Opinion ID: 2637863
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Concurrent and Successive Tortfeasors

Text: {30} Prior to trial, Plaintiff requested that the district court restrict Defendants from arguing that the tortious actions of Lewis's assailant, Griego, caused Lewis's injuries. Plaintiff agreed to stipulate that Lewis arrived at the hospital with stab wounds, but she objected to any evidence or argument concerning the source of the wounds. The court denied Plaintiff's motion. At the conclusion of the trial, the district court instructed the jury on the topic of comparative negligence in accordance with UJI 13-302D NMRA 2001. The Court of Appeals made two separate rulings on this issue. First, the Court concluded that the district court's denial of Plaintiff's pretrial request was erroneous. Lewis, 128 N.M. 269, 992 P.2d 282, 1999-NMCA-145, ¶¶ 50-51. The Court determined that the irrelevant evidence of the assailant's fault erroneously distracted the jury from properly examining Defendant's causation. Id. ¶ 52. As explained further below, we believe that the evidence of Griego's fault was of critical importance to the issue of proximate causation, and we therefore disagree with this ruling by the Court of Appeals. Second, the Court of Appeals determined that the district court erred in instructing the jury on comparative fault because the facts in the present case do not support a theory of concurrent tortfeasor liability. We agree with the Court of Appeals that the district court erred in giving a comparative fault instruction, but we do not believe that this instruction caused any prejudice to Plaintiff; on the contrary, the instruction relieved Plaintiff of the burden of proving an element of her claim. {31} The Court of Appeals concluded that both of its rulings on this issue were compelled by our opinion in Lujan v. Healthsouth Rehabilitation Corp., 120 N.M. 422, 902 P.2d 1025 (1995). The Court interpreted Lujan as standing for the proposition that medical malpractice committed while treating an injury caused by an initial tortfeasor and resulting in an enhanced injury constitutes a successive tort for which principles of comparative fault do not apply. Lewis, 128 N.M. 269, 992 P.2d 282, 1999-NMCA-145, ¶ 43. According to the Court of Appeals, [w]hether a tort committed by a tortfeasor is concurrent or successive can be determined as a question of law. Id. ¶ 44. Because principles of comparative fault do not apply in a successive tortfeasor context, the Court determined that evidence of the original tortfeasor's negligence injects a false issue into a trial in an action against a successive tortfeasor. Id. ¶¶ 49-56. Additionally, the Court held that, if the facts of a particular case warrant the argument by either a plaintiff or a defendant that the theory of liability is one of successive and not concurrent tortfeasor liability, or vice versa, then the party arguing such liability has the burden of adducing evidence not only of the negligence of the tortfeasor but of the divisibility or indivisibility of the injury. Id. ¶ 56. Based on this construction of Lujan, the Court of Appeals determined with respect to the present case that the district court should have ruled as a matter of law that Defendants were successive tortfeasors based on Plaintiff's mere allegation of an enhanced injury. Id. ¶¶ 41, 54, 902 P.2d 1025. The Court then held that evidence of the assailant's fault, that is, his criminal liability or his negligence, was irrelevant and improper to a determination of Defendant[s'] liability by the jury. Id. ¶ 50, 902 P.2d 1025. Defendants contend that the Court of Appeals misconstrued our opinion in Lujan. We agree. [2] {32} In New Mexico, the common law doctrines of contributory negligence and joint and several liability have been replaced with a system of pure comparative negligence and, with respect to concurrent tortfeasors, several liability. See NMSA 1978, § 41-3A-1(A) (1987); see also Scott v. Rizzo, 96 N.M. 682, 687-89, 634 P.2d 1234, 1239-41 (1981); Bartlett v. N.M. Welding Supply, Inc., 98 N.M. 152, 158, 646 P.2d 579, 585 (Ct.App.1982). In Lujan, this Court explored the applicability of these principles to cases involving successive tortfeasors. 120 N.M. at 425-27, 902 P.2d at 1028-30. More specifically, Lujan addressed cases involving an initial injury caused by tortious conduct and a subsequent enhancement of the initial injury caused by foreseeable medical negligence occurring during the course of medical treatment for the initial injury. Id. at 426, 902 P.2d at 1029. We limit our discussion to this narrow class of cases. [3] {33} In Lujan, we explained that, with respect to an action by the injured party against the original tortfeasor, the original tortfeasor is jointly and severally liable for the entire harm to the plaintiff, including the original injury and any foreseeable enhancement of the injury by medical negligence. [4] Id. at 426-27, 902 P.2d at 1029-30. When a person causes an injury to another which requires medical treatment, it