Patricia Dorsett v. Jenna Lubitz

• Court: Indiana Court of Appeals
• Decided: June 22, 2023
• Docket: 22A-SC-02948
• Status: Published

Opinion

FILED Jun 22 2023, 9:03 am

CLERK Indiana Supreme Court Court of Appeals and Tax Court

ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE Karen Celestino-Horseman Rori L. Goldman Austin & Jones, P.C. Brandais H. Hagerty Indianapolis, Indiana Hill Knotts & Goldman, LLC Indianapolis, Indiana

IN THE COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA

Patricia Dorsett, June 22, 2023 Appellant-Plaintiff, Court of Appeals Case No. 22A-SC-2948 v. Appeal from the Hamilton Superior Court Dr. Jenna Lubitz, DVM, The Honorable P. Chadwick Hill, Appellee-Defendant Magistrate Trial Court Cause No. 29D05-2208-SC-6133

Opinion by Judge Crone Judge Brown and Senior Judge Robb concur.

Crone, Judge.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 22A-SC-2948 | June 22, 2023 Page 1 of 9 Case Summary [1] Patricia Dorsett appeals the small claims court’s dismissal of her negligence

claim against Dr. Jenna Lubitz, DVM. We reverse and remand.

Facts and Procedural History [2] On September 11, 2020, Dorsett took her nearly fifteen-year-old dog, Walter, to

MedVet Animal Hospital for emergency veterinary care. Dorsett had taken

Walter to MedVet the day prior due to excessive vomiting and lethargy. Walter

was treated and discharged, and Dorsett was advised by the veterinarian on

duty to monitor him overnight and return in the morning for an ultrasound if

she felt like his condition did not sufficiently improve.

[3] At approximately 8:30 a.m. on the morning of September 12, Dorsett returned

to MedVet with Walter. Dr. Lubitz was the veterinarian on duty. Dorsett

reported that Walter was not eating or drinking, seemed uncomfortable, and

was overall weak. Upon physical examination, Walter appeared dehydrated,

tense, and uncomfortable in his abdomen. Dr. Lubitz had three twenty- to

thirty-minute phone conversations about Walter with Dorsett that day. 1 During

those conversations, Dr. Lubitz and Dorsett discussed Walter’s health history,

his current condition and symptoms, and the treatment options including

diagnostic testing, medications, and even euthanasia. Walter was eventually

1 Due to COVID-19 restrictions, Dorsett remained in her car in the MedVet parking lot while Walter was being treated.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 22A-SC-2948 | June 22, 2023 Page 2 of 9 admitted to MedVet. An ultrasound revealed evidence of pancreatitis,

cholangitis, and partial common bile duct obstruction. Dorsett and Dr. Lubitz

agreed to a plan where Walter would be treated with IV fluids, antinausea

medications, antibiotics, pain medications, and steroids. Dorsett left MedVet

around 4:00 p.m. Staff notes indicate that at some point during that day, Walter

developed a fever, was unable to sit upright on his own, and was crying out in

pain. Dr. Lubitz increased his pain medications to provide more pain control.

Dr. Lubitz continued to be in charge of Walter’s care until her shift ended at

7:00 p.m. Sometime thereafter, Walter’s condition further declined, and he

experienced cardiac arrest. CPR was initiated by staff, but Walter died.

[4] In August 2022, Dorsett filed a negligence claim against Dr. Lubitz in the

Hamilton Superior Court Small Claims Division. She alleged that Dr. Lubitz

“violated her legal and ethical obligation to disclose fully the clinical condition

of Walter (dog) to his owner, [Dorsett], and also failed to disclose key aspects of

his treatment when seeking consent to treat from owner, [Dorsett].” Appellant’s

App. Vol. 2 at 6. Dorsett sought $900.00 in damages, which she alleged

represented the cost of medications given to Walter to which she would not

have consented had she known of his dire condition.

[5] A hearing was held via Zoom on December 1, 2022. Dorsett appeared pro se,

and Dr. Lubitz appeared with counsel. At the outset, Dorsett testified and

explained her negligence theory to the trial court in relevant part as follows:

Your Honor, this case is about a breach of duty that occurred on September 12, 2020 ….

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 22A-SC-2948 | June 22, 2023 Page 3 of 9 On this day, Dr. Lubitz either intentionally or negligently failed in her duties …. She failed to advise me of Walter’s significantly deteriorating health over the course of the day while under her care and while I sat outside in the parking lot.

….

