Thao Chau v. Riddle

212 S.W.3d 699, 2006 WL 2773050
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedNovember 30, 2006
Docket01-04-00551-CV
StatusPublished
Cited by9 cases

This text of 212 S.W.3d 699 (Thao Chau v. Riddle) 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
Thao Chau v. Riddle, 212 S.W.3d 699, 2006 WL 2773050 (Tex. Ct. App. 2006).

Opinions

OPINION

GEORGE C. HANKS, JR., Justice.

Thao Chau and Ha Dien Do, individually and as next friend of their minor children, S.D. and H.D. (collectively referred to as “the Dos”), appeal the trial court’s order granting Jefferson Riddle, M.D. and Greater Houston Anesthesiology, P.A.’s (“GHA”) motion for summary judgment and dismissing the Dos’ claims against them. In five issues, the Dos argue that (1) the trial court erred in striking their expert’s affidavit and their second supplemental designation of expert witnesses; (2) the trial court erred in striking two paragraphs from another expert’s affidavit; (3) the trial court erred in overruling their objections to the affidavits filed by two defense experts; and (4) the trial court erred in granting Riddle and GHA’s motion for summary judgment and dismissing the Dos’ claims. We affirm.

Background

On October 29, 2001, Dr. Jefferson Riddle was an on-call anesthesiologist at Memorial Southwest Hospital. On this same day, Thao Chau, pregnant with twins, went into labor at Memorial Southwest and remained in labor until the morning of October 30, 2001. Ms. Chau’s obstetrician, Dr. Le, decided to perform an emergency cesarean section, and Dr. Riddle was called to provide anesthesia for Ms. Chau during the surgery. After an unsuccessful attempt to use epidural anesthesia, Dr. Riddle administered general anesthesia to Ms. Chau.

At 2:46 a.m. on October 30, 2001, S.D. was delivered “floppy,” without any tone and very pale. The neonatal team took over S.D.’s care, but, after failing to resuscitate him, Dr. Le asked Dr. Riddle to assist. Dr. Riddle proceeded to intubate S.D. Afterwards, Dr. Riddle, using a stethoscope, listened and reported hearing breath sounds in S.D.’s chest. He also reported seeing S.D.’s chest rise. At this time, the neonatal team proceeded with the resuscitation, and Dr. Riddle returned to Ms. Chau, who was experiencing bleeding from a uterine atony.1

S.D.’s endotracheal tube was secured by a nurse on the neonatal team. Two members of S.D.’s neonatal team reported hearing breath sounds in S.D.’s chest, although one other member reported not hearing breath sounds. The neonatal team started chest compressions as S.D. remained unresponsive. Dr. Ruiz-Puyana, an on-call neonatologist, arrived in the operating room approximately 13 to 15 minutes after S.D. was delivered and took over efforts to resuscitate him. Dr. Ruiz-Puya-na reported not hearing breath sounds and found that the intubation tube was lodged in S.D.’s esophagus. Dr. Ruiz-Puyana ex-tubated and re-intubated S.D., at which time his color improved, but he still did not have a heart rate. Dr. Ruiz-Puyana then administered medications and afterwards detected a heart rate. S.D. suffered permanent brain damage due to a lack of oxygen.

On July 22, 2002, the Dos brought a healthcare liability suit against Dr. Riddle alleging medical malpractice in his care of S.D. The suit also named GHA, Riddle’s [703]*703employer, as being vicariously liable for the alleged negligence.2

The trial court granted Riddle and GHA’s motion to limit expert testimony to one witness in each area of expertise. The Dos de-designated Dr. Scott Reeves and left Dr. Ronald Katz as their testifying anesthesiology expert.

Riddle and GHA moved for both traditional and no-evidence summary judgments. The motion asserted that there was no evidence that Dr. Riddle was negligent in his care of S.D. and, in the alternative, if there was a fact issue on this claim, Dr. Riddle should prevail under a traditional summary judgment because he proved his Good Samaritan affirmative defense.3

In response to the summary judgment motion, the Dos submitted two affidavits from Dr. Reeves, their previously de-des-ignated expert. Dr. Reeves testified that an “on call” anesthesiologist expects emergencies, which include intubating newborns. Dr. Reeves further testified that Dr. Riddle cannot prevail on the Good Samaritan defense because he became associated with Dr. Le when Le asked him to assist in the caesarian section; therefore, Dr. Riddle became S.D.’s physician while intubating him. Also, despite what Dr. Riddle asserted in his affidavit, Dr. Reeves testified that Dr. Riddle would be entitled to remuneration for S.D.’s intubation, which would also fall outside the Good Samaritan statute. The Dos filed a second supplemental designation of expert witnesses that re-designated Dr. Reeves as an additional anesthesiology expert.

Dr. Riddle and GHA moved to strike Dr. Reeves’s affidavits as well as the Dos’ second supplemental designation of expert witnesses. The Dos did not respond to the motion, and it was granted. Dr. Riddle and GHA then filed a motion to strike paragraphs six and nine of Dr. Katz’s affidavit for not being probative on the issue of whether Dr. Riddle was entitled to receive remuneration for his services of S.D. Again, the Dos did not respond, and the trial court granted the motion. Finally, at a hearing on the motion for summary judgment, the trial court granted summary judgment to Dr. Riddle and GHA, and the case was dismissed with prejudice.

Expert Testimony

In issues one and two, the Dos argue that the trial court erred in striking their second amended designation of expert witnesses, Dr. Reeves’s affidavits, and paragraphs six and nine of Dr. Katz’s affidavit. In issues three and four, the Dos contend that the trial court erred in overruling their objections to the affidavits filed by two defense experts.

Designation of Expert Witnesses

Exclusion of expert testimony is reviewed under an abuse of discretion standard. McIntyre v. Ramirez, 109 S.W.3d 741, 749 (Tex.2003). A trial court abuses its discretion if it acts arbitrarily, unreasonably, or without reference to guiding rules or principles. Powers v. Mem’l Hermann Hosp. Sys., 81 S.W.3d 463, 465 (Tex.App.-Houston [1st Dist.] 2002, pet. denied). Under an abuse of discretion standard, a reviewing court may [704]*704not substitute its own judgment for that of the trial court. Bowie Mem’l Hosp. v. Wright, 79 S.W.3d 48, 52 (Tex.2002).

Unless otherwise ordered by the court, a party must designate experts within a specified time frame. See Tex.R. Civ. P. 195.2. A party has a duty to amend or supplement responses to discovery when the party learns that the discovery was incomplete or incorrect. See Tex.R. Civ. P. 193.5. Testimony not disclosed in response to discovery is permitted upon a showing of good cause or if its use would not unfairly surprise or prejudice the other party. Tex.R. Civ. P. 193.6. Exclusion of a witness for a party’s failure to timely or properly designate a witness is a sanction available to the trial court. Tex.R. Civ. P. 193.6.

Here, the modified docket control order indicated that only one expert per specialty could be designated. Accordingly, the Dos designated Dr. Ronald Katz as their testifying anesthesiology expert. In their second supplemental designation of expert witnesses, the Dos re-designated Dr. Reeves without de-designating Dr. Katz. The Dos filed no response to Dr. Reeves and GHA’s motion to strike; therefore, we hold that the trial court acted within its discretion when it struck Dr.

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