Hammond v. Saini

748 S.E.2d 585, 229 N.C. App. 359, 2013 WL 4714350, 2013 N.C. App. LEXIS 934
CourtCourt of Appeals of North Carolina
DecidedSeptember 3, 2013
DocketNo. COA12-1493
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 748 S.E.2d 585 (Hammond v. Saini) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of North Carolina primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Hammond v. Saini, 748 S.E.2d 585, 229 N.C. App. 359, 2013 WL 4714350, 2013 N.C. App. LEXIS 934 (N.C. Ct. App. 2013).

Opinion

DAVIS, Judge.

Cumberland County Hospital System, Inc. (“CCHS”), James Bax (“Bax”), and Wanda Untch (“Untch”) (collectively “defendants”) appeal from the trial court’s orders compelling them to produce certain documents and divulge certain information in discovery to Judy Hammond (“plaintiff”). After careful review, we dismiss in part, affirm in part, and remand in part.

[361]*361Factual Background

On 28 September 2011, plaintiff filed a complaint in Cumberland County Superior Court against defendants as well as Carolina Plastic Surgery of Fayetteville, PC.; Cumberland Anesthesia Associates, P.A.; Sairi Saini, M.D. (“Dr. Saini”); and Victor Kubit, M.D. (“Dr. Kubit”),1 which contained the following allegations: Plaintiff reported to Cape Fear Valley Medical Center - operated by CCHS - on 17 September 2010 for a surgical procedure to remove a possible basal cell carcinoma from her face. Dr. Saini, who was employed by Carolina Plastic Surgery of Fayetteville, was responsible for performing the procedure, and Dr. Kubit, an anesthesiologist with Cumberland Anesthesia Associates, was responsible for administering anesthesia during the surgery. Bax and Untch, both registered nurse anesthetists employed by CCHS, were also involved in the provision of anesthesia to plaintiff during the surgery.

Plaintiff was given total intravenous anesthesia. During the operation, Kubit, Bax, and Untch administered supplemental oxygen to plaintiff through a face mask. Drapes were placed around plaintiffs face in such a way that oxygen escaping from the face mask built up under the drapes. When Dr. Saini used an electrocautery device to stop bleeding on plaintiffs face, the oxygen trapped under the drapes ignited and burned the drapes near plaintiffs face. Plaintiff sustained first and second degree bums on her face, head, neck, upper back, right hand, and tongue. Plaintiff also suffered a respiratory thermal injury, right bronchial edema, oral stomatitis, and nasal trauma, which left her with permanent injuries, including scarring.

An answer was filed on behalf of Bax, Untch, and CCHS, generally denying plaintiffs allegations of negligence. Plaintiff subsequently served separate sets of requests for production of documents and interrogatories on Bax, Untch, and CCHS. In their responses, each of them objected to certain aspects of these discovery requests on the grounds that they sought documents or information that was protected from disclosure based on the medical review privilege, the work product doctrine, and the attomey/client privilege. Based on these objections, defendants refused to produce the responsive documents or provide answers to the challenged interrogatories.

Plaintiff filed motions to compel discovery from defendants pursuant to Rule 37 of the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure. In [362]*362opposing the motions, defendants’ counsel filed an affidavit from Harold Maynard (“Maynard”), CCHS’s risk manager, regarding the accident review process in existence at CCHS. Attached to the affidavit was a copy of an administrative policy of CCHS entitled “Sentinel Events and Root Cause Analysis” (“RCA Policy”). Defense counsel also submitted to the trial court a copy of a document labeled “Fire in Operating Room RCA” (“RCA Report”) and copies of reports entitled “Risk Management Worksheets” (“RMWs”).

After conducting an in camera review of the documents withheld by defendants, the trial court entered separate orders on 18 June 2012 granting plaintiff’s motions to compel. Defendants appealed to this Court from these orders.

