Opinion ID: 2156626
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Fine v. Dr. Checcio

Text: In June of 1998, Dr. Checcio recommended that Fine's four wisdom teeth, three of which were impacted and one malaposed, be surgically extracted. Fine accepted Dr. Checcio's recommendation and signed a consent form, which set forth the complications and physical conditions that could follow the surgery. The consent form included: Lip, tongue, chin, gums, cheeks, and teeth, Parasthesia/Anesthesia (Numbness may be permanent). (R.198a). Dr. Checcio and Fine discussed the procedure and what Fine could expect. While Dr. Checcio testified in her deposition that she explained to Fine that the risk in his case for post-operative numbness was higher than usual because of the position of the inferior alveolar nerve in his mouth, Fine testified in his deposition that Dr. Checcio did not do so. Dr. Checcio removed Fine's four wisdom teeth on July 17, 1998, cutting soft tissue and drilling bone. At that point, Fine had pain, bleeding, infection, swelling, and numbness on both sides of his face. As of July 17, 1998, Fine knew he was hurt; considered the conditions he was experiencing to be normal; believed the facial numbness to be one of several after-surgery effects; and found the numbness significant in scope. (R. 175a, 343a, 347a). Except for the numbness, these conditions disappeared entirely. From July 20, 1998 to October 9, 1998, Fine saw Dr. Checcio in her office on ten separate occasions. During each of the visits, Fine and Checcio discussed the lack of sensation that Fine continued to experience in his face. According to Fine, Dr. Checcio repeatedly told him that it would take about six months for the numbness to subside. According to Dr. Checcio, she consistently gave Fine a balanced prognosis, informing' him that in the worst case scenario, she would refer him to an oral maxillofacial surgeon for an evaluation. While sensation returned to most of Fine's face, the numbness in an area approximately two fingers in width and an inch in length on the left side of his lip and chin persisted. On April 16, 1999, Fine signed an authorization that permitted his attorney to retrieve his medical records from the surgery. About a year after the surgery was performed, Fine came to believe that the persistent numbness was abnormal. On August 8, 2000, Fine commenced an action in tort against Dr. Checcio. In his amended complaint, Fine alleged, inter alia, that Dr. Checcio was negligent in transecting his inferior alveolar nerve during the surgery and for failing thereafter to refer him to a neurosurgeon. Fine also alleged that the damage to the nerve caused him permanent facial numbness. Dr. Checcio raised the statute of limitations as an affirmative defense in her answer and new matter. On November 5, 2001, Dr. Checcio filed a motion for summary judgment, asserting that Fine's action, filed on August 8, 2000, was time-barred under 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(2), inasmuch as it was not filed within two years of July 17, 1998, the date of Fine's surgery. In response, Fine asserted that there existed material, disputed facts as to whether the limitations period was tolled under the discovery rule or the doctrine of fraudulent concealment. The trial court denied Dr. Checcio's motion for summary judgment, without opinion. The case proceeded to trial. On April 26, 2002, a jury returned a $500,000 verdict in Fine's favor. Dr. Checcio's post-trial motions were denied. A judgment was entered in Fine's favor on August 28, 2002. Dr. Checcio filed a timely appeal in the Superior Court. On appeal, Dr. Checcio asserted, inter alia, that the trial court erred in denying her motion for summary judgment. In an unpublished opinion, the Superior Court agreed and reversed the judgment for Fine. [2] The Superior Court found that on July 17, 1998, when the surgery ended, Fine knew that he was hurt and that he was experiencing significant and unexpected numbness. Based on these facts, the Superior Court concluded that the discovery rule was inapplicable because Fine knew of his injury and its cause at the time the injury was inflicted. Determining that Fine failed to establish that Dr. Checcio either intentionally or unintentionally concealed the true nature of his injury from him, the Superior Court also concluded that the doctrine of fraudulent concealment was not triggered. Thus, the Superior Court ruled that the limitations period in 42 Pa.C.S. § 5524(2) began to run on July 17, 1998, and held that Fine's action, having been commenced more than two years from that date, was time-barred. Fine filed a petition for allowance of appeal, which this court granted.