Title: Emrie v. Tice

State: kansas

Issuer: Kansas Supreme Court

Document:

174 Kan. 739 (1953)
258 P.2d 332
A.P. EMRIE, Appellee,
v.
GALEN M. TICE, M.D., Appellant.
No. 39,000

Supreme Court of Kansas.
Opinion filed June 6, 1953.
Leonard O. Thomas, of Kansas City, argued the cause, and Arthur J. Stanley, Arthur J. Stanley, Jr., J.E. Schroeder, Lee E. Weeks, Blake Williamson, James K. Cubbison and Lee Vaughan, all of Kansas City, were with him on the briefs for the appellant.
John E. Blake, of Kansas City, argued the cause, and Bill E. Fabian and Robert E. Fabian, both of Kansas City, and Sam B. Sebree, Edgar Shook, David R. Hardy, and James H. Ottman, all of Kansas City, Mo., were with him on the briefs for the appellee.
*740 The opinion of the court was delivered by
WEDELL, J.:
The petition in a malpractice case was framed on two separate theories. The first cause of action was based on specific allegations of negligence. The second cause of action was predicated on the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur.
Defendant appeals from the orders overruling his demurrer to each count contending neither stated a cause of action.
The amended petition, omitting the caption, allegations as to the total amount of damage and prayers is appended hereto for reference and as a part hereof.
Appellant motioned both causes of action, contending they should be made definite and certain. The motion directed to the first cause of action, which we shall consider first, contained sixteen paragraphs, some of which were multiple in character. Some parts of the motion were in the alternative in that they sought to have certain allegations stricken unless the first cause of action was made to comply with appellant's motion to make it definite and certain.
Paragraphs five and sixteen of the motion were as follows:
..............
Paragraphs five and sixteen of the motion were sustained and the amended petition conformed to that order. In other respects the motion was overruled. In construing the sufficiency of a pleading all of the allegations thereof are to be considered together, and it is not proper to segregate allegations and determine the sufficiency without respect to the context of the whole pleading. (Fyne v. Emmett, 171 Kan. 383, 233 P.2d 496.) Upon studious analysis and consideration of each part of the motion and of allegations of the original petition as a whole we have concluded the trial court did not abuse sound judicial discretion in overruling other portions of the motion. Under repeated decisions of this court, relied on by appellee, the amended petition, therefore, was not rendered subject to strict construction *741 on demurrer. (Henderson v. National Mutual Cas. Co., 164 Kan. 109, 187 P.2d 508; Powell v. Powell, 172 Kan. 267, 239 P.2d 974; Moffet v. Kansas City Fire & Marine Ins. Co., 173 Kan. 52, 224 P.2d 228.) We, therefore, need not discuss the abstract question argued by the parties whether the demurrer should be sustained if the amended petition were to be strictly construed.
It is not the function of a petition to narrate the evidence. It is sufficient to set forth the substantive facts in ordinary and concise language. (Du Bois v. City of Galena, 128 Kan. 253, 276 Pac. 802.) A petition which fairly apprizes defendant what plaintiff's claim is to be is not properly subject to a motion to make definite and certain and where a motion thereto is properly resisted and overruled the rule of strict construction on demurrer does not apply. (Zink v. Basham, 164 Kan. 456, 460, 190 P.2d 203; Henderson v. National Mutual Cas. Co., supra.) For a careful detailed analysis of rulings on a motion to make a petition in a malpractice case definite and certain, see Zink v. Basham, supra.
We turn now to the questions presented by appellant on his demurrer to the first cause of action of the amended petition. They are:
With respect to "A" above referred to, the amended petition clearly discloses this is not an action against a state hospital or against appellant in a governmental capacity but against him in his personal capacity as an expert or specialist in the treatment of human ailments by X-ray and radium therapy. The action is based on allegations which, in substance, are:
Appellant personally examined appellee, advised him the wart or growth on the upper part of his right ear could be removed and *742 recommended it be removed by X-ray treatment; that appellant assumed the duty of properly and safely removing it by X-ray and radium therapy treatments; such treatments were at all times under appellant's direction, supervision and control and he supplied such treatment.
There are allegations appellant assumed personal responsibility for the treatment. Other allegations are that it was upon this basis appellee submitted himself to appellant for treatment.
