Opinion ID: 2378166
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: facts

Text: ¶ 2 On May 24, 2004, Jacob Eskelson stuck a bead in his ear. His mother, Lavon Eskelson, first took Jacob to Wee Care Pediatrics, where a nurse practitioner attempted to remove the bead with a saline flush and soft curette. When this failed, Mrs. Eskelson took Jacob to the emergency room at Davis Hospital and Medical Center where Dr. Apfelbaum unsuccessfully attempted to remove the bead with bayonet forceps and then with a soft curette. Because Jacob was becoming agitated during the procedures, Dr. Apfelbaum requested that Mrs. Eskelson restrain him. Mrs. Eskelson testified in her deposition that Jacob suffered intense pain during the procedure and that there was blood on the soft curette Dr. Apfelbaum used in attempting to extract the bead, both of which are signs of a perforated eardrum. The following day, Dr. Stoker, an ear nose and throat specialist, examined Jacob and discovered blood in his ear, but could not observe the tympanic membrane. Several days later, Dr. Stoker put Jacob under general anesthesia and removed the bead. At that time, he observed that Jacob's eardrum had been perforated. ¶ 3 Mr. Eskelson sought to introduce expert testimony from Dr. Kim Bateman to establish that Dr. Apfelbaum departed from the standard of care in three ways. First, before Dr. Apfelbaum's final attempt to remove the beadthe attempt when he allegedly perforated Jacob's eardrumhe should have informed Mrs. Eskelson of the potential consequences of attempted extraction. Second, Dr. Apfelbaum should have stopped the procedure when Jacob became agitated and difficult to control. Third, by continuing to attempt to extract the bead, Dr. Apfelbaum caused Jacob unnecessary pain. ¶ 4 Dr. Apfelbaum moved to strike Dr. Bateman's testimony on the grounds that it was purely speculative and it failed to meet the requirements of Utah Rule of Evidence 702. Dr. Apfelbaum also moved for summary judgment arguing that if the court struck Dr. Bateman's testimony, Mr. Eskelson would be without the expert testimony necessary to establish medical malpractice. After a two and a half hour hearing, the district court granted the motion to strike, finding that Dr. Bateman's testimony did not comply with rule 702. Specifically, the district court found that Dr. Bateman's testimony was not based on any scientific, technical, or other scientific knowledge, that his testimony would not assist the trier of fact, and that his methods were not generally accepted by the relevant scientific community. The district court then granted summary judgment in favor of Dr. Apfelbaum because Mr. Eskelson had no expert to establish that Dr. Apfelbaum breached the applicable standard of care.