Lenoir v. Marino

469 S.W.3d 669, 2015 Tex. App. LEXIS 6820, 2015 WL 4043248
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedJuly 2, 2015
DocketNO. 01-13-01034-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 469 S.W.3d 669 (Lenoir v. Marino) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Texas primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Lenoir v. Marino, 469 S.W.3d 669, 2015 Tex. App. LEXIS 6820, 2015 WL 4043248 (Tex. Ct. App. 2015).

Opinion

OPINION ON REHEARING1

Harvey Brown, Justice

This health care liability case arises from the death of a UT Physicians (UTP) patient, Shana Lenoir, and her two unborn children hours after she received prenatal care at the UTP clinic. Suit was filed by Lenoir’s mother, Shirley Lenoir, and the father of her only living child, Christopher McKnight, in their individual and representative capacities (collectively referred to as “the Lenoirs”). The Lenoirs sued the resident-physician and nurse who treated Shana, the attending physician, and the clinic.

Both doctors moved for dismissal of the claims against them, arguing that they were employees of governmental units, acting within the scope of that employment and, as a result, the election-of-remedies provision of the Texas Tort Claims Act mandated their dismissal. The trial court granted then- motions and dismissed both physicians from the suit.

In three issues, the Lenoirs contend that neither physician was entitled to dismissal and challenge the affidavits submitted on the physicians’ behalf as conclusory. We overrule the challenge to the affidavits, affirm the trial court’s judgment dismissing Dr. Huang, reverse the portion of the judgment dismissing Dr. Gonski, and remand for further proceedings against Dr. Gonski.

Background

Shana Lenoir received prenatal care at the UTP clinic. Because the physician scheduled to see her was unavailable, she was seen by Dr. Gonski — a second-year medical resident. Shana told Dr. Gonski about complications with an earlier twin pregnancy that resulted in preterm delivery, the death of one twin, and lengthy hospitalization of the other. At the time Shana saw Dr. Gonski, she was between 32 and 35 weeks pregnant with twins. Dr. Gonski prescribed weekly injections of progesterone. A nurse gave Shana her first progesterone injection during the office visit. Several hours later, Shana began having difficulty breathing. Emergency medical assistance was called, but Shana and her unborn children died before they arrived at the hospital.

The Lenoirs sued the treating physician (Dr. Gonski), the attending physician overseeing Dr. Gonski (Dr. Huang), the nurse who injected the progesterone medication, and the UTP clinic.

Drs. Gonski and Huang moved for dismissal under Tort Claims Act section 101.106®, arguing that the election-of-remedies provision of the Act mandated dismissal of the health care liability claims asserted against them. See Tex. Civ. PRac. & Rem.Code Ann. § 101.106® (West 2011). Dr. Gonski alleged that she was an employee of the University of Texas System Medical Foundation, a nonprofit corporation that appoints medical residents to the [673]*673UT Health Science Center residency program, ' that her conduct was within the general scope of her employment at the Foundation, and that the Lenoirs’ claim against her could have been brought against the “governmental unit (the Foundation)” .that employed her. Relying on the same provision, Dr. Huang asserted that he was an employee of the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston and was overseeing the work of medical residents, including Dr. Gonski, at the UTP clinic as part of that employment. All parties presented affidavits and other evidence to the trial court. Following a hearing on the motions, both physicians were dismissed from the suit.

In this interlocutory appeal,2 the Lenoirs argue that the trial court erred by dismissing the claims against the physicians because they did not establish that they met the statutory definition of governmental unit employees.

Standard of Review

Generally, we review a trial court’s order on a motion to dismiss under an abuse of discretion standard. Am. Transitional Care Ctrs. of Tex., Inc. v. Palacios, 46 S.W.3d 873, 878 (Tex.2001). However, the proper standard of review is not necessarily determined by the caption of the motion to which the order relates, rather it is determined by the substance of the issue to be reviewed. Singleton v. Casteel, 267 S.W.3d 547, 550 (Tex.App. — Houston [14th Dist.] 2008, pet. denied).

Here, the motions to dismiss raised the issue of immunity. See id.; see also Franka v. Velasquez, 332 S.W.3d 367, 371 n. 9 (Tex.2011) (stating that Section 101.106 confers immumty in some instane-es to employees of governmental units). If immunity applies, the trial court lacks subject-matter jurisdiction over the case. See Tex. Dep’t of Parks & Wildlife v. Miranda, 133 S.W.3d 217, 224 (Tex.2004); see also Univ. of. Tex. Health. Sci. Ctr. at San Antonio v. Webber-Eells, 327,S.W.3d 233, 240 (Tex.App.—San Antonio 2010, no pet.). Subject-matter jurisdiction is a question of law which we review de novo. Miranda, 133 S.W.3d at 226. Likewise, matters of statutory construction are reviewed under a de novo standard. .City of San Antonio v. City of Boeme, 111 S.W.3d 22, 25 (Tex.2003); see Entergy Gulf States, Inc. v. Summers, 282 S.W.3d 433, 437 (Tex.2009).

Sovereign Immunity and Section 101.106 Dismissal

By common law, the State is immune from suit unless it consents by waiving immunity. Tex. Adjutant General’s Office v. Ngakoue, 408 S.W.3d 350, 353 (Tex.2013); Dallas Cnty. Mental Health & Mental Retardation v. Bossley, 968 S.W.2d 339, 341 (Tex.1998). The State may waive immunity to the degree it sees fit, taking into account public policy and financial considerations. See Tex. Natural Res. Conservation Comm’n v. IT Davy, 74 S.W.3d 849, 854 (Tex.2002). A waiver of sovereign immunity is construed narrowly. Tex. Gov’t Code Ann. § 311.034 (West 2013); Ngakoue, 408 S.W.3d at 353.

The Tort Claims Act (TCA) addresses governmental immunity. Tex. Civ. PRAC. & Rem.Code Ann. §§ 101.001-.109 (West 2011). Through the TCA, Texas has chosen to establish a limited waiver of immunity in suits against the State for deaths proximately caused by a governmental employee’s negligence while acting within the scope of employment. if the death was [674]*674caused by a condition or use of tangible personal property and the governmental unit would, were it a private person, be liable to the claimant under Texas law. Id. § 101.021.

The TCA applies both to the State and to governmental units of the State. See id. The term “governmental unit” is defined to include the State of Texas, all of its various agencies, political subdivisions, emergency service organizations, and “any other institution, agency, or organ of government the status and authority of which are derived from the Constitution of Texas or from laws passed by the legislature under the constitution.” Id. § 101.001(3).

TCA Section 101.106, titled Election of Remedies, provides a mechanism for dismissal of governmental employees in certain circumstances. It provides:

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
469 S.W.3d 669, 2015 Tex. App. LEXIS 6820, 2015 WL 4043248, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/lenoir-v-marino-texapp-2015.