Opinion ID: 2469561
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: breach of express warrantyburden of proof

Text: The facts are not in dispute. As the trial court stated in its order, the question before it was one of law. On appellate review of such a case, we simply determine whether appellee was entitled to judgment as a matter of law. National Park Medical Center, Inc. v. Arkansas Dep't of Human Servs., 322 Ark. 595, 911 S.W.2d 250 (1995). As his first point for reversal, appellant argues that expert testimony is not necessary to establish a cause of action based on breach of express warranty where the breach can be proven from evidence that is within a jury's common knowledge. Appellant acknowledges that he seeks recovery for a medical injury as defined by section 16-114-201(3), and that his burden of proof is therefore governed by section 16-114-206. He argues, however, that when section 16-114-206 is applied to his breach-of-warranty claim, he is placed in the ridiculous posture of being required to offer proof that appellee was negligent in order to prove that appellee breached an express warranty. In summary, appellant's first point has two components: one, he should not be required to prove negligence in this case in order to sustain a cause of action for breach of express warranty; two, expert testimony is not required in his case for breach of express warranty because the contract issue is within the common knowledge of lay persons. Appellee responds that expert testimony is required regardless of whether a medical-malpractice plaintiff's claim is for negligence or breach of warranty, essentially because the general public is not knowledgeable regarding techniques and procedures for hair-transplant surgery. Appellee responds further that regardless of appellant's argument on this point, he is entitled to summary judgment because appellant did not plead nor offer proof of an express warranty made by him to appellant. The trial court ruled that, if the injury complained of is a medical injury, expert testimony is necessary to establish the standard of care and breach thereof and that proof is governed by section 16-114-206 regardless of whether the claim is for negligence or breach of warranty. Because appellant stipulated he would not offer expert testimony on the standard of care and breach thereof, the trial court ruled appellee was entitled to judgment as a matter of law. The trial court's ruling was in error for two reasons. First, expert testimony is not necessary per se in every medical malpractice case. Our law is well-settled that expert testimony is required only when the asserted negligence does not lie within the jury's comprehension as a matter of common knowledge, when the applicable standard of care is not a matter of common knowledge, and when the jury must have the assistance of experts to decide the issue of negligence. Robson v. Tinnin, 322 Ark. 605, 911 S.W.2d 246 (1995) (citing Prater v. St. Paul Ins. Co., 293 Ark. 547, 739 S.W.2d 676 (1987)). To emphasize that expert testimony is not required in every medical-malpractice case per se, we repeat a statement from Graham v. Sisco, 248 Ark. 6, 449 S.W.2d 949 (1970), that was quoted in Davis v. Kemp, 252 Ark. 925, 481 S.W.2d 712 (1972): The necessity for the introduction of expert medical testimony in malpractice cases was exhaustively considered in Lanier v. Trammell, 207 Ark. 372, 180 S.W.2d 818 (1944). There we held that expert testimony is not required when the asserted negligence lies within the comprehension of a jury of laymen, such as a surgeon's failure to sterilize his instruments or to remove a sponge from the incision before closing it. On the other hand, when the applicable standard of care is not a matter of common knowledge the jury must have the assistance of expert witnesses in coming to a conclusion upon the issue of negligence. Id. at 926, 481 S.W.2d 712-13. This court has consistently applied this rule of law from the landmark case of Lanier to cases arising under the Arkansas Medical Malpractice Act. See, e.g., Robson, 322 Ark. 605, 911 S.W.2d 246. The second reason the trial court's order was erroneous is because section 16-114-206 does not apply to actions for medical injury based on breach of express warranty when the issue is whether the medical-care provider guaranteed the results. To so apply section 16-114-206 would defy common sense and produce absurd results, and this court does not interpret statutes in that manner. Rosario v. State, 319 Ark. 764, 894 S.W.2d 888 (1995). There is no doubt that, as appellant concedes, his claim for breach of warranty is included in section 16-114-201's definitions of action for medical injury and medical injury: (1) Action for medical injury means any action against a medical care provider, whether based in tort, contract, or otherwise, to recover damages on account of medical injury; . . . . (3) Medical injury or injury means any adverse consequences arising out of or sustained in the course of the professional services being rendered by a medical care provider, whether resulting from negligence, error, or omission in the performance of such services; or from rendition of such services without informed consent or in breach of warranty or in violation of contract; or from failure to diagnose; or from premature abandonment of a patient or of a course of treatment; or from failure to properly maintain equipment or appliances necessary to the rendition of such services; or otherwise arising out of or sustained in the course of such services. [Emphasis added.] And it is true that section 16-114-206(a) purports to establish the burden of proof in any action for medical injury: (a) In any action for medical injury, the plaintiff shall have the burden of proving: (1) The degree of skill and learning ordinarily possessed and used by members of the profession of the medical care provider in good standing, engaged in the same type of practice or specialty in the locality in which he practices or in a similar locality; (2) That the medical care provider failed to act in accordance with that standard; and (3) That as a