Smith v. O'Neal

850 S.W.2d 797, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 730, 1993 WL 73477
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedMarch 18, 1993
DocketC14-92-00744-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by13 cases

This text of 850 S.W.2d 797 (Smith v. O'Neal) 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
Smith v. O'Neal, 850 S.W.2d 797, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 730, 1993 WL 73477 (Tex. Ct. App. 1993).

Opinion

OPINION

BOWERS, Justice.

Appellant, Ben Smith, D.D.S., appeals from a jury verdict and judgment in favor of appellee, Catherine Ann O’Neal, in the amount of $56,608.41. In two points of error, appellant complains the trial court erred by allowing appellee's expert witness to testify and by denying appellant’s motion for new trial. We affirm.

This is a medical malpractice claim. On July 16, 1984, Ben Smith, D.D.S., a general practice dentist, initially examined O’Neal. O’Neal testified that she told Dr. Smith she had pain on her lower right side and wanted cosmetic work done on her teeth. Dr. Smith and O’Neal discussed a plan for comprehensive treatment, including root canal and fillings. On July 26, 1984, Dr. Smith told O’Neal that tooth number 14, an upper left molar, should be extracted. O’Neal advised Dr. Smith that another dentist had warned O’Neal in 1982 that tooth number 14 should not be pulled because it was embedded in the sinus. Dr. Smith responded that all of O’Neal’s top teeth were in the sinus and that extraction was no problem. O’Neal relented to Dr. Smith’s judgment and tooth number 14 was extracted. Dr. Smith performed the extraction before doing a general teeth cleaning procedure, a root canal, or other restorative work.

Complications developed in the extraction process resulting in an oral antral perforation of the sinus cavity wall. This perforation resulted in an opening between the mouth and the sinus. Dr. Smith packed the antral opening with gel foam material.

Four days after the extraction, Dr. Smith began root canal work even though the antral opening wound was not healed. On the fifth day following the extraction, Dr. Smith put fillings in four teeth. Dr. Smith, in performing these additional procedures used both high and low speed drills, capable of flinging bacteria and other debris about the mouth.

Three weeks after the extraction, a tissue mass developed in the tooth socket. Dr. Smith removed the mass and curet-taged, repacked, and sutured the area. Approximately two weeks later, on October 4, 1984, a second mass appeared and Dr. Smith referred O’Neal to Dr. James Hebert, an oral surgeon.

Dr. Hebert testified that the degree of infection inhibited proper healing and closure of the extraction site. After several more months, in January 1985, O’Neal was referred to Dr. Joel Berman, an ear, nose and throat specialist. Because of the continual deterioration, Dr. Berman performed an operation known as a Caldwell-Luc procedure. This surgical procedure sealed the extraction site. The surgery required hospitalization and a four to six week recuperation period.

In his first point of error, appellant argues the trial court erred in denying his motion to strike appellee’s expert witness, Dr. Ava Miedzinski.

Appellant submitted interrogatories to appellee requesting, inter alia, that appel-lee “designate any expert witness who may *799 be called to testify....” Appellant also submitted a request for production, in which appellant requested “a copy of each and every journal, book, treatise, article or other piece of medical literature” upon which appellant intended to rely or offer into evidence, or use to examine any medical witness.

On June 14, 1988, appellee designated Dr. Ava Miedzinski as appellee’s expert witness. On July 7, 1988, a report stating Dr. Miedzinski’s opinions was provided to appellant’s counsel. Dr. Miedzinski’s deposition was taken on November 29, 1988 and her earlier opinions were attached as exhibits to her deposition. Also attached as an exhibit to her deposition was a listing of texts Dr. Miedzinski used as source material. In her deposition, Dr. Miedzinski indicated that reprints of text material had been sent to appellee’s counsel, Mr. Powell. She also indicated she had received correspondence from Mr. Powell.

Appellant does not dispute that appel-lee’s expert witness was timely designated. Appellant argued in his motion to strike that Dr. Miedzinski failed to provide copies of correspondence between herself and ap-pellee’s counsel; copies of her notes; and copies of any highlighted textual material related directly to this case. Appellant did not file a pre-trial motion to compel production of these documents. Appellant’s motion to strike was filed on the day of trial, February 11, 1992, approximately three years, 8 months after Dr. Miedzinski’s deposition was taken.

Dr. Miedzinski testified at the hearing on appellant’s motion to strike that she believed she had sent copies of text information and she qualified her answer by stating “I don’t know what I had. Whatever I did have, I either gave it to Mr. Powell or he said that he was going to make copies of everything and I shouldn’t worry about it.” Dr. Miedzinski was not sure if she had delivered copies of pages from source text material and sent it to Mr. Powell, or if she only had referenced the source material to Mr. Powell. Dr. Miedzinski testified she did not retain earlier notes and that she had provided everything she had.

Dr. Miedzinski further testified that the correspondence between herself and Mr. Powell consisted of letters from Mr. Powell requesting that Dr. Miedzinski review the ease, along with transmittal letters when x-rays or other records were sent to her for review. Appellant’s counsel stated he was not interested in pursuing transmittal letters, but was focusing his complaint upon the alleged failure to produce other letters discussing the case. Dr. Miedzinski responded “there never were such letters.” The trial court denied appellant’s motion to strike Dr. Miedzinski as an expert witness.

A request for production does not require a party to create documents to satisfy the requested material. To be subjected to discovery, the thing or document must exist in the custody, control or possession of a party upon whom the request is served. Tex.R.Civ.P. 167. The record challenges the existence of both copied text information allegedly delivered by Dr. Mi-edzinski to appellee’s counsel, and correspondence discussing the case between Dr. Miedzinski and appellee’s counsel.

Dr. Miedzinski’s deposition clearly identifies source text information underlying her opinions. Appellant’s counsel had over three years to investigate that source material. If appellant believed that there were letters discussing the case, and text information with Dr. Miedzinski’s handwritten notations, appellant’s counsel should have filed a motion for sanctions or a motion to compel, before the day of trial. Failure to file such motions, waived any exclusion of testimony. Failure to obtain a pre-trial ruling on discovery disputes that exist before commencement of trial constitutes a waiver of any claim for sanctions based on that conduct. Remington Arms Company Inc. v. Honorable Benjamin Martinez, Judge, 850 S.W.2d 167 (Tex.1993). Rule 215 does not mandate exclusion of the entire testimony of an expert objected to on grounds other than a failure to identify. Tex.R.Civ.P. 215. Dr. Miedzin-ski’s testimony was limited to what was in her report and to what she testified about in her deposition. Appellee did not enter any evidence subject to exclusion because *800 appellee did not offer any evidence not previously disclosed to appellant.

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Bluebook (online)
850 S.W.2d 797, 1993 Tex. App. LEXIS 730, 1993 WL 73477, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/smith-v-oneal-texapp-1993.