Allegations pertaining to appellant's position as a faculty member of the school of medicine and that he was a staff member of the hospital in charge of its X-ray and radium therapy department were descriptive of the high rank and position of responsibility held by him in the particular scientific field involved. It appears they were pleaded as inducements which prompted appellee to submit himself to appellant for examination and to have the wart or growth removed by him. The petition alleged appellant, not someone else, made the examination and that appellant assumed the obligation of rendering the professional service. In paragraph 4 of the first cause of action are set forth the specific negligent acts with which appellant is charged. Appellant contends these allegations of negligence are pleaded in the alternative. We think it cannot accurately be said paragraph 4 (1) is pleaded in the alternative. In any event the alternative allegations contained in paragraph 4 (2), (3), (4) and (5) are not demurrable for the reason a plaintiff may charge such negligence in the alternative where, as here, each alternative act alleged constitutes a violation of a defendant's duty under the alleged assumption of a defendant's personal responsibility for treatment. Of course, the allegation of such assumption of responsibility may or may not be established on the trial. With that question we have no present concern. For the purpose of ruling on the demurrer the allegation of appellant's assumption of personal responsibility stands admitted.
A petition which contains alternative averments is good as against a demurrer where a cause of action is stated under either an alternative averment or set of averments. (Miller v. Johnson, 155 Kan. 829, 130 P.2d 547; Kloepfer v. Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Rld. Co., 174 Kan. 96, 254 P.2d 243; 41 Am. Jur., Pleading, §§ 41, 42.)
A party may charge all the acts of negligence known to him but may recover on only such acts of negligence as are established by proof. (Turner v. George Rushton Baking Co., 135 Kan. 484, 489, *743 11 P.2d 746.) The petition, however, must state a cause of action on each theory. See Gibson v. Bodley, 156 Kan. 338, 344, 133 P.2d 112; Kloepfer v. Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Rld. Co., supra, as applied to pleading negligence and the doctrine of last clear chance. In view of the allegation of appellant's assumption of duty to remove properly and safely the wart or growth by X-ray and radium therapy we think we are obliged to say a cause of action was stated under either of the alternatives alleged in the first cause of action irrespective whether the injuries were caused by appellant's personal negligence in treating appellee, by improper supervision and direction of another, or others, who may have assisted him, or whether he failed to supervise properly the particular work he had personally assumed in order to see it was performed with due care. Here again we are not presently concerned with what the evidence may be on any phase of the subject but only with the sufficiency of allegations in this particular petition.
Appellant relies on Sproul v. Russell, 135 Kan. 620, 11 P.2d 978, in which it was held:
The opinion discloses the decision is not controlling here. Among other distinguishing factors in that case this court stated:
Appellant also leans heavily on Hohenthal v. Smith, 114 F.2d 494. The portion of the opinion relied on by appellant is not applicable here. The instant case does not pertain to negligent treatment or care of a patient by a nurse or other hospital employee after an operation has been performed by a doctor. It pertains solely to alleged negligence involving the specific services for which appellant was personally employed and which it is alleged he assumed the duty to perform properly.
Appellant likewise relies on Warren v. City of Topeka, 125 Kan. 524, 265 Pac. 78, 57 A.L.R. 555. There negligence was charged against the city and a party who under contract with the city was operating a swimming pool in the city park over which the city reserved complete supervision and control including the entire park and property therein and the right from time to time to impose rules and regulations as to the operation of the concessions granted. It was held the individual defendant was more nearly an employee of the city than a lessee and that a breach of his contract with the city did not render him liable for damages to a citizen or resident unless there was privity of contract between such citizen and the individual contractor who was operating the pool for the city. The case is not controlling. Among other distinguishing features there was privity of contract between appellee and appellant in the instant case. If appellant has a valid defense on the theory of being engaged in the performance of a governmental function it does not affirmatively appear in the petition and cannot be raised on demurrer to the petition.
In the light of what has been said we need not further treat questions presented by appellant under "A" 1, 2, and 3, previously set forth.