is foreseeable that the treatment, whether provided properly or negligently, will cause additional harm. Id. at 426, 902 P.2d at 1029; accord Restatement (Second) of Torts § 457 (1965). In other words, the original tortfeasor will not be heard to complain of foreseeable medical negligence precipitated by the initial tortious injury in defense of his or her own liability to the injured party. Accordingly, instead of treating the issue as a question of fact for the jury, as is typical of questions of proximate causation, Calkins v. Cox Estates, 110 N.M. 59, 61, 792 P.2d 36, 38 (1990), we impose as a positive rule of decisional law the requirement of joint and several liability upon the original tortfeasor for the original and enhanced injuries. Herrero v. Atkinson, 227 Cal.App.2d 69, 38 Cal.Rptr. 490, 493 (1964). [5] Thus, an original tortfeasor's liability in the context of subsequent medical negligence operates as an exception to the general rule of several liability. See § 41-3A-1(C)(4) (providing that joint and several liability applies to situations ... having a sound basis in public policy). {34} With respect to claims against the subsequent tortfeasor, we adopted in Lujan the standard for enhanced injuries that the Court of Appeals had previously applied in Duran v. General Motors Corp., 101 N.M. 742, 749-50, 688 P.2d 779, 786-87 (Ct.App. 1983), overruled on other grounds by Brooks v. Beech Aircraft Corp., 120 N.M. 372, 902 P.2d 54 (1995). Lujan, 120 N.M. at 426, 902 P.2d at 1029. The Court of Appeals in Duran derived this standard from Huddell v. Levin, 537 F.2d 726, 737 (3d Cir.1976), in which the Third Circuit discussed the proof requirements for claims against a car manufacturer for design defects resulting in an enhancement of injuries that were caused by an initial car accident, referred to as crashworthiness or second collision claims. Under our application of the standard to medical malpractice cases in Lujan, a plaintiff, whether the initial tortfeasor seeking indemnity or the injured party seeking damages, who pursues an action against a physician and who alleges an enhanced injury caused by tortious medical treatment arising out of an original tort must prove (1) that the successive tortfeasor's negligence resulted in injuries separate from and in addition to the injuries which otherwise would have been caused by the initial tort, and (2) the degree of enhancement caused by the medical treatment by introducing evidence of the injuries that would have occurred absent the physician's negligence. Lujan, 120 N.M. at 426, 902 P.2d at 1029. Under the first element from Lujan, unless the plaintiff establishes an enhancement of the initial injury, then the physician's negligence cannot be said to be a cause in fact of the plaintiff's harm; the plaintiff would have suffered the same harm regardless of the physician's negligence. Under the second element from Lujan, if the initial tortfeasor, or the injured party, as the case may be, is unable to establish the degree of enhancement, then the initial tortfeasor remains responsible for the entire harm. This two-part proof requirement from Lujan effectuates the Legislature's intent that, [w]here a plaintiff sustains damage as the result of fault of more than one person which can be causally apportioned on the basis that distinct harms were caused to the plaintiff,... [e]ach person is severally liable only for the distinct harm which that person proximately caused. Section 41-3A-1(D). {35} Based on the principles articulated above, we conclude that the Court of Appeals erroneously concluded that Defendants could not introduce evidence of Griego's fault. Defendants argued that Griego was wholly responsible for Lewis's death. It is the plaintiff's burden in a negligence case to prove the element of proximate causation. See UJI 13-302B NMRA 2001. Thus, Defendants' argument concerning Griego represents a basic proximate cause defense; if Griego was the sole cause of Lewis's death, as Defendants argued, then Plaintiff would fail to establish that Defendants' negligence proximately caused Lewis's harm. In a typical negligence case involving concurrent tortfeasors, the jury assesses whether each defendant's negligence is a cause of the plaintiff's harm and, if so, then the jury compares the negligence of each tortfeasor in order to assign a percentage of fault. See UJI 13-2219 NMRA 2001. In an enhanced injury case, a jury does not compare the negligence of the tortfeasors for the enhanced injury, but the plaintiff must still prove that the physician's negligence proximately caused an enhancement of the initial harm suffered at the hands of the original tortfeasor. Lujan, 120 N.M. at 426, 902 P.2d at 1029. The physician is only responsible for the enhanced injury if the plaintiff satisfies his or her burden under Lujan of proving both an enhancement and the degree of enhancement. {36} Plaintiff introduced evidence in this case, in the form of expert testimony, that Lewis would have survived but for Defendants' negligent treatment. Defendants