Schexnayder v. Daniels

187 S.W.3d 238, 2006 Tex. App. LEXIS 1425, 2006 WL 406930
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedFebruary 23, 2006
Docket06-05-00117-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by24 cases

This text of 187 S.W.3d 238 (Schexnayder v. Daniels) 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
Schexnayder v. Daniels, 187 S.W.3d 238, 2006 Tex. App. LEXIS 1425, 2006 WL 406930 (Tex. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinion

OPINION

Opinion by

Justice ROSS.

Stephen M. Schexnayder, M.D., a resident of Arkansas, has filed an interlocutory appeal from an order denying his special appearance in a medical malpractice lawsuit in which he contested the jurisdiction of the Texas court over him. The suit was filed against him by Shan-trece Daniels, in her individual capacity, and as representative of the estate of her deceased daughter, Journee Daniels. Schexnayder attempts to avoid jurisdiction *242 based on an alleged lack of minimum contacts -with Texas.

Background

The lawsuit is based on events leading to Journee’s death June 11, 2003. Journee, age two, was hospitalized at Wadley Regional Medical Center in Texarkana, Texas, June 10, 2003, in serious condition. On June 11, Wadley contacted Arkansas Children’s Hospital (ACH) in Little Rock, and Schexnayder, who was the intensive care unit’s attending physician at that time, approved the transfer on behalf of ACH. ACH was to provide transportation of the child to Little Rock. A transport team was dispatched to Texarkana which included two ACH employees and one resident physician, Barrett Lewis, M.D. Schexnay-der did not personally go to Texarkana.

The ACH team arrived at Wadley and took over Journee’s care in an attempt to stabilize her adequately for transport. In this process, the team apprised Schexnay-der by telephone of Journee’s condition and Schexnayder directed the care to be given. There evidently was a problem with the child’s oxygen tube, her oxygen levels were low, and the ACH team attempted to insert different tubes (in sequence) in an attempt to avoid air leakage. It appears the team ultimately intubated the child successfully, but Journee (who had already coded and been resuscitated at least once) again coded, and resuscitation efforts were unsuccessful. It was Schexnayder who ultimately made the decision that further resuscitation efforts would be futile. Journee died at Wadley. Standard of Review

A nonresident defendant challenging personal jurisdiction through a special appearance carries the burden of negating all bases of personal jurisdiction. BMC Software Belg., N.V. v. Marchand, 83 S.W.3d 789, 793 (Tex.2002). Whether a court has personal jurisdiction over a defendant is a question of law. Am. Type Culture Collection, Inc. v. Coleman, 83 S.W.3d 801, 805-06 (Tex.2002) (citing Marchand, 83 S.W.3d at 794). In resolving this question of law, a trial court must frequently resolve questions of fact. Coleman, 83 S.W.3d at 806 (citing Marchand 83 S.W.3d at 794). Our courts of appeals may review the fact-findings for both legal and factual sufficiency. Ortiz v. Jones, 917 S.W.2d 770, 772 (Tex.1996). We review de novo the trial court’s legal conclusions. Marchand, 83 S.W.3d at 794; E.L.M. Le-Blanc v. Kyle, 28 S.W.3d 99, 101 (Tex.App.-Texarkana 2000, pet. denied). Where the record contains no findings of fact and conclusions of law (as in this case), we must imply all findings of fact necessary to support the trial court’s findings that are supported by the evidence. Mar-chand 83 S.W.3d at 795.

In this case, Schexnayder contends the evidence clearly demonstrates he is not subject to jurisdiction. There is no specific argument directed at either legal or factual sufficiency as such — the argument is that the evidence concerning his connection to the medical care and treatment of the patient, (with which Schexnayder does not disagree or controvert), does not meet the legal standard for imposing the jurisdiction of Texas courts.

Scope of Personal Jurisdiction

The Texas long-arm statute permits courts to exercise personal jurisdiction over a nonresident defendant, limited by the federal constitutional requirements of due process. Marchand, 83 S.W.3d at 795; U-Anchor Adver., Inc. v. Burt, 553 S.W.2d 760, 762 (Tex.1977). The general rubric applicable to personal jurisdiction states that this limitation is not exceeded when (1) the defendant has established minimum contacts with Texas, and (2) the exercise of jurisdiction comports with the traditional notions of fair play and sub *243 stantial justice. Marchand, 83 S.W.3d at 795 (citing Int’l Shoe Co. v. Washington, 326 U.S. 310, 316, 66 S.Ct. 154, 90 L.Ed. 95 (1945)).

The purpose of the minimum contacts analysis is to protect the defendant from being haled into court when its relationship with Texas is too attenuated to support jurisdiction. Coleman, 83 S.W.3d at 806; Schlobohm v. Schapiro, 784 S.W.2d 355, 357 (Tex.1990). Minimum contacts may not be shown through the unilateral acts of a third party; nor may random, fortuitous, or attenuated contacts with Texas provide the sole justification to exercise personal jurisdiction. Burger King Corp. v. Rudzewicz, 471 U.S. 462, 475, 105 S.Ct. 2174, 85 L.Ed.2d 528 (1985); Guardian Royal Exch. Assurance, Ltd. v. English China Clays, P.L.C., 815 S.W.2d 223, 226 (Tex.1991). However, as the United States Supreme Court further explained in Rudzewicz:

where the defendant “deliberately” has engaged in significant activities within a State, or has created “continuing obligations” between himself and residents of the forum, he manifestly has availed himself of the privilege of conducting business there, and because his activities are shielded by “the benefits and protections” of the forum’s laws it is presumptively not unreasonable to require him to submit to the burdens of litigation in that forum as well.

471 U.S. at 475-76, 105 S.Ct. 2174 (citations omitted); see also HMS Aviation v. Layale Enters., S.A., 149 S.W.3d 182, 191 (Tex.App.-Fort Worth 2004, no pet.).

As the cases have developed, there are two variations within the bounds of personal jurisdiction. Personal jurisdiction exists if the nonresident defendant’s minimum contacts give rise to either specific or general jurisdiction. Marchand, 83 S.W.3d at 795; Guardian Royal Exch. Assurance, Ltd., 815 S.W.2d at 226.

Specific jurisdiction exists when the defendant’s liability arises from or is related to an activity conducted within the forum. Marchand, 83 S.W.3d at 796 (citing Guardian Royal Exch. Assurance, Ltd., 815 S.W.2d at 228).

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
187 S.W.3d 238, 2006 Tex. App. LEXIS 1425, 2006 WL 406930, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/schexnayder-v-daniels-texapp-2006.