Tabor v. Doctors Memorial Hosp.

563 So. 2d 233, 1990 WL 73073
CourtSupreme Court of Louisiana
DecidedJune 4, 1990
Docket90-C-0119
StatusPublished
Cited by23 cases

This text of 563 So. 2d 233 (Tabor v. Doctors Memorial Hosp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Louisiana primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Tabor v. Doctors Memorial Hosp., 563 So. 2d 233, 1990 WL 73073 (La. 1990).

Opinion

563 So.2d 233 (1990)

James Fenton TABOR and His Wife, Mary Florence Tabor
v.
DOCTORS MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, HCA Health Services of Louisiana, Inc. d/b/a Doctors Memorial Hospital, Dr. John Dunn, and Emergency Physicians Association.

No. 90-C-0119.

Supreme Court of Louisiana.

June 4, 1990.

*234 Edward J. Walters, Jr., Moore, Walters & Shoenfelt, Baton Rouge, for James F. Tabor and Mary F. Tabor, plaintiffs-applicants.

W. Luther Wilson, Baton Rouge for Dr. John D. Dunn and Emergency Physicians Ass'n Inc., defendant-respondent.

Donald S. Zuber, Seale, Smith, Zuber & Barnette, Baton Rouge, for HCA Health Services of La. Inc. d/b/a Doctor's Memorial Hosp., defendant-respondent.

*235 MARCUS, Justice[*].

James and Mary Tabor brought this medical malpractice action for the wrongful death of their son, Andy.

On Friday, July 3, 1981 at approximately 5:00 P.M., plaintiffs returned to their Baton Rouge home after a business trip. As they pulled into the apartment complex where they lived, they saw their youngest son, Andy, then twenty-two years old. He was staggering and his speech was slurred. Andy told his parents that he was going back to his apartment to sleep. He lived with his brother, Sam, in an apartment just around the corner from his parents. The next contact plaintiffs had with Andy was at 11:30 that same night. They received a call from Sam and immediately went over to their sons' apartment. Andy was groggy and incoherent, and his lips were swollen and purplish. He said he had taken thirteen quaaludes.[1] After unsuccessful attempts to rouse Andy and to induce vomiting, plaintiffs, Sam, and Sam's girlfriend took Andy to the emergency room at Doctors Memorial Hospital.

Dr. John D. Dunn and three nursing personnel staffed the emergency room that night. Dr. Dunn was employed by Emergency Physicians Association, Inc. which contracted with the hospital to provide physician coverage in the emergency room. Dr. Dunn examined Andy, ordered a bilirubin test[2], and collected background information from the family. Dr. Dunn was told that Andy had been depressed recently and was being treated for depression on an out-patient basis by Dr. Lautner, the Tabors' family physician. The family focused on three events as the bases for Andy's depression. His girlfriend broke up with him three weeks earlier. His maternal grandfather, to whom Andy was close, died on June 1 after a protracted illness. In addition, Andy's father was still recovering from a brain aneurysm for which he underwent neurosurgery in March. Based on the physical exam and the history, Dr. Dunn diagnosed ingestion of drugs and depression and concluded that Andy should be admitted to the hospital's psychiatric unit for seventy-two hours. He discussed voluntary admission for in-patient treatment of Andy's depression and the family agreed that that approach was desirable. As a result, Andy signed a Request for Voluntary Admission that night which would immediately admit him to Doctors Memorial Hospital's psychiatric ward for seventy-two hours. While the admission was being processed, the hospital staff realized that Andy was missing. After a search of the hospital and grounds, Sam found Andy in their car smoking a cigarette. He returned to the emergency room without resistance. The staff then learned that the admission was blocked because the hospital could not verify that the Tabors' Blue Cross health insurance would cover psychiatric care. In such a situation, hospital policy requires a $400.00 deposit which the family did not have. Hospital policy also allows the physician to waive the $400.00 requirement when the patient is a true emergency. The three nursing personnel in the emergency room advised Dr. Dunn of the waiver. At least one nurse told Dr. Dunn that he thought that Andy's condition presented an emergency. However, Dr. Dunn decided that Andy was not a true emergency and did not execute the waiver. The family was told to watch Andy and to contact his private physician.

Andy spent the remainder of the night at his parents' apartment. The next day, July 4, Mrs. Tabor tried to reach Dr. Lautner, but learned that he was out of town until *236 after the holiday. Other efforts to obtain medical help were unsuccessful. Andy was still somewhat incoherent, drifting in and out of sleep. His parents took turns sitting with him. Despite their supervision, Andy distracted them and left the apartment through a window during the mid-afternoon. His parents found him shortly thereafter walking back to their home. Later, when the family sat down to supper, Andy seemed fine. After supper, he said he needed some time to himself and wanted to go to his own apartment for a few minutes. His parents objected, but Andy said he needed some time alone and left. A few minutes later, Sam called Andy to check on him. Andy said he was fine and that he would be back in a few minutes. He asked Sam to give his parents and his older sister all his love. That message alerted Mr. Tabor. Sam and he rushed over to the apartment and found Andy with a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the heart. Andy died on the scene. A few days later, an undated suicide note was found in one of Andy's dresser drawers.

In response to a complaint filed by the Tabors, a Medical Review Panel investigated the incident. The panel found that Dr. Dunn failed to comply with the appropriate standard of care, but that this was not a cause of Andy's death.[3] Mr. and Mrs. Tabor then filed suit against Doctors Memorial Hospital (the hospital)[4], Dr. Dunn, and his employer, Emergency Physicians Association, Inc., alleging negligence in failing to admit Andy, in failing to properly instruct them on the precautions to take and the effects of quaaludes, and in failing to transfer Andy to a facility which could treat him. The case was tried before a jury. After the close of all the evidence, the judge granted defendants' motions for directed verdict. Plaintiffs appealed and the court of appeal reversed and remanded for a new trial.[5] At the second trial, the jury returned a special verdict in favor of both the hospital and the doctor finding that neither defendant was at fault. Judgment was entered in favor of all defendants. Plaintiffs appealed. With one judge dissenting, the court of appeal found that Dr. Dunn had not complied with the appropriate standard of care, but concluded that the actions of the defendants were not the cause of Andy's death.[6] Upon plaintiffs' application to this court, we granted certiorari to determine the correctness of that decision.[7]

DR. JOHN D. DUNN

As provided in La.R.S. 9:2794:

A. In a malpractice action based on the negligence of a physician ..., the plaintiff shall have the burden of proving:
(1) The degree of knowledge or skill possessed or the degree of care ordinarily exercised by physicians ... licensed to practice in the state of Louisiana and actively practicing in a similar community or locale and under similar circumstances; and where the defendant practices in a particular specialty and where the alleged acts of medical negligence raise issues peculiar to the particular medical specialty involved, then the plaintiff has the burden of proving the degree of care ordinarily practiced by physicians... within the involved medical specialty.
(2) That the defendant either lacked this degree of knowledge or skill or failed to use reasonable care and diligence, along with his best judgment in the application of that skill, and

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Bluebook (online)
563 So. 2d 233, 1990 WL 73073, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/tabor-v-doctors-memorial-hosp-la-1990.