Opinion ID: 1709406
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Use of State and Federal Regulations to Inform the Standard of Care

Text: ¶ 43. Mariner argues that the jury instructions amounted to the creation of a cause of action in violation of the well-recognized principle that statutes in derogation of the common law are strictly construed and do not extend liability beyond that which is clearly indicated by their express terms. See Warren v. Glascoe, 880 So.2d 1034, 1037 (Miss.2004). However, the instructions did not purport to create a cause of action based on the so-called Minimum Standards. Instead, the instructions used the definitions of abuse and neglect adopted by the Legislature to help establish the standard of care for a nursing home. ¶ 44. Edwards's estate argues that the definitions of abuse and neglect are proper given this Court's principle that violations of statutes can be introduced as evidence of negligence. See, e.g., Accu-Fab & Constr., Inc. v. Ladner, 778 So.2d 766, 771 (Miss.2001), (use of OSHA regulations was not error where they were admitted not to show negligence but as a measure of reasonable care consistent with industry standards), overruled on other grounds, Mack Trucks, Inc. v. Tackett, 841 So.2d 1107 (Miss.2003); Snapp v. Harrison, 699 So.2d 567, 570 (Miss.1997) (quoting Munford, Inc. v. Peterson, 368 So.2d 213, 217 (Miss. 1979) (violation of the Standard Building Code was evidence of negligence per se, though negligence did not establish causation); Thomas v. McDonald, 667 So.2d 594, 596 (Miss.1995) (violation of statutes governing motor vehicle operation constituted negligence)). However, the Mississippi Vulnerable Adults Act addresses only willful acts or omissions that injure vulnerable adults. See Miss Code Ann. § 43-47-19 (Rev.2004). Edwards's estate alleges negligent acts and omissions of the home and its staff were the proximate cause of Edwards's injuries and death. Because the Minimum Standards address only willful violations, they cannot be employed to establish the standard of care applicable in a negligence suit. ¶ 45. The question remains whether Instructions Nine and Ten, taken together with the other instructions, accurately instructed the jury regarding the standard of care applicable in a negligence suit. Though the use of the Minimum Standards might have been error had they been the only basis for establishing the standard of care, in the present case, the instructions given did not deviate significantly from the standard established by the expert testimony of Mariner's expert witness and the director of nursing at Greenwood Health. In light of this expert testimony, Instructions Nine and Ten were sufficiently accurate to withstand scrutiny regarding the standard of care. ¶ 46. Mariner also objects to Instruction Nineteen, which stated that violation of federal regulations may be considered evidence of negligence, as an impermissibly vague and abstract statement of the law. The cases cited by Mariner are unpersuasive, since they addressed instructions far more inscrutable than the one at issue here. See Fred's Stores, Inc. v. M & H Drugs, Inc., 725 So.2d 902, 917-18 (Miss.1998) (granting of instructions regarding, among other things, the abstract elements of a tort, without any connection to the facts of the case, was error, but ultimately harmless); Freeze v. Taylor, 257 So.2d 509, 511 (Miss.1972) (finding that the instruction [t]he Court instructs the jury for the defendant that liability rests not upon danger but upon negligence, was an impermissibly vague and abstract statement of the law). In the alternative, Mariner argues that this instruction creates a cause of action where none was intended. Warren, 880 So.2d at 1037. However, under Moore, federal regulations applicable to nursing homes may be used to inform the standard of care. Moore, 825 So.2d at 665. While we find the form of Instruction Nineteen to be flawed, particularly regarding the citations to federal regulations in the body of the instruction, we do not find this to be reversible error. We caution against the use of jury instructions reciting regulations as potentially being vague and abstract as there is no connection relating the facts to the elements of standard of care and causation. The assignment of error is without merit.