Case Name: Diane ALDRICH and James Aldrich, her husband, Appellants, v. ROCHE BIOMEDICAL LABORATORIES, INC. et al., Appellees
Court: Florida District Court of Appeal
Jurisdiction: Florida
Decision Date: 1999-06-04
Citations: 737 So. 2d 1124
Docket Number: No. 98-2528
Parties: Diane ALDRICH and James Aldrich, her husband, Appellants, v. ROCHE BIOMEDICAL LABORATORIES, INC. et al., Appellees.
Judges: ANTOON, J., concurs.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 737
Pages: 1124–1128

Head Matter:
Diane ALDRICH and James Aldrich, her husband, Appellants, v. ROCHE BIOMEDICAL LABORATORIES, INC. et al., Appellees.
No. 98-2528.
District Court of Appeal of Florida, Fifth District.
June 4, 1999.
Rehearing Denied Aug. 5, 1999.
Mark A. Nation of The Nation Law Firm, Longwood, for Appellants.
William E. Ruffier and Ruth C. Osborne of Sanders, McEwan, Martinez, Luff & Dukes, P A,, Orlando, for Appellees.

Opinion:
GOSHORN, J.
Diane and James Aldrich timely appeal the partial summary final judgment in favor of Harvey Bernhardt, M.D., and Bernhardt Laboratories, P.A. (hereinafter Bernhardt), in the Aldriches' suit for medical negligence and spoliation of evidence. The Aldriches argue that the court abused its discretion in entering summary judgment in Bernhardt's favor based on the spoliation of the evidence. We agree and reverse.
The suit stemmed from the late discovery of Diane Aldrich's cervical cancer. Her 1994 pap smear slide was read as normal by a technician at Bernhardt's laboratory; similarly, her 1995 pap smear slide was read as normal by a technician at Roche Biomedical. A 1996 cervical biopsy showed cancer, notwithstanding the earlier lab test reports. Aldrich, at age 24, underwent extensive surgical procedures, including a radical abdominal hysterectomy. She alleged in her complaint that had the diagnosis been made earlier, she could have been treated without the extreme surgical measures; however, the delay in diagnosis resulted in the progression of abnormal cells in the cervix to endometrial cancer. Count I asserted a medical negligence claim based on Bernhardt's failure to detect, identify, and report the abnormalities.
Before this matter reached the presuit investigation stage, Bernhardt and Lab-Corp sent the 1994 and 1995 pap smear slides (respectively) to Dr. David Maurer for a second opinion. Dr. Maurer interpreted both slides as containing abnormal cell groups consistent with adenocarci-noma, which correlated well with the cervical biopsy. The parties stipulated that "David A. Maurer, M.D.'s secretary, Marilyn Smith, returned the slide received from Bernhardt Laboratories, P.A. to Laboratory Corporation of America (LabCorp) by U.S. Mail" and that "[t]he pap smear slide reviewed by Bernhardt Laboratories, P.A. and re-reviewed by David A. Maurer, M.D. is missing, and has not been located."
Bernhardt, in its affirmative defenses, asserted that Aldrich "or other parties" had lost the slides and without the slides, Bernhardt could not defend the case. In its motion for summary judgment, Bernhardt referenced the affidavit of David Petersen, a cytotechnologist at LabCorp, who stated that the slides had not been returned to his attention and he had never seen them again after they were sent to Dr. Maurer in May 1996. He stated that in 1997, he had conducted a thorough search of LabCorp's facilities and had failed to find the slides or any records or evidence the slides had been returned. He concluded that therefore the slides were not in LabCorp's possession, were not lost by LabCorp, and in fact were lost by Dr. Maurer or en route from Dr. Maurer to LabCorp. Bernhardt also filed the affidavit of its expert pathologist, Dr. Franklin, who stated, "I am unable to render an expert opinion on behalf of Dr. Bernhardt due to the absence of the pap smear slide Dr. Bernhardt or his laboratory allegedly misread."
The trial court found that Bernhardt was entitled to summary final judgment due to the spoliation of the evidence and entered judgment accordingly.