And because of her failure to provide a reasonable level of candor and honesty and detail in her statements to me, I incurred additional charges that I would never have consented to had I simply known … how much worse Walter had become over the course of the day while under her care.

I was never advised by Dr. Lubitz that my dog was a very ill pet. That was something – I was sitting in the parking lot for eight hours that day – that was for her to tell me whether or not he was very ill. And if he was, I had already alerted her to the fact that I would want to push the euthanasia.

Tr. Vol. 2 at 6-7, 15. Dorsett also presented several documentary exhibits to

support her claim.

[6] At the conclusion of her testimony, the trial court asked Dorsett if she had any

additional evidence. Dorsett indicated that she wished to call Dr. Lubitz as a

witness. Defense counsel objected, stating, “Well, she didn’t list my client as a

witness on her discovery.” Id. at 29. The trial court then informed Dorsett that

she could not call Dr. Lubitz as her own witness, but that she would be

permitted to cross-examine Dr. Lubitz after the defense concluded direct

examination. Dorsett then asked if she could call her husband as a witness.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 22A-SC-2948 | June 22, 2023 Page 4 of 9 Dorsett admitted that his testimony would likely be cumulative of her own, and

the trial court denied her request, stating, “I’m not finding that that would be

beneficial to the Court’s processing of the evidence at this point.” Id. at 30.

[7] Thereafter, defense counsel called Dr. Lubitz as a witness and conducted direct

examination. At the conclusion of Dr. Lubitz’s direct testimony, and before

allowing Dorsett to ask a single question, the trial court sua sponte determined

that Dr. Lubitz could not be held personally liable for any negligence because

the court believed that the evidence revealed that she was an employee of

MedVet. Therefore, the court concluded that Dorsett had essentially “failed to

state a claim upon which relief can be granted because … this claim was

brought against the wrong party.” Id. at 65. The court stated that it was denying

Dorsett’s negligence claim and abruptly ended the hearing. The trial court

subsequently issued a written order to this effect. Dorsett now appeals.

Discussion and Decision [8] Our standard of review in small claims cases is well settled. Small claims

judgments are “subject to review as prescribed by relevant Indiana rules and

statutes.” Ind. Small Claims Rule 11(A). “We review facts from a bench trial

under a clearly erroneous standard with due deference paid to the trial court’s

opportunity to assess witness credibility.” Branham v. Varble, 952 N.E.2d 744,

746 (Ind. 2011). We consider evidence in the light most favorable to the

judgment, together with all reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom.

Hastetter v. Fetter Props., LLC, 873 N.E.2d 679, 682 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007).

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 22A-SC-2948 | June 22, 2023 Page 5 of 9 [9] “This deferential standard of review is particularly important in small claims

actions, where trials are designed to speedily dispense justice by applying

substantive law between the parties in an informal setting.” Berryhill v. Parkview

Hosp., 962 N.E.2d 685, 689 (Ind. Ct. App. 2012) (citation omitted). “Although

the method of proof may be informal, the parties in a small claims court bear

the same burdens of proof as they would in a regular civil action on the same

issues.” Spainhower v. Smart & Kessler, LLC, 176 N.E.3d 258, 263 (Ind. Ct. App.

2021), trans. denied (2022). The party bearing the burden of proof must

demonstrate that she is entitled to the recovery sought. Id. We review questions

of law de novo. Trinity Homes, LLC v. Fang, 848 N.E.2d 1065, 1068 (Ind. 2006).

[10] Our review of the record here reveals that the trial court sua sponte dismissed

Dorsett’s negligence claim for “[f]ailure to state a claim upon which relief can

be granted, which shall include failure to name the real party in interest under

Rule 17.” Ind. Trial Rule 12(B)(6); see Meyers v. Meyers, 861 N.E.2d 704, 705

(Ind. 2007) (noting that motion to dismiss asserting Rule 12(B)(6) challenges

legal sufficiency of complaint). First, we note that ordinarily, “a trial court may

not sua sponte dismiss an action unless the court lacks jurisdiction or is

otherwise authorized by statute or the rules of procedure.” Tracy v. Morell, 948

N.E.2d 855, 862 (Ind. Ct. App. 2011). Moreover, the trial court dismissed

Dorsett’s claim based upon its mistaken belief that Dr. Lubitz could not be sued

personally for negligence because she was an employee of MedVet. On appeal,

Dorsett asserts, and Dr. Lubitz concedes, that this was clear error. As noted by

Dorsett, it is well settled that when an employee commits wrongful acts within

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 22A-SC-2948 | June 22, 2023 Page 6 of 9 the scope of her employment, “[t]he employer and employee are jointly and

severally liable: both the employer and employee are liable for any injury and

damages caused by the employee’s negligence, and either or both may be sued

for such damages at the option of the injured party.” Hogan v. Magnolia Health

Sys. 41, LLC, 161 N.E.3d 365, 370 (Ind. Ct. App. 2020), trans. denied (2021).

