Wilkinson v. Clark

558 S.W.2d 490, 1977 Tex. App. LEXIS 3446
CourtCourt of Appeals of Texas
DecidedOctober 13, 1977
DocketNo. 5783
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 558 S.W.2d 490 (Wilkinson v. Clark) 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
Wilkinson v. Clark, 558 S.W.2d 490, 1977 Tex. App. LEXIS 3446 (Tex. Ct. App. 1977).

Opinion

OPINION

McDONALD, Chief Justice.

This is an appeal by Plaintiff Wilkinson from a take-nothing judgment in a medical malpractice suit, and involves the application of the “Dead Man’s Statute” (Article 3716 VATS).

Plaintiff sued Dr. Dan H. Clark on July 8, 1974 alleging plaintiff (an A & M student) went to Dr. Clark (the Student Health Center Doctor) with an eye injury on March 26, 1973; and again later; that he thereafter consulted Dr. Brenner a specialist in Ophthalmology, and it was determined plaintiff had a detached retina which was surgically repaired by Dr. Brenner on May 20, 1973. Plaintiff alleged Dr. Clark negligent on two separate occasions 1) in failing to properly diagnose and treat him; and 2) in failing to immediately refer him to a specialist in Ophthalmology for corrective surgery. Plaintiff further alleged Dr. Clark’s negligence was a proximate cause of deterioration of his eye which made surgical repair less effective, to his damage.

On September 24,1974 plaintiff amended substituting Pauline W. Clark Independent Executrix of the Estate of Dr. Clark, as defendant, (Dr. Clark having died).

In January 1975 defendant propounded written interrogatories to plaintiff; and in May 1975 took the oral deposition of plaintiff.

Prior to trial defendant filed Motion In Limine for instruction to plaintiff not to testify as to any conversation “plaintiff had with Dr. Clark or as to any tests performed by Dr. Clark during the care and treatment provided on March 26 and April 20, 1973, because such conversations and test results are clearly transactions with the deceased as defined by the Texas Dead Man’s Statute (Article 3716) and, therefore are inadmissible into evidence”.

The trial court sustained such Motion In Limine, and plaintiff perfected his bill of exception to such action.

The cause was thereafter tried to the court without a jury, which rendered judgment plaintiff take nothing.

Plaintiff appeals on 2 points contending:

[492]*4921) The trial court erred in holding on the basis of the Dead Man’s Statute (Article 3716) that plaintiff could not testify regarding medical treatment provided by Dr. Clark.
2) The trial court erred in holding that defendant had not waived the protection of the Dead Man’s Statute (Article 3716) by the interrogatories propounded to plaintiff, and the taking of plaintiff’s oral deposition.

Contention 1 asserts the trial court erred in holding plaintiff could not testify regarding medical treatment provided by Dr. Clark on the basis of the Dead Man’s Statute; that the Dead Man’s Statute is simply inapplicable to this case.

Plaintiff testified on Bill of Exceptions that he sustained an injury to his left eye on March 17, 1973, that he went to the Medical Center and consulted with Dr. Clark on March 26,1973; that he explained to Dr. Clark how the injury occurred and the symptoms which followed; that Dr. Clark instructed plaintiff to place a piece of paper over his right eye while Dr. Clark moved a finger in front of his left eye; that Dr. Clark performed no other tests; that Dr. Clark prescribed “Visine” and told plaintiff to come back if he did not get better; that he used the eye drops as instructed, did not improve, but worsened; that he returned to Dr. Clark on April 20, 1973; that a urinalysis and a blood sugar test were performed with results of “normal”; that Dr. Clark on determining plaintiff would be returning to his home in Houston in three weeks at the end of the semester suggested he see an ophthalmologist when he arrived in Houston, but did not indicate to him that the delay might worsen his condition; that he returned to Houston, went to see an eye specialist on May 16, 1973 who diagnosed a detached retina and performed corrective surgery on May 20, 1973; that altho the eye was corrected as best possible, he had suffered irreversible damage due to the delay in proper treatment.

Article 3716 prohibits parties testifying to transactions with, or statements by, a deceased person in actions by or against executors, administrators, heirs, guardians and legal representatives, in which action judgment may be rendered for or against them as such, unless called to testify by the opposite party.

Plaintiff is a party; Dr. Clark is deceased; the cause is an action against the executrix of deceased, and judgment may be rendered against her as such.

The words “transaction with” includes “Every method by which one person can derive impressions or information from the conduct, condition, or language of another”. Holland v. Nimitz, Com.App., adopted 111 Tex. 419, 232 S.W. 298, 299; Hart v. Rogers, Tex.Civ.App., NRE, 527 S.W.2d 230; Insurance Company of America v. Royer, Tex. Civ.App., NRE, 547 S.W.2d 350.

“Transaction with” includes medical services rendered by a physician. Garwood v. Schlichenmaier, Er.Ref., 25 Tex.Civ.App. 176, 60 S.W. 573; Anderson v. Caulk, Tex. Civ.App., 5 S.W.2d 816, Aff’d. 120 Tex. 253, 37 S.W.2d 1008.

And in Texas the Dead Man’s Statute is applicable to negligence cases involving personal injuries to a plaintiff. Andreades v. McMillan, Tex.Civ.App., Er.Dism’d, 256 S.W.2d 477; Grant v. Griffin, Tex., 390 S.W.2d 746.

The trial court properly excluded testimony of plaintiff’s medical treatment provided him by Dr. Clark.

In his brief plaintiff asserts the A & M University medical records which were admitted on the bill of exceptions should be admissible on the trial of the case. We agree. Poehnert v. Coryell, Tex.Civ.App., NWH, 317 S.W.2d 84; Chajkowski v. Clements, Tex.Civ.App., Er.Dism’d, 229 S.W.2d 633; 2 McCormick Sec. 1262; Loper v. Andrews, Tex., 404 S.W.2d 300.

But such cannot serve to reverse this case because: 1) Plaintiff has no point in his brief complaining of any refusal of the trial court to admit such records on the trial of the case; 2) plaintiff did not tender such records into evidence on the trial of the case; 3) plaintiff’s Motion In Limine did [493]*493not request the court to exclude such records. It only moved the trial court to instruct “plaintiff not to testify regarding any conversation that plaintiff had with Dr. Clark or as to any tests performed by Dr. Clark during the care and treatment provided on March 26 and April 20, 1973 * * * 4) the trial court sustained plaintiff’s Motion In Limine, but did not instruct plaintiff not to offer the A & M records; it only instructed plaintiff not to testify.

Point 1 is overruled.

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Bluebook (online)
558 S.W.2d 490, 1977 Tex. App. LEXIS 3446, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/wilkinson-v-clark-texapp-1977.