Jackson Clinic for Women, PA v. Henley

965 So. 2d 643, 2007 WL 2265136
CourtMississippi Supreme Court
DecidedAugust 9, 2007
Docket2005-IA-01833-SCT, 1999-IA-01286-SCT
StatusPublished
Cited by22 cases

This text of 965 So. 2d 643 (Jackson Clinic for Women, PA v. Henley) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Mississippi Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Jackson Clinic for Women, PA v. Henley, 965 So. 2d 643, 2007 WL 2265136 (Mich. 2007).

Opinion

965 So.2d 643 (2007)

The JACKSON CLINIC FOR WOMEN, P.A., Mercer Lee, III, M.D., Darden H. North, M.D. and Paracelsus Woman's Hospital, Inc.
v.
Linda P. HENLEY, Executrix of the Estate of Grace Polles Moore, Deceased, and Robert Alan Moore, Individually and as Personal Representatives and Wrongful Death Beneficiaries of Robert Alan Moore, Jr., Deceased.

Nos. 2005-IA-01833-SCT, 1999-IA-01286-SCT.

Supreme Court of Mississippi.

August 9, 2007.
Rehearing Denied October 11, 2007.

Whitman B. Johnson, III, Gaines Spencer Beard, Jr., Joseph L. McNamara, attorneys for appellants.

Dana J. Swan, Clarksdale, attorney for appellees.

EN BANC.

CARLSON, Justice, for the Court.

¶ 1. The plaintiffs filed a medical malpractice action for wrongful death against *644 the Jackson Clinic for Women, P.A.; Mercer Lee, III, M.D.; Darden H. North, M.D.; and Paracelsus Woman's Hospital, Inc., in the Circuit Court for the First Judicial District of Hinds County. The defendants filed a motion for summary judgment which was denied by the Hinds County Circuit Court, Judge Tomie T. Green, presiding. The defendants then filed a petition for interlocutory appeal, which this Court granted. After a thorough review of the record and the applicable law, we reverse the circuit court judgment and render judgment here in favor of the defendants.

FACTS AND PROCEEDINGS IN THE TRIAL COURT

¶ 2. On August 24, 1992, Grace Polles Moore (Moore),[1] who was approximately thirty-four weeks pregnant at the time, visited Dr. Darden North, M.D. (Dr. North), at his office at the Jackson Clinic for Women, P.A., (the Clinic) complaining of abdominal pain. Moore had visited the Clinic complaining of abdominal pain on several occasions during her pregnancy. Dr. North advised Moore to take Tylenol # 3 and sent her home, but the Tylenol did not ease Moore's pain. Dr. North admitted Moore to Paracelsus Woman's Hospital (Paracelsus)[2] later that same day because Moore complained that the pain radiated through her back.

¶ 3. The doctors considered Moore's history of drug abuse and also ran several tests on Moore which turned out normal. Moore stayed in the hospital overnight and was given Demerol every three hours. At approximately 8:15 a.m. on August 25, 1992, Moore was taken to the x-ray room at the hospital and, while there, experienced hypotension. An abdominal exam was conducted, and Moore seemed tense; thus, a sonogram was conducted. It was then discovered that Moore's baby had died in the womb due to sepsis, and a Cesarean section was performed. Additionally, Moore was diagnosed with mid-gut volvulus,[3] and a resection of Moore's small bowel, or small intestine, was performed in which Moore lost ninety percent of her small intestine.

¶ 4. While still in the hospital, Moore, a registered nurse,[4] discussed what had happened to her with her sister, Dr. Alexis Polles (Alexis), a medical doctor.[5] Moore testified in her deposition as to the conversation:

Q. Had you talked with Alexis any about needing to pursue a claim prior to the time you went to see a lawyer?
A. Oh, I — this is what I said. I was in the hospital, and I had not spoken to anybody about anything of that nature.
I looked at Alexis, and I said, "Something was wrong. Something was real wrong."
And she said, "Grace, I'm glad you said that." She said, "We've talked about it, the family, and we know it, but we didn't want to say it to you *645 because we didn't know if you could handle it."

Moore further testified in her deposition that her conversation with Alexis led her to believe that negligence had occurred.

Q. When you talked with Alexis and you said you were still in the hospital and you had this conversation that you described, did she get into any detail with what she thought has (sic) been done wrong?
A. No, she did not.
Q. After talking with her, did you believe something had been done wrong?
A. Yes.
. . . .
Q. How about Dr. Yelverton?
A. The only thing that Dr. Yelverton has spoken of is that in retrospect it looked like this had been my problem all through my pregnancy.
. . .
A. And as a matter of fact, that was said to me by Alexis. Alexis had called and paged Dr. Yelverton when it happened, and he said those words to my sister, and my sister said them to me.
Q. Was this while you were still in the hospital?
A. Whit,[[6]] I don't remember. I don't remember when that was said to me.

Moore then contacted attorney Michael Hartung (Hartung) to pursue a claim on her behalf in December, 1992. Hartung requested Moore's medical records from Dr. North and Dr. Lee at the Clinic and Paracelsus on January 11, 1993; the records were sent on January 27, 1993.

¶ 5. Hartung had Dr. Richard A. Nicholls, M.D., (Dr. Nicholls), an expert, review Moore's medical records. While Dr. Nicholls was in the process of his review, Moore compiled a "chronology of events and specifically the items she believes were negligent." Dr. Nicholls concluded:

After reviewing Grace Polles' medical records I have come to the following opinion as to Mrs. Polles (sic) care. Although Mrs. Polles presented at multiple times with abdominal pain during her pregnancy, she had a history of multiple gastrointestional (sic) problems and previous abdominal surgeries which alone could have accounted for her abdominal pain, manifesting the signs and symptoms that she presented with. Volvulus with gangrene of the bowel is an acute happening, not chronic. There was no way to diagnose this condition until it happened. It is unfortunate that the patient was pregnant at the time, because gangrene of the bowel did cause her baby's death; however, she was very fortunate that her physicians recognized that she had an acute surgical abdomen and that they acted appropriately because had they not, she would also be dead. Her physicians are not guilty of malpractice, but they are responsible for saving her life.

(Emphasis in original). Following the review of the medical records, Hartung sent a letter to Moore, which is quoted in its entirety:

I have obtained medical records from virtually all sources, and I have had them reviewed by two separate medical doctors, one of which is an OB-Gyn surgeon. Additionally, your handwritten notes were reviewed by the doctors. Unfortunately, neither of these doctors found significant evidence of medical negligence. Arguably, certain procedures could have been done sooner, but *646 under the circumstances, both doctors concluded that good medicine was practiced and if it had not been, you would have lost your life.
Based on the forgoing, we will not be pursuing a lawsuit on your behalf. I welcome you to seek a second opinion from another attorney, and I will gladly recommend attorneys to you for this purpose.
Give me a call when you have a chance and we can discuss this further.

¶ 6. Moore did contact Hartung and advised him that she wanted Alexis to review her medical records in an effort to find a doctor who would testify on Moore's behalf that medical negligence had occurred. Hartung forwarded the records to Alexis.

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Bluebook (online)
965 So. 2d 643, 2007 WL 2265136, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/jackson-clinic-for-women-pa-v-henley-miss-2007.