IN THE

TENTH COURT OF APPEALS

No. 10-11-00306-CV

ST. JOSEPH REGIONAL HEALTH CENTER,

Appellant

v.

MIKE HOPKINS AND DAVID HOPKINS AS 

HEIRS OF ELIZABETH DEAVERS,

Appellees

From the 85th District Court

Brazos County, Texas

Trial Court No. 10-000742-CV-85

O P I N I O N

Elizabeth Deavers, now deceased, sued St. Joseph Regional Health Center for 

negligence and requested damages that included the cost of future custodial care. On 

February 14, 2011, the jury returned a verdict for Deavers that included $411,936 in 

future custodial care expenses. On March 4, 2011, before a judgment was rendered on 

the jury’s verdict, Deavers died. The trial court substituted Deavers’ heirs, Mike 

Hopkins and David Hopkins, as plaintiffs in the proceeding and rendered judgment on 

the jury’s verdict. St. Joseph appeals; and we affirm.
St. Joseph Regional Health Center v. Hopkins Page 2

When a party to a jury trial dies between verdict and judgment, judgment shall 

be rendered and entered as if all parties were living. TEX. R. CIV. P. 156. This has been 

the law in Texas since 1846. Act of May 13, 1846, 1st Leg. § 37, 1846 Laws of Texas 1678. 

After the verdict but before Deavers’ death, St. Joseph requested that the trial court 

order future custodial care expenses awarded by the jury be paid in periodic payments. 

TEX. CIV. PRAC. & REM. CODE ANN. § 74.503(a) (West 2011). Subchapter K of the Texas 

Medical Liability Act creates this option, applicable only if requested, concerning the 

payment of future damages. See TEX. CIV. PRAC. & REM. CODE ANN. §§ 74.501-74.507 

(West 2011). If and when requested, the trial court “shall” order periodic payments, 

rather than a lump sum, for future damages, such as custodial care services, awarded in 

a health care liability claim. Id. § 74.503(a). Periodic payments for custodial care 

services, however, terminate on the plaintiff’s death. Id. § 74.506(b). Further, future 

damages, if any, that are not set up as periodic payments remain as traditional lump 

sum amounts in the judgment. See id. § 74.503(a). After Deavers’ death, St. Joseph

withdrew its request for periodic payments under the Texas Medical Liability Act.

In one issue, St. Joseph contends the trial court erred in awarding judgment on 

the verdict for future custodial care expenses that, it alleges, will never be incurred. 

With this issue, St. Joseph seeks to dissolve 166 years of Texas law. Although St. Joseph 

initially requested periodic payments of the future custodial care expenses awarded by 

the jury, which would have then terminated upon Deavers’ death, St. Joseph withdrew 

its request for periodic payments. Because St. Joseph withdrew its request for periodic 

payments, subchapter K of the Medical Liability Act no longer applies, and payment of 
St. Joseph Regional Health Center v. Hopkins Page 3

future custodial care is not terminated. What remains is 166 years of law currently 

embodied in Rule 156 which requires a judgment to be rendered as if all parties were 

living. Because the trial court followed Rule 156, it did not err in rendering judgment 

on the jury’s verdict. Accordingly, St. Joseph’s sole issue is overruled.

The trial court’s judgment is affirmed. 

TOM GRAY

Chief Justice

Before Chief Justice Gray,

Justice Davis, and

Justice Scoggins

Affirmed

Opinion delivered and filed December 6, 2012

[CV06]