proximate result thereof, the injured person suffered injuries which would not otherwise have occurred. However, the three requirements of section 16-114-206(a), namely the degree of skill and learning ordinarily possessed and used by members of the profession, failure to act in accordance with that standard, and proximate result, typify three requirements of a cause of action sounding in tort: duty, breach, and cause. These three requirements have no relevance in a contract-based cause of action arising out of a guarantee of specific, favorable results. The standard of care used by medical-care providers in similar communities and situations simply has no relevance in a case where the sole issue is whether a medical-care provider breached this particular express warranty. Plainly, the trial court's construction of sections 16-114-201 and -206 achieves an absurd result that was not intended by the General Assembly. It would defy common sense to conclude that the General Assembly, by recognizing claims for breach of warranty and contract in its definition of medical injury, intended to establish a burden of proof consisting solely of tort-based elements in a warranty case based on a guarantee. When stating the rule of law as to a physician's duty to his patient, courts have said that in the absence of a special contract or express warranty, the physician does not warrant the success of his treatment but only that he or she will follow the applicable standard of care. See generally Jack W. Shaw, Jr., Annotation, Recovery Against Physicians on Basis of Breach of Contract to Achieve Particular Result or Cure, 43 A.L.R.3d 1221, § 5 (1972 & Supp.1994). However, when courts have been presented with an allegation that a special agreement or express warranty was made and breached, such as we have here, the contract actions were allowed and analyzed on contract law rather than negligence law. See, id. (citing Camposano v. Claiborn, 2 Conn.Cir.Ct. 135, 196 A.2d 129 (1963)). We therefore conclude there is merit in appellant's argument that the trial court's application of section 16-114-206 to his claim for breach of express warranty put him in the ridiculous posture of having to prove negligence in order to sustain his contract claim for breach of express warranty regarding the results and therefore was error. Accordingly, we reverse and remand that part of the trial court's order granting summary judgment to appellee on the breach-of-warranty claim due to appellant's failure to satisfy section 16-114-206. We noted earlier that, as an alternative means of affirming the summary judgment in his favor, appellee contends that appellant failed to allege or prove appellee made an express warranty. In support of this contention, appellee cites Brumley v. Naples, 320 Ark. 310, 896 S.W.2d 860 (1995), a case in which we recently affirmed a summary judgment in favor of a physician who was sued for breach of contract. Brumley is distinguished from the present case on two bases: one, Brumley involved a breach-of-contract claim rather than a breach-of-express-warranty claim; and two, Brumley did not involve advertisements espousing guarantees as does the present case. While it is true that appellant stated in his deposition that appellee made no other representations to him than those in the advertisements that appellant observed in a men's restroom and in the telephone directory's yellow pages, appellee nevertheless made the representations in the advertisements and appellee does not dispute this. Attached to appellant's response to the motion for summary judgment was appellee's deposition wherein he stated he placed the alleged advertisements in the yellow pages and in men's rooms and ladies' rooms in restaurants in Little Rock, Conway, Hot Springs, Jacksonville, and Shreveport. Copies of the alleged advertisements were also attached to the response. Appellant stated in his deposition, which was also attached to his response, that he discussed the advertisements with appellee and that they discussed the particular procedures appellee performed on the man depicted in the advertisements as similar to the procedures appellee would perform on appellant. Moreover, appellant alleged in his complaint that he relied on the advertisements. Due to the erroneous ruling on the application of section 16-114-206 to appellant's breach-of-warranty claim, the trial court did not rule on the issue of whether the advertisements were express warranties made by appellee. While we are not aware of any Arkansas law directly on point, we are well aware that it has long been the law in this state that physicians may make an express contract with a patient whereby the physician makes a special agreement with the patient or promises to cure the patient. Guild v. Whitlow, 162 Ark. 108, 257 S.W. 383 (1924). The General Assembly was no doubt aware of this rule of law when it included breach of warranty and contract in the definitions of actions for medical injury. Likewise, we are aware that under the Uniform Commercial Code, which we acknowledge is not applicable to a contract for services by a physician but nevertheless provides guidance on contract principles by analogy, this court could not say as a matter of law that no express warranty had been made when a seller of goods placed advertisements of his goods relating to their quality. Little Rock School Dist. v. Celotex Corp., 264 Ark. 757, 574 S.W.2d 669 (1978). Consequently, because appellant did indeed plead and offer some proof of an express warranty made by appellee, and because appellant alleged by complaint that he relied on the advertisements in receiving treatment, we cannot affirm the summary judgment on the basis that appellant failed to plead or prove that a contract or express warranty existed. In summary, the trial court erred in concluding as a matter of law that expert testimony is required per se in every action for medical injury. It erred further by applying section 16-114-206 to the claim for breach of express warranty and thereby terminating the breach-of-warranty claim without considering and applying principles of contract and warranty law.