Opinion ID: 2615017
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: the mother's bodily injury claim

Text: The evidence did not support a mistake-of-judgment instruction. The unwarranted instruction was highlighted by Dr. Keuchel's frequent references to a use of his judgment and his counsel's comments during the closing argument. We find a strong probability that it misled the jurors and caused them to reach a result different from that they would have reached but for the flawed jury charge. Upon retrial, if the evidence is the same, a contributory negligence instruction must be given in the mother's claim only; proximate cause should be a jury question, as it was in the earlier trial. The instructions as a whole correctly place upon the doctors the burden of proving contributory negligence. The jury must also be instructed that while ordinary negligence of the plaintiff may be used as a defense against gross negligence, it may not be considered as a defense against any form of conduct found to be willful and wanton or intentional. Bifurcation of the two claims for retrial will prevent in the trial of the wrongful death claim the jury's imputation of the mother's contributory negligence to the child. A punitive damages instruction was warranted by the evidence.