans. denied. Summary judgment is appropriate in a negligence action where defendant demonstrates “that the undisputed material facts negate at least one element of plaintiffs claim.” Jacques v. Allied Bldg. Servs. of Ind., Inc., 717 N.E.2d 606, 608 (Ind.Ct. App.1999).

Causation may not be inferred merely from the allegation of a negligent act. Midwest Commerce Banking Co. v. Livings, 608 N.E.2d 1010, 1013 (Ind.Ct. App.1993). To prove causation, a plaintiff must present specific facts that would demonstrate the defendant’s allegedly negligent behavior caused the plaintiffs injuries. Id. If the defendant establishes the lack of that causation, summary judgment is appropriate. Id.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Related

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
991 N.E.2d 987, 2013 WL 3759898, 2013 Ind. App. LEXIS 343, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/halterman-v-adams-county-board-of-commissioners-indctapp-2013.