Spoliation is defined as "[t]he intentional destruction of evidence and when it is established, fact finder may draw inference that evidence destroyed was unfavorable to party responsible for its spoliation.... The destruction, or the significant and meaningful alteration of a document or instrument." Black's Law Dictionary 1401 (6th ed.1990) (citations omitted). While the intentional destruction of evidence is usually met with the most severe sanction, Metropolitan Dade County v. Bermudez, 648 So.2d 197 (Fla. 1st DCA 1994), the inadvertent destruction of evidence generally calls for a lesser sanction, unless the opposing party demonstrates that its case is fatally prejudiced by its inability to examine the lost evidence. Sponco Mfg., Inc. v. Alcover, 656 So.2d 629 (Fla. 3d DCA 1995), rev. dismissed, 679 So.2d 771 (Fla.1996)
In Sponco Manufacturing, Inc., the court set forth the following test:
What sanctions are appropriate when a party fails to preserve evidence in its custody depends on the willfulness or bad faith, if any, of the party responsible for the loss of the evidence, the extent of prejudice suffered by the other party or parties, and what is required to cure the prejudice.
Id. at 630 (citations omitted). Applying this test, the Aldriches conclude (1) they had no responsibility for the loss — the slides were lost either by the United States Postal Service or LabCorp; (2) there is little prejudice because Bernhardt had scientifically examined the 1994 slide before it was lost (referring to Bernhardt's 1994 reading of the slide), the Aldriches retain the burden of proof, and both parties will have the same problem because of the missing slides; and (3) there is no need to "cure the prejudice." The Ald-riches point out that Bernhardt originally chose to have a cytotechnologist, not a medical doctor, review the slide and contend that if cytoteehnologists are good enough for life and death decisions, they should be good enough for litigation. We agree.
Interestingly, under the facts of this case, the blame for the loss of the slides cannot be placed with confidence on any party. As stipulated, the 1994 slide was returned by Dr. Maurer's secretary. Whether the slide was then lost in the mail or whether LabCorp received the slide and then lost it, cannot be ascertained. We are not unmindful of the affiant's concluso-ry statement that the slides were not lost by LabCorp; however, this statement is outside the scope of the affiant's knowledge. All he can say is that a search was made six months after the slides were mailed by Dr. Maurer's secretary and the slides were not found. Obviously the simple fact that an object is not located does not mean the object was never in one's possession. Given that it cannot be established that LabCorp did not lose the slides, the trial court abused its discretion in entering summary judgment for Bernhardt. See Stevenson v. Stevenson, 661 So.2d 367 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995) (holding that because "it has not been proven conclusively that [the former wife] is responsible [for the disappearance of the original modified agreement]," it is not appropriate to impose a presumption against the former wife even though the missing agreement, which had "disappeared under questionable circumstances," would have been unfavorable to her); King v. National Sec. Fire & Cas., 656 So.2d 1335 (Fla. 4th DCA 1995) (holding that it was error to impose an evidentiary presumption in favor of the defendant because the law firm responsible for losing the message slips was not a party to the action and thus the destruction of the firm's message slips was not imputable to the plaintiff).
This case does not turn on whether different doctors could have legitimate differences of opinion on the course of treatment to be taken based on the slide; rather, it turns purely on a question of fact. The slide either showed the presence of cancer cells or it did not. Once Bernhardt read the slide and reported that the slide showed normal cells, Bernhardt's position was sealed. At trial, Bernhardt can have the cytotechnologist testify to her conclusions and the Aldriehes can have Dr. Maurer testify to his conclusions. This is to be done without any shifting of burdens, rebuttable presumptions, or striking of testimony.
REVERSED and REMANDED for further proceedings.
ANTOON, J., concurs.
HARRIS, J., dissents, with opinion.
. Bernhardt Laboratories provided "overflow" laboratory services to Roche Biomedical Labs, Inc. In 1995, Roche merged with another group and became Laboratory Corporation of America Holdings (LabCorp). The summary final judgment was only as to Bernhardt; LabCorp's motion for summary judgment was denied.
. This according to LabCorp's motion to dismiss.
. This language, if not an actual admission that LabCorp was in receipt of the slides, is dangerously close thereto.
. While we cast no aspersion on the veracity of LabCorp's contention that it does not have the slides, the fact that the loss of the slides apparently works to LabCorp and Bernhardt's benefit cannot go without notice.
. The dissent fails to recognize the fact that both sides face the same problem because of the loss of the slides. Without the slides, the suit is a credibility contest in which the Aid-riches have the burden of proof. Further, the case cited by the dissent, DePuy, Inc. v. Eckes, 427 So.2d 306 (Fla. 3d DCA 1983), involved two distinguishing factors. First, suit had already been filed when the evidence was sent to defendants' expert for testing. Second, the plaintiff entrusted the evidence to defendants only after securing an order prohibiting the destruction of the evidence. Defendants were subject to this order at the time their expert placed the evidence in the mail. In the instant case, the slides were sent off for a second opinion at the behest of the Aldriehes' treating physician' — prior to the presuit investigation stage. Suit had not been filed and may not have even been contemplated. In any event, no order was violated.