Johnson v. Gupta

682 N.E.2d 827, 1997 Ind. App. LEXIS 935, 1997 WL 403702
Indiana Court of Appeals·Decided July 21, 1997·No. 64A03-9611-CV-401·Published·Cited by 8 cases

Opinions

OPINION

STATON, Judge.

Charlotte Johnson appeals the trial court’s grant of summary judgment in favor of Ar-jum Gupta, M.D. She presents two issues for our review which we restate as follows:

I. Whether the Indiana Medical Malpractice Act’s occurrence-based statute of limitations violates Article 1, Section 12 of the Indiana Constitution.
II. Whether the Indiana Medical Malpractice Act’s occurrence-based statute of limitations violates Article 1, Section 23 of the Indiana Constitution.

[829] We affirm.

The facts most favorable to Johnson, the non-movant, reveal that Gupta performed a hemorrhoidectomy and mucopexy on Johnson in September 1990. Johnson then began experiencing fecal incontinence. Gupta assured Johnson that the symptoms would disappear. Johnson saw other doctors in her effort to find the cause of her incontinence. In 1994, a doctor in Ohio discovered that her rectum had been severed during the surgery in 1990, which gave her a complete and total loss of control over her anal sphincter. The only treatment for this condition was a colostomy.

After Johnson filed her malpractice claim, Gupta moved for summary judgment because the statute of limitations had expired on Johnson’s claim. The trial court granted Gupta’s motion and this appeal ensued.

I.

Open Courts

Johnson first argues that the two-year occurrence-based statute of limitations of the Medical Malpractice Act1 (the “Act”) violates Article 1, § 12 of the Indiana Constitution.2 Johnson reasons that because she was unable to discover Gupta’s malpractice until after the statute of limitations had expired, she was denied access to the courts as required by § 12. We note initially our standard of review for summary judgment. Summary judgment is appropriate only when there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Ind. Trial Rule 56(C). The burden is on the moving party to prove there are no genuine issues of material fact and he is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Once the movant has sustained this burden, the opponent must respond by setting forth specific facts showing a genuine issue for trial; he may not simply rest on the allegations of his pleadings. Stephenson v. Ledbetter, 596 N.E.2d 1369, 1371 (Ind.1992). At the time of filing the motion or response, a party shall designate to the court all parts of plead-tags, depositions, answers to interrogatories, admissions, matters of judicial notice, and any other matters on which it relies for purposes of the motion. T.R. 56(C).

When reviewing an entry of summary judgment, we stand in the shoes of the trial court. We do not weigh the evidence but will consider the facts in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party. Reed v. Luzny, 627 N.E.2d 1362, 1363 (Ind.Ct.App.1994), reh. denied, trans. denied. We may sustain a summary judgment upon any theory supported by the designated materials. T.R. 56(C).

The Open Courts provision of the Indiana Constitution has received a fair amount of scrutiny in the last twenty years. Our courts have addressed whether various limitations on liability, such as the Act’s statute of limitations, violate § 12. See, e.g., Bunker v. Nat’l Gypsum Co., 441 N.E.2d 8 (Ind.1982), cert. dismissed, 460 U.S. 1076, 103 S.Ct. 1761, 76 L.Ed.2d 338 (1983) (statute of limitations for asbestos exposure); Dague v. Piper Aircraft Corp., 275 Ind. 520, 418 N.E.2d 207 (1981), reh. denied (products liability statute of limitations); Johnson v. St. Vincent Hospital, Inc., 273 Ind. 374, 404 N.E.2d 585 (1980) (medical malpractice statute of limitations); Dillon v. Chicago So. Shore & No. Bend RR Co., 654 N.E.2d 1137 (Ind.Ct.App.1995), reh. denied (Indiana Tort Claims Act limitations on liability). In each instance, the statute was held to be constitutional. Recently, however, another district of this court determined that the Act violates § 12 because a plaintiffs claim could be barred before the injury is discovered. Martin v. Richey, 674 N.E.2d 1015 (Ind.Ct.App.1997), reh. denied. We disagree with the reasoning of the Martin Court and decline to follow its analysis. Instead, we will follow the established precedent of the Indiana Supreme Court.

Contrary to the Martin Court’s interpretation, § 12 does not require that every plaintiff have a remedy for injuries suffered. [830] Our courts have long recognized that “ ‘there may be a claim or demand without any right to sue for its recovery.’” State v. Rendleman, 603 N.E.2d 1333, 1337 (Ind.1992) (quoting May v. State, 133 Ind. 567, 33 N.E. 352, 353 (1893)).

The Indiana Constitution does prohibit the legislature from taking away vested property rights created by the common law. Johnson, 404 N.E.2d at 594 (citing Munn v. Illinois, 94 U.S. 113, 24 L.Ed. 77 (1876)). However, there are no vested rights or property rights at issue here. A claim for medical malpractice stems from a common law duty owed by a physician to a patient. Johnson, 404 N.E.2d at 594. A plaintiff has no vested right in a remedy for a cause of action which had not accrued at the time a limitation was placed on the cause of action. Bague, 418 N.E.2d at 213. Neither does a plaintiff have a vested or property right in any common law rule. Id. “[T]he right to bring a common law action is not a fundamental right.” Id. Instead, the legislature has the power to modify or restrict common law rights and remedies in cases involving personal injury. Rendleman, 603 N.E.2d at 1336.3

The occurrence statute of limitations found in the Act is one such restriction enacted by the legislature. It made the policy decision that, to ensure the availability of malpractice insurance for Indiana doctors, and, in turn, medical services for Indiana residents, a more stringent statute of limitations was necessary.4 Simply because the legislature has abolished or restricted a remedy does not render a statute unconstitutional. Id.

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Johnson v. Gupta, 682 N.E.2d 827, 1997 Ind. App. LEXIS 935, 1997 WL 403702 (Ind. Ct. App. 1997).

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Johnson v. Gupta
682 N.E.2d 827 (Indiana Court of Appeals, 1997)