Accordingly, the trial court clearly erred in concluding that Dorsett could not

sue Dr. Lubitz personally for negligence.

[11] Dr. Lubitz maintains that the trial court’s error in this regard was harmless. She

urges us to simply affirm the trial court and summarily dismiss Dorsett’s claim

based upon the theory that “Dorsett failed to meet her burden to prove her case

of veterinary negligence by not presenting expert testimony regarding the

applicable standard of care which is required in negligence actions against

professionals where the standard of care is a complicated issue outside the

understanding of lay persons.” Appellee’s Br. at 15. We agree with Dr. Lubitz

that the evidentiary standard for a negligence claim against a veterinarian is the

same as for other highly trained professions in that, in order for the finder of

fact to know if a professional has complied with the applicable standard of care,

a party must present expert testimony establishing the standard of care. See, e.g.,

Methodist Hosps., Inc. v. Johnson, 856 N.E.2d 718, 721 (Ind. Ct. App. 2006) (to

establish the applicable standard of care and a breach of that standard in a

medical negligence case, a plaintiff generally must present expert testimony);

Troutwine Ests. Dev. Co. v. Comsub Design & Eng’g. Inc., 854 N.E.2d 890, 902 (Ind.

Ct. App. 2006) (same regarding engineers), trans. denied (2007); Storey v. Leonas,

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 22A-SC-2948 | June 22, 2023 Page 7 of 9 904 N.E.2d 229, 238 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009) (same regarding attorneys), trans.

denied.

[12] Nevertheless, the trial court here wholly deprived Dorsett of the opportunity to

establish that standard of care and properly prove her case. Indeed, Dorsett was

not required to present her own expert but could have used Dr. Lubitz’s own

testimony to establish the applicable standard of care. See Perry v. Driehorst, 808

N.E.2d 765, 769-70 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004) (noting that defendant/professional’s

own testimony could be used as sole expert testimony regarding standard of

care), trans. denied. But the trial court short-circuited the case and dismissed

Dorsett’s negligence claim on clearly erroneous grounds without giving her the

opportunity to call and question Dr. Lubitz directly as a witness or, at the very

least, to cross-examine Dr. Lubitz. This was a denial of due process.

[13] “Generally stated, due process requires notice, an opportunity to be heard, and

an opportunity to confront witnesses[,]” Ind. State Bd. of Educ. v. Brownsburg

Cmty. Sch. Corp., 842 N.E.2d 885, 889 (Ind. Ct. App. 2006), and it is well

established that the informality of small claims proceedings does not supplant

fundamental rights or constitutional protections. See Morton v. Ivacic, 898

N.E.2d 1196, 1199 (Ind. 2008) (holding that Due Process Clause of Fourteenth

Amendment to United States Constitution supersedes informal format of small

claims case); see also Lowry v. Lanning, 712 N.E.2d 1000, 1001 (Ind. Ct. App.

1999) (reversing small claims court that denied litigant fundamental right to

cross-examine witnesses). It was within this informal format that there is no

question that Dorsett should have been permitted to call Dr. Lubitz as a witness

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 22A-SC-2948 | June 22, 2023 Page 8 of 9 in her case-in-chief. Dr. Lubitz’s assertion that this trial court decision was

proper because Dorsett had not identified Dr. Lubitz, the defendant, as a

testifying witness in discovery was incorrect. Then, compounding that error, the

trial court inappropriately terminated the proceedings prior to Dorsett being

allowed to cross-examine Dr. Lubitz, thus denying her the fundamental right to

cross-examine witnesses. Under the circumstances, we do not have a sufficient

record from which to conclude that any error in the dismissal was harmless.

Accordingly, we reverse and remand for a new hearing during which Dorsett

shall be given a full opportunity to prove her case.

[14] Reversed and remanded.

Brown, J., and Robb, Sr.J., concur.

Court of Appeals of Indiana | Opinion 22A-SC-2948 | June 22, 2023 Page 9 of 9