Title: Audrey Guzman v. St. Francis Hospital, Inc.
Citation: N/A
Docket Number: 1998AP002710
State: Wisconsin
Issuer: Wisconsin Supreme Court
Date: May 2, 2000

2000 WI 34 
 
SUPREME COURT OF WISCONSIN 
 
 
Case No.: 
98-2710 
 
 
Complete Title 
of Case: 
 
Audrey Guzman, Nicanor Guzman, Jessica  
Guzman, a minor, and Steven Guzman, a  
Minor, by their Guardian ad Litem,  
 
Plaintiffs-Respondents 
 
v. 
St. Francis Hospital, Inc., American  
Continental Insurance Company and  
Wisconsin Patients Compensation Fund,  
 
Defendants-Appellants, 
St. Francis Hospital,  
 
Defendant-Third-Party Plaintiff, 
James Sullivan, M.D., Physicians  
Insurance Company of Wisconsin, Richard  
Fitzpatrick, M.D., and Southeastern  
Emergency Medical Services, S.C.,  
 
Third-Party Defendants-Appellants, 
XY & Z Insurance Company,  
 
Third-Party Defendant.  
 
 
ON BYPASS FROM THE COURT OF APPEALS 
 
 
Opinion Filed: 
May 2, 2000 
Submitted on Briefs: 
      
Oral Argument: 
April 5, 2000 
 
 
Source of APPEAL 
 
COURT: 
Circuit 
 
COUNTY: 
Milwaukee 
 
JUDGE: 
Patricia D. McMahon 
 
 
JUSTICES: 
 
Concurred: 
      
 
Dissented: 
      
 
Not Participating:       
 
 
ATTORNEYS: 
For defendants-appellants, St. Francis Hospital, 
Inc. and American Continental Insurance Company, there were 
 
2 
briefs (in the court of appeals) by John A. Nelson, Timothy W. 
Feeley and von Briesen, Purtell & Roper, S.C., Milwaukee. 
 
 
For defendant-appellant, Wisconsin Patients 
Compensation Fund, there were briefs (in the court of appeals) by 
Steven J. Caulum and Bell, Gierhart & Moore, S.C., Madison, and 
William H. Levit, Jr., Michael B. Apfeld, and Godfrey & Kahn, 
S.C., Milwaukee, and oral argument by Michael B. Apfeld. 
 
 
For the third-party defendant-appellant, James 
Sullivan, M.D., there were briefs (in the court of appeals) by 
Paul Kelly, Amy Doyle and Schellinger & Doyle, S.C., Waukesha. 
 
 
For the third-party defendant-appellant, Richard 
Fitzpatrick, M.D., there were briefs (in the court of appeals) by 
Lori Gendelman, Jeffrey J.P. Conta and Otjen, Van Ert, Lieb & 
Weir, S.C., Milwaukee. 
 
 
For the third-party defendant-appellant, 
Southeastern Emergency Medical Services, S.C., there were briefs 
(in the court of appeals) by Mary Lee Ratzel, Peter F. Mullaney 
and Peterson, Johnson & Murray, S.C., Milwaukee. 
 
 
For the third-party defendants-appellants there 
was oral argument by John S. Skilton and Foley and Lardner, 
Madison. 
 
 
For the plaintiffs-respondents there was a brief 
(in the court of appeals) by Ted M. Warshafsky and Warshafsky, 
Rotter, Tarnoff, Reinhardt & Bloch, S.C., Milwaukee, and Edward 
E. Robinson and Cannon & Dunphy, S.C., of counsel, Brookfield, 
and oral argument by Ted M. Warshafsky. 
 
 
An amicus curiae brief was filed by David M. 
 
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Skoglind, and Aiken & Scoptur, S.C., Milwaukee, on behalf of the 
Wisconsin Academy of Trial Lawyers. 
 
 
An amicus curiae brief was filed by Richard H. 
Middleton, Jr., Ned Miltenberg, and the Association of Trial 
Lawyers of America, Washington, D.C., and Merrick R. Domnitz and 
Domnitz, Mawicke & Goisman, S.C., Milwaukee, on behalf of the 
Association of Trial Lawyers of America. 
 
2000 WI 34 
 
NOTICE 
This opinion is subject to further editing and 
modification.  The final version will appear 
in the bound volume of the official reports. 
 
 
No. 98-2710 
 
STATE OF WISCONSIN                    :  
  IN SUPREME COURT 
 
 
Audrey Guzman, Nicanor Guzman, Jessica  
Guzman, a minor, and Steven Guzman, a  
minor, by their Guardian ad Litem,  
 
          Plaintiffs-Respondents, 
 
     v. 
 
St. Francis Hospital, Inc., American  
Continental Insurance Company and  
Wisconsin Patients Compensation Fund,  
 
          Defendants-Appellants, 
 
St. Francis Hospital,  
 
          Defendant-Third-Party Plaintiff, 
 
James Sullivan, M.D., Physicians  
Insurance Company of Wisconsin, Richard  
Fitzpatrick, M.D., and Southeastern  
Emergency Medical Services, S.C.,  
 
          Third-Party Defendants- 
          Appellants, 
 
XY & Z Insurance Company,  
 
          Third-Party Defendant. 
 
 
FILED 
 
MAY 2, 2000 
 
Cornelia G. Clark 
Clerk of Supreme Court 
Madison, WI 
 
 
 
 
 
No. 
98-2710 
 
 
2 
APPEAL from an order of the Circuit Court for Milwaukee 
County, Patricia D. McMahon, Judge.  Order granting bypass 
vacated and cause remanded to the Court of Appeals. 
 
¶1 
PER CURIAM.   The court is equally divided on whether 
to affirm or reverse the order of the circuit court for 
Milwaukee County.  Chief Justice Abrahamson, Justices Bablitch 
and Bradley would affirm.  Justices Wilcox, Crooks and Sykes 
would reverse.  Justice Prosser did not participate.   
When a certification or bypass results in a tie vote by 
this court, the better course of action is to vacate our 
decision to accept certification or bypass and remand the cause 
to the court of appeals.  State v. Richard Knutson, Inc., 191 
Wis. 2d 395, 396-97, 528 N.W.2d 430 (1995) (remanding to court 
of appeals on a tie vote on certification); State v. Elam, 195 
Wis. 2d 683, 684-85, 538 N.W.2d 249 (1995) (restating rule but 
declining to remand to court of appeals on a tie vote on bypass 
because court of appeals had previously decided issue).   
Accordingly, we vacate our order granting bypass and remand 
to the court of appeals.   
By the Court.— Order granting bypass vacated and cause 
remanded to the court of appeals.    
 
 
No. 
98-2710 
 
 
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