Osunde v. Lewis

281 F.R.D. 250, 81 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1290, 2012 WL 883129, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 35184
CourtDistrict Court, D. Maryland
DecidedMarch 15, 2012
DocketCivil No. PWG-11-0234
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 281 F.R.D. 250 (Osunde v. Lewis) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Maryland primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Osunde v. Lewis, 281 F.R.D. 250, 81 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1290, 2012 WL 883129, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 35184 (D. Md. 2012).

Opinion

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

PAUL W. GRIMM, United States Magistrate Judge.

This Memorandum & Order1 addresses Defendant Christina E. Lewis’s Motion in Limine, ECF No. 29, which, for the reasons explained below, is construed as a motion for partial summary judgment; Defendant’s Amended Motion in Limine, ECF No. 35; Defendant’s February 17, 2012 letter explaining the corrections made to the original motion, ECF No. 36; Plaintiffs Adeola and Olubunmi Osunde’s Response, ECF No. 38; and Defendant’s Reply, ECF No. 43. For the reasons stated herein, Defendant’s Motion in Limine — construed as a motion for partial summary judgment as to Plaintiffs’ wrongful death claim, which is found in Count II of the Complaint, ECF No. 1 — is GRANTED. Plaintiffs will not be permitted to present their wrongful death claim at trial. Instead, trial will proceed on Plaintiffs’ negligence and loss of consortium claims only.2 Accordingly, this Order disposes of ECF Nos. 29, 35, 36, 38, and 43.

I. BACKGROUND

A. Factual Background3

This case arises out of an accident that occurred on or around June 10, 2009 in the passenger-pick up area of Franklin Hospital, in Baltimore, Maryland, where Olubunmi Osunde had parked his vehicle as he waited to pick up his wife, Adeola Osunde, who was seven-months pregnant at the time, following an antenatal appointment. See Compl. ¶¶ 6-[253]*2537; Def.’s Am. Mot. in Limine ¶ 1. As Plaintiffs were sitting in their vehicle in the pickup area, a vehicle operated by Defendant rear-ended Plaintiffs’ vehicle, causing Mrs. Osunde to fall forward. See Compl. ¶¶ 8-9; Def.’s Am. Mot. ¶2. Plaintiffs contend that this collision caused a tear in Mrs. Osunde’s uterus, and that an emergency caesarian section was necessary to stop the excessive bleeding and to save Mrs. Osunde’s life. Compl. ¶¶ 10-12; Def.’s Am. Mot. ¶2. The emergency caesarian section resulted in the premature birth of Plaintiffs’ son, Joshua Osunde. Compl. ¶2; Def.’s Am. Mot. ¶2. Plaintiffs further contend that Joshua Osunde’s premature birth, which they maintain was caused by Defendant’s negligence, resulted in his death nearly four months later, on October 8, 2009. Compl. ¶ 13; Def.’s Am. Mot. ¶2. Plaintiffs also allege that, as a result of her injuries, Mrs. Osunde “required extensive medical treatment and therapy.” Compl. ¶ 14.

B. Distinguishing Wrongful Death and Survivorship Claims

Plaintiffs filed a three-count complaint in federal court alleging negligence, wrongful death, and loss of consortium. Compl. ¶¶ 15-31. Plaintiffs did not plead a survivorship claim. As a result, it appears that Plaintiffs have failed to appreciate the difference between survivorship and wrongful death claims under Maryland law.4 Specifically, Plaintiffs have sought damages for injuries and expenses sustained by their infant son that are not recoverable in a wrongful death action. See, e.g., Compl. ¶ 25 (seeking damages for the mental and physical pain that Joshua Osunde allegedly sustained as a result of the accident); Joint Final Pretrial Order 2, ECF No. 34 (seeking damages for Joshua Osunde’s pain and suffering and burial expenses). Rather, Maryland law is clear that, with regard to their wrongful death claim, Plaintiffs only may recover for economic and noneconomic damages that they incurred as a result of the death of their infant son. See Smith v. Borello, 370 Md. 227, 804 A.2d 1151, 1154 (2002) (explaining that, in a wrongful death action, a deceased victim’s parent, spouse, or child “may sue, on his or her own behalf, for certain losses the person suffered by reason of the wrongful death of the victim” (emphasis added)); Paul Mark Sandler & James K. Archibald, Pleading Causes of Action in Maryland 399 (4th ed. 2008) (“Damages [in a wrongful death claim] are the harm caused to the survivors as a result of the decedent’s death.” (emphasis added)); see also Md.Code Ann., Cts. & Jud. Proc., § 3-904(d) (West 2010) (stating that, in addition to pecuniary damages, wrongful death beneficiaries may recover damages for “mental anguish, emotional pain and suffering, loss of society, companionship, comfort, protection, marital care, parental care, filial care, attention, advice, counsel, training, guidance, or education where applicable” suffered as a result of the victim’s death). Plaintiffs may not recover for economic or noneconomic damages, including pain and suffering damages and burial expenses, incurred by their infant son prior to his death under their wrongful death claim. Any such damages must be brought by the estate of the child in a separate survivorship claim. See Smith, 804 A.2d at 1154 (explaining that, in a survival action, the personal representative of the victim may sue to recover, for the estate of the victim, damages for the economic and non-economic losses suffered by the victim prior to his or her death — the damages that the victim would have been able to recover had he or she survived” (emphasis added)); Sandler & Archibald, supra, at 399 (“A survival action ... is brought by the personal representative of the decedent’s estate to recover, on behalf of the decedent and for the estate, damages (such as pain and suffering) sustained by the decedent prior to his or her death.”); Anderson v. United States, No. AW-09-2553, 2011 WL 1231143, at *3 (D.Md. Mar. 28, 2011) (“Damages recoverable in a Maryland survival action are limited to compensation for pain and suffering endured by the deceased, his lost time, and his funeral expenses.” (citing Stewart v. United Elec. Light [254]*254& Power Co., 104 Md. 332, 65 A. 49, 53 (1906))).

Arguably, it may be possible to construe Plaintiffs’ complaint under Fed.R.Civ.P. 1 as having attempted to plead both a wrongful death and a survivorship claim. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 1 (requiring the Court to construe the rules of procedure “to secure the just, speedy, and inexpensive determination of every action and proceeding”). However, as I describe below, Defendant’s motion, in essence, challenges Plaintiffs’ ability to establish the causation element of their wrongful death claim, and therefore is construed as a motion for partial summary judgment. A decision that Plaintiffs have not presented sufficient admissible evidence to create a triable issue of fact regarding causation would be fatal to either a wrongful death or survivorship claim. See Sandler & Archibald, supra, at 396 (stating that a successful wrongful death claim requires proof that death occurred and that such death was “proximately caused by the negligence of the defendant” (citing Md.Code Ann., Cts. & Jud. Proc. §§ 3-901 — 3-904; Weimer v. Hetrick, 309 Md. 536, 525 A.2d 643 (1987))); id. at 404 (stating that a successful survivorship claim requires proof that “the defendant’s negligence was the direct and proximate cause of the decedent’s injuries” (citing Md.Code Ann., Est. & Trusts § 7-401(x) (2001 & Supp.2007); Ory v. Libersky, 40 Md.App. 151, 389 A.2d 922 (1978))); see also Miskin v. Baxter Healthcare Corp.,

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281 F.R.D. 250, 81 Fed. R. Serv. 3d 1290, 2012 WL 883129, 2012 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 35184, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/osunde-v-lewis-mdd-2012.