Isenberg, L. v. Joseph, J.

CourtSuperior Court of Pennsylvania
DecidedSeptember 16, 2025
Docket1179 WDA 2024
StatusUnpublished

This text of Isenberg, L. v. Joseph, J. (Isenberg, L. v. Joseph, J.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Superior Court of Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Isenberg, L. v. Joseph, J., (Pa. Ct. App. 2025).

Opinion

J-S24034-25

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT O.P. 65.37

LEWIS ISENBERG, INDIVIDUALLY : IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF AND AS THE TESTATOR OF THE : PENNSYLVANIA ESTATE OF ANITA CIPRO, DECEASED : : Appellant : : : v. : : No. 1179 WDA 2024 : JOSEPH T. JOSEPH, M.D., FRANK M. : PEZZOLLA, ADMINISTRATOR OF THE : ESTATE OF JOSE MILAN, M.D., AND : SHARON PENNSYLVANIA HOSPITAL : COMPANY D/B/A SHARON REGIONAL : HEALTH SYSTEM :

Appeal from the Judgment Entered September 3, 2024 In the Court of Common Pleas of Mercer County Civil Division at No(s): 2018-678

BEFORE: NICHOLS, J., McLAUGHLIN, J., and LANE, J.

MEMORANDUM BY LANE, J.: FILED: September 16, 2025

Lewis Isenberg (“Isenberg”), Individually and as the Testator of the

Estate of Anita Cipro, Deceased (“Decedent”) appeals from the judgment

entered in favor of him and Joseph T. Joseph, M.D. (“Dr. Joseph”). We affirm.

In this medical malpractice action, Dr. Joseph was Decedent’s primary

care physician. In July 2016, Decedent suffered a heart attack and died at

the Sharon Pennsylvania Hospital Company D/B/A Sharon Regional Health

System (“Sharon Regional Hospital”). In 2018, Decedent’s husband, J-S24034-25

Isenberg, commenced the underlying suit, bringing claims of wrongful death,1

survival,2 and loss of consortium against: (1) Dr. Joseph (2) Sharon Regional

Hospital; (2) Mark Horvath, D.O. (“Dr. Horvath”), an emergency room doctor;

and (4) Frank M. Pezzolla, Administrator of the Estate of Jose Milan, M.D. (“Dr.

Millan”),3 where Dr. Millan was the cardiologist on call at the hospital. 4 The

complaint averred, inter alia, that: (1) on March 1, 2016, Decedent presented

to Dr. Joseph with complaints of shoulder pain and diarrhea, and on March 29,

2016, underwent an electrocardiogram (“ECG”), which showed abnormal

results; (2) on June 21, 2016, Decedent presented to Dr. Joseph for routine

care and stated she had left shoulder pain, and Dr. Joseph “noted that her

exam was unremarkable;” (3) on July 16, 2016, Decedent went to the

____________________________________________

1 See Constantine v. Lenox Instrument Co., 325 A.3d 725, 751 (Pa. Super.

2024) (stating that the Wrongful Death Act, 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 8301, “permits the recovery of ‘the value of the decedent’s life to the family, as well as the expenses caused to the family by reason of the death’”), appeal denied, 2025 WL 1038547.

2 See Constantine, 325 A.3d at 751 (explaining that the Survival Act, 42 Pa.C.S.A. § 8303, “permits a decedent’s estate to recover the damages sustained by the decedent prior to his death [and that] ‘survival damages are essentially those for pain and suffering endured by the decedent between the time of injury and death’”).

3 Although Isenberg spelled this defendant’s last name as “Milan” in his notice

of appeal, the filings in the trial court identify him as “Millan.” This memorandum will use the latter spelling.

4 In his brief, Isenberg avers Dr. Millan was the “on-call cardiologist” at the

hospital, he “was contacted and advised of [Decedent’s] medical emergency,” but “due to [his] own medical issues, he failed to report to the hospital.” Isenberg’s Brief at 6.