Analysis

I. Appellate Jurisdiction

[1 ] As a preliminary matter, we must determine whether this Court possesses jurisdiction over defendants’ appeal. Defendants’ contentions on appeal can be divided into two categories. First, they argue that a segment of the documents and information requested by plaintiff are immune from discovery based on recognized privileges - namely, the medical review privilege, the work product doctrine, and the attorney/ client privilege. Second, they contend that portions of plaintiff’s discovery requests are overbroad and seek information that is neither relevant nor reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence pursuant to Rule 26 of the North Carolina Rules of Civil Procedure.

“An order compelling discovery is generally not immediately appeal-able because it is interlocutory and does not affect a substantial right that would be lost if the ruling were not reviewed before final judgment.” Sharpe v. Worland, 351 N.C. 159, 163, 522 S.E.2d 577, 579 (1999). However, where a party asserts a privilege or immunity that directly relates to the matter to be disclosed pursuant to the interlocutory discovery order and the assertion of the privilege or immunity is not frivolous or insubstantial, the challenged order affects a substantial right and is thus immediately appealable. K2 Asia Ventures v. Trota,_N.C. App._,_, 717 S.E.2d 1, 4, disc. review denied, 365 N.C. 369, 719 S.E.2d 37 (2011).

For this reason, orders compelling discovery of materials purportedly protected by the medical review privilege or work product doctrine are immediately reviewable on appeal despite their interlocutory nature. See, e.g., Woods v. Moses Cone Health Sys., 198 N.C. App. 120, 123-24, 678 S.E.2d 787, 790 (2009) (medical review privilege), disc. review denied, [363]*363363 N.C. 813, 693 S.E.2d 353 (2010); Boyce & Isley, PLLC v. Cooper, 195 N.C. App. 625, 636-37, 673 S.E.2d 694, 701-02 (work product doctrine), disc. review denied, 363 N.C. 651, 686 S.E.2d 512 (2009). Accordingly, this Court has jurisdiction to review defendants’ contentions on appeal that are based on the medical review privilege and the work product doctrine.2

However, with regard to the arguments advanced by defendants based on overbreadth and relevancy, we do not possess jurisdiction to consider these contentions because they do not invoke a recognized privilege or immunity, and defendants have failed to otherwise show that they affect a substantial right. See Wind v. City of Gastonia, N.C. App._,_, 738 S.E.2d 780, 782 (2013) (holding that only questions of whether requested files were shielded from discovery by statutory privilege were properly before appellate court); K2 Asia Ventures,_N.C. App. at_, 717 S.E.2d at 4 (concluding that only portion of discovery order concerning attomey/client privilege and work product immunity was immediately appealable).

For these reasons, we lack jurisdiction to consider defendants’ arguments regarding overbreadth and relevancy. Consequently, those portions of defendants’ appeal are dismissed.

II. Medical Review Privilege

We now turn our attention to those issues on appeal that are properly before us. We begin by examining the applicability of North Carolina’s medical review privilege codified-in N.C. Gen. Stat.

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

Related

State v. Jenkins
Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 2025
Williams v. Allen
Supreme Court of North Carolina, 2022
Williams v. Marchelle Isyk Allen
Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 2021
Law Firm of Michael A. Demayo, LLP v. Schwaba Law Firm
797 S.E.2d 712 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 2017)
Sessions v. Sloane
789 S.E.2d 844 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 2016)
Berens v. Berens
785 S.E.2d 733 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 2016)
Ray v. B. Keith Forgy, M.D., P.A.
783 S.E.2d 1 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 2016)
Emp't Staffing Grp., Inc. v. Little
777 S.E.2d 309 (Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 2015)
Hammond v. Saini
766 S.E.2d 590 (Supreme Court of North Carolina, 2014)
Wheeless v. Maria Parham Med. Ctr., Inc.
Court of Appeals of North Carolina, 2014

Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
748 S.E.2d 585, 229 N.C. App. 359, 2013 WL 4714350, 2013 N.C. App. LEXIS 934, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/hammond-v-saini-ncctapp-2013.