Case Title: Hertlein v. St. Paul Fire & Marine Ins. Co.

Citation: 

Docket Number: 

State: arkansas

Court: Arkansas Supreme Court

Date: 1996-02-05T00:00:00Z

Document:
Brenda HERTLEIN, Administratrix of the Estate
of Edward Hertlein v. ST. PAUL FIRE AND
MARINE INSURANCE COMPANY and Philip Tippin,
M.D.

95-407                                             ___ S.W.2d ___

                    Supreme Court of Arkansas
               Opinion delivered February 5, 1996


1.   Appeal & error -- summary judgment -- standard of review. --
     Where the operative facts of a case are undisputed, the
     supreme court simply determines on appeal whether the appellee
     was entitled to summary judgment as a matter of law.

2.   Physicians & surgeons -- Medical Malpractice Act -- applicable
     to case of wrongful death resulting from medical malpractice.
     -- Where the present case was undisputedly one for wrongful
     death resulting from medical malpractice, the Medical
     Malpractice Act applied; under Ark. Code Ann.  16-114-202
     (1987), the Medical Malpractice Act expressly "applies to all
     causes of action for medical injury accruing after April 2,
     1979, and, as to such causes of action, shall supersede any
     inconsistent provision of law."

3.   Limitation of actions -- Medical Malpractice Act's statute of
     limitations superseded Wrongful Death Act's statute of
     limitations -- trial court did not err in granting summary
     judgment. -- Where the limitations period provided under the
     Medical Malpractice Act conflicted with the limitations period
     provided under the Wrongful Death Act, the Wrongful Death
     Act's statute of limitations, as an inconsistent provision of
     law, was superseded by the Medical Malpractice Act's statute
     of limitations under Ark. Code Ann.  16-114-202; thus, the
     trial court did not err, as a matter of law, in granting
     appellees' motion for summary judgment where it was undisputed
     that appellant's action was commenced after the expiration of
     the medical-malpractice two-year statute of limitations.


     Appeal from Logan Circuit Court, Northern District; Charles H.
Eddy, Judge; affirmed.
     Dunham & Ramey, P.A., by:  James Dunham, for appellant.
     Shaw, Ledbetter, Hornberger, Cogbill & Arnold, by:  J. Michael
Cogbill, for appellees.

     Donald L. Corbin, Justice.Associate Justice Donald L.
Corbin, 2-5-96  *ADVREP6*






BRENDA HERTLEIN, Administratrix
of the Estate of EDWARD
HERTLEIN,
                    APPELLANT,

V.

ST. PAUL FIRE AND MARINE
INSURANCE COMPANY and PHILIP
TIPPIN, M.D.,
                    APPELLEES,



95-407



APPEAL FROM THE LOGAN COUNTY
CIRCUIT COURT, NORTHERN
DISTRICT,
NO. CIV 94-15 (I),
HON. CHARLES H. EDDY, JUDGE,





AFFIRMED.


     Appellant, Brenda Hertlein, as administratrix of the estate of
Edward Hertlein, deceased, appeals the order of the Logan County
Circuit Court granting summary judgment for appellee, Philip
Tippin, M.D., on the ground that the statute of limitations expired
prior to the commencement of this action for damages caused by
medical injury to appellant's decedent.  In its order, the circuit
court also granted summary judgment for St. Paul Fire and Marine
Insurance Company, however, appellant raises no argument as to that
part of the circuit court's order.  Jurisdiction is properly in
this court pursuant to Ark. Sup. Ct. R. 1-2(a)(3) and (16). 
Appellant's sole point for reversal is that the trial court applied
the wrong statute of limitations.  We affirm the trial court's
judgment.
     Where the operative facts of the case are undisputed, as here,
we simply determine on appeal whether the appellee was entitled to
summary judgment as a matter of law.  National Park Medical Center,
Inc. v. Arkansas Dep't Human Servs., 322 Ark. 595, ___ S.W.2d ___
(1995).
     This action was commenced by complaint filed in May 1994.  The
gravamen of the complaint against appellee is that he acted
negligently in his medical treatment of the decedent, which was
rendered on February 2, 1992, and that his negligence resulted in
the decedent's death on February 3, 1992.  Appellant and her child
are alleged to be the decedent's surviving spouse and child.  The
complaint prayed for damages for the pecuniary injury and extreme
mental anguish of appellant and her child, for appellant's loss of
consortium, for the decedent's medical bills as a result of the
alleged negligence, and for the decedent's funeral expenses. 
     The issue, as framed by appellant, is whether the limitations
period for a cause of action for wrongful death caused by a medical
injury is three years from the decedent's date of death, as
provided by the Wrongful Death Act, Ark. Code Ann.  16-62-102(c)
(1987), or two years from the date of the wrongful act complained
of, as provided by the Medical Malpractice Act, Ark. Code Ann. 
16-114-203(a) and (b) (Supp. 1995).  It is undisputed that this
action was commenced after the medical-malpractice two-year statute
of limitations expired on February 2, 1994, but prior to the
expiration of the wrongful-death three-year statute of limitations
on February 3, 1995.  Relying upon Ruffins v. ER Arkansas, P.A.,
313 Ark. 175,