Our attention is next directed to the second cause of action in which appellee sought to invoke the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur. Appellant's motion was:
*745 It has been said where specific acts of negligence are proved the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur does not apply. (Waddell v. Woods, 158 Kan. 469, 471, 148 P.2d 1016.) Appellee's theory of the second cause of action was not predicated on specific acts of negligence. His idea clearly was to file the second cause of action on the theory of res ipsa loquitur and to rely on it in the event he failed to establish the specific acts of negligence pleaded in the first cause of action. In order, however, to plead fully the circumstances and conditions, as far as he was able to do so, under which he submitted himself to appellant for treatment, which have been stated and need not be repeated, he made paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 of count one a part of count two. In addition thereto he expressly, among other things, stated, in substance:
The X-ray treatments and the instrumentalities used were under the sole control and supervision of appellant; the severe burns to other portions of his head, face and neck, remote from his right ear, would not have occurred if the treatment had been administered in a careful and proper manner; that he was without knowledge of the proper technique, method or manner of giving and applying X-ray treatments and relied on appellant to render them in a proper and careful manner, which appellant failed to do and that such injuries were directly and proximately caused by appellant's negligence and carelessness.
The wart or growth on his ear was not within his view as was the leg injury in the Waddell case and we think he was not obliged to attempt to describe the general physical make-up of machines or instrumentalities employed by appellant or to attempt to state, under such circumstances, what was objectively done in the manner of treatment in order to state a cause of action under res ipsa loquitur.
In Starks Food Markets, Inc. v. El Dorado Refining Co., 156 Kan. 577, 134 P.2d 1102, we held:
By the same token where knowledge of the specific negligence is lacking, a plaintiff may so state and plead the circumstances. This we think he did about as fully as reasonably might be expected.
To have sustained appellant's motion would have compelled appellee to plead specific acts of negligence as to scientific matters concerning which he alleged he had no knowledge and would have precluded his right to attempt to state a cause of action under another theory, namely, the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur. The motion was properly overruled.
Does the second count state a cause of action under that doctrine where the injuries sustained are alleged to have resulted from negligent X-ray treatments? Appellant contends we have held the doctrine does not apply to a case of that character, citing Waddell v. Woods, supra. The contention is too broad. The majority of this court held the doctrine did not apply to the facts alleged in the particular petition there under scrutiny. (p. 476.)
Before considering whether there are differences in the petitions in the Waddell and the instant case it may be well to admit we recognized in the Waddell case that in a majority of cases it has been held the doctrine does not apply in a case of mere unsatisfactory results of an X-ray treatment. It must be borne in mind this is not a case based on unsatisfactory results with respect to the removal of the wart or growth on the upper part of appellee's right ear. This is a case involving severe burns to portions of appellee's head, face and neck and for the damages alleged to have resulted from the latter.
Appellee asserts the second count contains a clear statement of the circumstances and conditions, including appellant's personal examination of the wart or growth, his advice it be removed, his assumption of the duty to remove it in a proper manner and that the treatments and instrumentalities used were under appellant's sole control and supervision. The second count does so allege. Appellee further contends the second count contains a statement of every material allegation the majority believed to be lacking in the petition in the Waddell case. A comparison of the petitions leads us to conclude the contention is substantially correct.
*747 We adhere to the statement of the rule in Starks Food Markets, Inc. v. El Dorado Refining Co., supra, where it was said:
It seems to us proof of the allegations in count two of the instant petition will not result in leaving the cause of the injuries open only to conjecture. We think the various allegations therein contained, together with the nature and location of the injuries for which damages are sought, are sufficient, if established on the trial, to make a prima facie case under the doctrine of res ipsa loquitur.
The orders overruling the demurrer to counts one and two are sustained.
"COUNT I
..............
"COUNT II