Settoon v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co.

331 So. 2d 73, 1976 La. App. LEXIS 4290
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedApril 12, 1976
Docket10654
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 331 So. 2d 73 (Settoon v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Settoon v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 331 So. 2d 73, 1976 La. App. LEXIS 4290 (La. Ct. App. 1976).

Opinion

331 So.2d 73 (1976)

Eric B. SETTOON, Jr., et al.
v.
ST. PAUL FIRE & MARINE INS. CO.

No. 10654.

Court of Appeal of Louisiana, First Circuit.

April 12, 1976.

*74 Eric B. Settoon, Jr., New Roads, for appellants.

Donald T. W. Phelps, Baton Rouge, for defendant-appellee St. Paul Fire & Marine.

John C. Miller, Baton Rouge, for Dr. David S. Miller.

Before LANDRY, COVINGTON and PONDER, JJ.

PONDER, Judge.

Plaintiffs-appellants, Eric B. Settoon, Jr. (Father), Eric B. Settoon, Jr. (Infant) and Vicki Storer Settoon, instituted suit seeking $32,100,000.00 in damages because of the alleged tortious conduct of Dr. Louis I. Tyler in entering a hospital room at Woman's Hospital in Baton Rouge while Mrs. Settoon was breast feeding the infant. Defendants are Woman's Hospital Foundation, d/b/a Woman's Hospital, Dr. Louis I. Tyler, Dr. David S. Miller, and their insurer, *75 Saint Paul Fire and Marine Insurance Company.

The court below granted Dr. Miller's motion for summary judgment and dismissed plaintiff's suit as to that defendant. Plaintiffs have appealed the dismissal.

FACTS

On the morning of June 5, 1974, Mrs. Settoon, pregnant, was admitted to Woman's Hospital by her attending physician, Dr. Joseph Farris, an obstetrician. She signed the standard "Consent for Treatment" form containing the sentence, "The undersigned, as patient or authorized agent of patient, hereby authorizes and consents to any and all medical and all diagnostic treatments as may be deemed advisable by my doctor or such other physician as he may designate." The last clause of such phrase, "such other physician as he may designate," however, was crossed out. At approximately 5:30 p.m. that afternoon, Mrs. Settoon gave birth to Infant, by caesarean section performed by Dr. Farris.

Mr. Settoon in affidavit opposing Dr. Miller's motion for summary judgment states that Dr. Farris, tired and needing rest, stated that he was going home and that Mr. Settoon could select a pediatrician in the morning. Mr. Settoon stayed at the hospital until some time after midnight when he went home after being assured that his wife and Infant were in satisfactory condition.

Plaintiff's petition alleges, inter alia, that the next morning Mr. Settoon returned to the hospital and talked to his wife for a few minutes with the Infant present. Plaintiffs further allege that Mrs. Settoon desired to breast feed Infant, so that, the usual and customary signs were displayed, indicating that Infant was being breast fed and that no admittance was allowed by anyone. Mr. Settoon was required to leave the room and the curtain around Mrs. Settoon's bed was drawn. Allegedly, at this point, Dr. Tyler abruptly entered the room and saw Mrs. Settoon "scantily clad and in an uncompromising (sic) position." [1]

THEORIES OF LIABILITY OF DR. MILLER

Dr. Miller is allegedly liable under numerous theories of law. Essentially they appear to be as follows:

1) Dr. Tyler at the time of the alleged tortious intrusion was supposedly acting as Dr. Miller's partner, agent, or employee and thus, under various theories of law, Dr. Miller is liable for Dr. Tyler's actions.

2) Mr. and Mrs. Settoon admit that it was clearly understood with the hospital that a pediatrician would have to be called in for the Infant. However, it is their contention that it was also understood that they reserved the right to choose the pediatrician, a right they were never allowed. Since Dr. Miller was never selected by the plaintiffs, his actions are allegedly tortious.

And, 3) Dr. Miller, according to paragraph 55 of plaintiffs' petition, "did not use reasonable care and/or skill and was negligent in the premises, proximately causing injury and damages to petitioners, in the following respects:

"a. in acting in breach of the admission contract.

b. in examining Infant without authority.

c. in assaulting a minor.

d. in engaging the services of the defendant, Tyler, without authority.

e. in displaying lack of professional judgment.

f. in displaying lack of judgment.

g. in acting in an uncouth and/or crude manner.

*76 h. in depriving petitioners of their civil rights.
i. in forcing himself and his services upon petitioners.
j. in invasion of privacy.
k. in forcing Tyler and his services upon petitioners.
l. in failing to see what he should have seen and to take heed.
m. in upsetting petitioners to the point that Infant could not be properly cared for.
n. in attempting to solicit business.
o. in breaching professional ethics.
p. in breaching hospital ethics.
q. in breaching hospital rules and regulations.
r. in displaying conduct unbecoming of a physician.
s. in unlawfully obtaining medical information.
t. in depriving petitioners of a choice of pediatricians.
u. in engaging in mal-practice.
v. and was otherwise guilty of not using due or reasonable care or skill and was negligent in the premises."[2]

WERE THERE ANY GENUINE ISSUES OF MATERIAL FACT IN DISPUTE? IS DR. MILLER ENTITLED TO JUDGMENT AS A MATTER OF LAW?

Dr. Miller attached a sworn affidavit to his motion for summary judgment. It reads in pertinent part as follows:

"1. That he is a named defendant in the above entitled action; that he is competent to testify and has personal knowledge of the facts hereinafter set forth except as otherwise designated.
2. Prior and subsequent to June 5, 1974, affiant is and has been a fully licensed physician engaged in the practice of pediatrics in the City of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and is listed as a staff pediatrician for the Woman's Hospital in that City.
3. That it is a requirement of the Woman's Hospital that all newborn infants be placed under the care of an approved physician. If the parents have not designated one to be responsible for their newborn infant then the obstetrician who delivers the baby will designate a pediatrician to take over the responsibility, or the hospital will assign one from the hospital staff list.
4. Affiant is informed that the Settoon baby was delivered in the late afternoon of June 5, 1974, by caesarian section. No pediatrician having been listed by the parents, Dr. Joseph Farris, since deceased, the attending obstetrician, assigned Dr. Miller to be the attending pediatrician for the infant. Attendants in the hospital nursery routinely called Dr. Miller's residence about 6:30 p.m.; advised that a newborn infant had been assigned to him; and that the infant appeared normal and healthy. In such circumstances Dr. Miller's nursery orders for care of the infant are routinely put into effect. Had the infant shown any signs of having problems Dr. Miller would have been notified and been expected to take care of them in person or by instructions to the nurses assigned to the nursery. Normally, in such cases, the assigned pediatrician examines the infant within 24 hours, usually on his morning rounds at the hospital.
5. Thursday, June 6, 1974, was Dr. Miller's regular "day off" from his practice.
*77 6. During the year 1974 affiant and Dr.

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Bluebook (online)
331 So. 2d 73, 1976 La. App. LEXIS 4290, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/settoon-v-st-paul-fire-marine-ins-co-lactapp-1976.