countered this theory through contrary expert testimony and by arguing to the jury that Griego alone was responsible for Lewis's death. This is an issue of proximate cause, which is an issue on which Plaintiff bore the burden of proof and an issue that must be resolved by the jury. The Court of Appeals, although recognizing that Defendants' argument related to proximate causation, Lewis, 128 N.M. 269, 992 P.2d 282, 1999-NMCA-145, ¶ 51 (The court thus essentially allowed Defendants ... to successfully argue ... that the assailant, not Defendants, proximately caused the patient's death.), mistakenly extended our remarks in Lujan concerning comparative fault to the issue of proximate causation. A Bartlett -style apportionment of fault is inapplicable to a successive and distinct enhancement, Lujan, 120 N.M. at 426, 902 P.2d at 1029, because the doctrine of joint and several liability applies ... to the enhanced portion of the injury, id. at 427, 902 P.2d at 1030. However, the application of joint and several liability to the enhanced injury requires that the plaintiff first carry the burden of proving proximate causation by establishing an enhanced injury and the degree of enhancement. See id. at 427, 902 P.2d at 1030 (stating that joint and several liability applies to an enhanced injury [i]n cases involving successive tortfeasors whose separate causal contributions to the plaintiff's harm can be measured). {37} The Court of Appeals' holding that any evidence of the initial tort must be excluded creates an impracticable, artificial inquiry which removes any context from the jury's determination of causation. If, based on the two-part Lujan test, a plaintiff fails to prove that a physician's negligence enhanced the original injury, then the original tortfeasor's negligence is the sole proximate cause of the entire harm. Thus, because the issue of proximate cause rests with the jury and because the plaintiff bears the burden of demonstrating an enhancement of the original injury under Lujan, we conclude that a physician accused of subsequent medical negligence may rebut the plaintiff's evidence of causation through evidence of the initial tortfeasor's responsibility for the entire harm. {38} The Court of Appeals, based on its interpretation of Lujan, also concluded that the district court erred in instructing the jury on comparative fault. Lewis, 128 N.M. 269, 992 P.2d 282, 1999-NMCA-145, ¶¶ 55-56. We agree with the Court of Appeals that the district court's comparative fault instruction was erroneous, but for somewhat different reasons. As noted above, Plaintiff introduced evidence that Lewis would have survived if he had received proper medical treatment. Thus, Plaintiff introduced evidence which, if accepted by the jury, would satisfy the first element of Lujan requiring proof of an enhanced injury. However, Plaintiff failed to introduce any evidence of the injuries that Lewis would have received absent negligence on the part of Defendants. As a result, Plaintiff failed to satisfy the second element of the Lujan standard. Indeed, Plaintiff's failure of proof in this case is analogous to the failure of proof in Duran and Huddell. {39} In Duran, the injured party was involved in an initial car accident unrelated to the vehicle's design. Duran, 101 N.M. at 743-44, 688 P.2d at 780-81. In a claim against the manufacturer of the vehicle, the plaintiff argued that injuries sustained from a defective design of the vehicle constituted a second collision and that the vehicle's lack of crashworthiness was the sole proximate cause of the serious injuries suffered in the accident. Id. at 750, 688 P.2d at 787. The plaintiff's expert attempted to establish the extent of injury that the plaintiff would have suffered in a car accident in the absence of a defective design. Id. at 752, 688 P.2d at 789. However, in formulating his opinion about the degree of enhancement, the expert assumed not only the absence of a defective design but also the absence of particular damage to the vehicle that was caused by the initial car accident. Id. The Court of Appeals explained that, in a crashworthiness case, [d]efendants are not liable for injuries caused by the initial impact and [damage to the vehicle] resulting therefrom. They are only liable, if at all, for that portion of the damage or injury caused by the defects over and above the damage or injury that probably would have occurred as a result of the [accident] without those defects. The [expert] does not address this in his testimony. . . . Id. {40} Like Duran, Huddell also involved a crashworthiness claim against the manufacturer of a vehicle that was involved in an initial automobile accident. Huddell, 537 F.2d at 731. The plaintiff, the victim's personal representative, attempted to establish that a defective design caused the victim's death. Similar to the present case, the plaintiff's experts testified that the car accident in which the injured party was involved would have been survivable but for the defective design. Id. at 738. However, the experts