-2- J-S24034-25

emergency department at Sharon Regional Hospital, and told Dr. Horvath she

“did not feel well” and “never felt like this,” and testing revealed, inter alia,

“elevated liver function tests” and “a heavily calcified aorta,” but “no ECG

[was] ordered during this emergency room visit;” (4) Decedent “was

discharged . . . with the instruction to follow up with Dr. Joseph;” (5) two days

later, Decedent saw Dr. Joseph at his office, and told him “she was weak and

could not eat anything[ and] her feet [were] swelling;” (6) Dr. Joseph “noted

that ‘maybe she has a touch of hepatitis so we will do a hepatitis panel on

her;’” (7) that same night, Decedent returned to Sharon Regional Hospital’s

emergency department “with complaints of shortness of breath and

dizziness;” and (8) Decedent died the next morning. Complaint, 3/8/18, at

4-6, 9.

Dr. Joseph filed pre-trial motions in limine seeking, inter alia, the

preclusion of evidence that, prior to March 1, 2016, he prescribed narcotics to

Decedent to treat shoulder pain, on the ground such evidence was not

relevant. The trial court conducted a hearing and initially indicated that it

would grant Dr. Joseph’s motion. See N.T., 3/3/23, at 31. Isenberg argued,

however, that: (1) Decedent reported shoulder pain to Dr. Joseph as early as

2010; and (2) in any event, Isenberg’s expert witness’ report opined that

shoulder pain could be related to a cardiac issue and thus “should have been

checked out.” Id. at 33. The trial court then issued the following order:

-3- J-S24034-25

[Isenberg] is precluded from introducing evidence concerning the sufficiency of Dr. Joseph’s charting and Dr. Joseph’s prescription of narcotics.

[Isenberg] may present expert testimony that Dr. Joseph treated [Decedent] for shoulder pain, that shoulder pain can be a cardiac condition, and that as of March 1, 2016 Dr. Joseph should have recognized the shoulder pain as a potential cardiac condition, but is precluded from offering criticisms of the care and treatment rendered prior to March 1, 2016.

Order #273, 3/6/23, at 1-2.5

The trial court summarized that subsequently, it entered “an order for

the approval of settlement and distribution of wrongful death and survival

actions. The Joint Tortfeasor Release discharged defendants” Sharon Regional

Hospital, Dr. Horvath, and the estate of Dr. Millan.6 Trial Court 1925 Opinion,

11/4/24, at unnumbered 2. This matter proceeded to a six-day jury trial in

October 2023 against Dr. Joseph only. Both parties testified, and each

5 We note that on March 3, 2023, the trial court issued twenty-four separate

orders disposing of motions in limine. For identification purposes, this order was time stamped, and entered on the docket, as filed on March 6, 2023. The phrase, “273 Order of 3.6.23” appears in the top right corner of the order.

Furthermore, we note that although the trial court permitted the parties to file motions for reconsideration from its motion in limine orders, Isenberg did not file one. Subsequently, however, he filed a motion in limine “to permit expert testimony regarding [D]ecedent’s left shoulder pain and treatment for that pain.” N.T., 9/26/23, at 2. The trial court conducted a hearing, at which it referred to its March 3, 2023 order and determined it had already disposed of this issue. See id. at 2-3.

6 However, as we discuss infra, at trial, the jury was charged with determining

additional questions of fact concerning Dr. Millan.

-4- J-S24034-25

presented multiple expert witnesses; Isenberg also presented several fact

witnesses.

Relevant to Isenberg’s issues on appeal, in charging the jury, the trial

court first instructed generally that it must decide whether Dr. Joseph was

negligent. The court then instructed that it had already entered a directed

verdict as to Dr. Millan’s negligence:

That is to say, I have found as a matter of law that Dr. . . . Millan was negligent by failing to appear in a timely manner that night. Therefore, the only issues that you must decide with respect to Dr. Millan are[:] one, whether Dr. Millan’s negligence was a factual cause in bringing about [Decedent’s] harm; and two, if so, the amount of damages to which [Isenberg] is entitled.

N.T. Jury Trial Vol. VI, 10/17/23, at 53-54. The court then instructed the jury

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Bluebook (online)
Isenberg, L. v. Joseph, J., Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/isenberg-l-v-joseph-j-pasuperct-2025.