did not testify concerning the extent of injuries, if any, which would have resulted in a survivable crash. Id. Without proof to establish what injuries would have resulted from a non-defective [design], the plaintiff could not and did not establish what injuries resulted from the alleged defect. . . . Without such proof, the jury could not have properly ... assessed responsibility against [the manufacturer] for the death of [the victim]. Id. {41} As in Huddell, although Plaintiff introduced evidence that Lewis would have survived if he had received proper medical treatment, Plaintiff failed to demonstrate the extent of injuries that Lewis would have suffered in the absence of Defendant's alleged medical negligence. The Court of Appeals explained in Duran that a failure of proof of this type will result in a directed verdict for a defendant. Duran, 101 N.M. at 753, 688 P.2d at 790. Instead of directing a verdict for Defendants under Lujan, however, the district court denied Plaintiff's pretrial request to prevent the jury from considering Griego's role in Lewis's death and, at the request of both Plaintiff and Defendants, gave an instruction on comparative fault in accordance with UJI 13-302D. While the district court correctly denied Plaintiff's pretrial request, it was error to instruct the jury on comparative fault for two reasons. First, the comparative fault instruction improperly placed the burden on Defendants to show that Griego was a proximate cause of Lewis's death. See UJI 13-302D. Contrary to our adoption of the Huddell test in Lujan, this instruction inappropriately relieved Plaintiff of the burden of proving an enhancement of the original injury caused by Griego and shifted the burden of proving the degree of enhancement to Defendants. Thus, although the Court of Appeals correctly determined that it was error to give this instruction, this error did not prejudice Plaintiff. Second, assuming Plaintiff had successfully demonstrated an enhanced injury and the degree of enhancement, it would be improper to instruct the jury on comparative fault because Defendants would have been liable for the entirety of the enhanced injury and apportionment of fault with respect to the enhancement would be improper. This error also did not prejudice Plaintiff because she failed to introduce any evidence of the degree of enhancement and because the jury did not reach the issue of apportionment of fault. {42} It appears that Plaintiff's basic strategy in this case was to attempt to hold Defendants' jointly and severally liable for the entire harm initiated by Griego. Plaintiff sought to exclude all evidence of Griego's fault and made no effort to prove the degree of enhancement of Lewis's injuries caused by the alleged medical negligence. Plaintiff simply sought to hold Defendants liable for the entirety of Lewis's damages for wrongful death. However, a theory of joint and several liability against a successive medical care provider for the entire harm suffered from both torts is antithetical to the policies underlying our opinion in Lujan and contrary to New Mexico's adoption of several liability. Although an original tortfeasor may be held liable for plaintiff's entire harm, a medical care provider who negligently aggravates the plaintiff's initial injuries is not jointly and severally liable for the entire harm, but is liable only for the additional harm caused by the negligent treatment. Lujan, 120 N.M. at 427, 902 P.2d at 1030. {43} The Court of Appeals recognized this aspect of Lujan. See Lewis, 128 N.M. 269, 992 P.2d 282, 1999-NMCA-145, ¶ 46 (A successive tortfeasor's liability for the enhancement to the original injury is not accurately described as joint and several. Successive tortfeasors are simply liable for the entire enhancement if proximately caused by their negligence.). However, by prohibiting any evidence of the initial tortfeasor's fault and by concluding that trial courts may, in medical malpractice cases, determine successive tortfeasor liability before trial, Lewis, 128 N.M. 269, 992 P.2d 282, 1999-NMCA-145, ¶ 38, the Court of Appeals' interpretation of Lujan is tantamount to instructing trial courts to find for plaintiffs as a matter of law on the issue of proximate causation, as determined by both parts of the Lujan test, based solely on an allegation of an enhanced injury. See id. ¶ 41, 902 P.2d 1025. While we agree that it is possible to determine as a matter of law that a case involving medical treatment for an injury caused by an initial tort is a case that implicates the proof requirements of Lujan, it is for the jury to determine the issue of proximate causation. If a plaintiff is unable to establish a distinct enhancement of injury and the degree of enhancement, then the plaintiff has failed to carry the burden of proving proximate causation in a successive tortfeasor case under the principles we adopted in Lujan, and the original tortfeasor remains liable for the entire harm. {44} In this case, the district court did not err in denying Plaintiff's request to exclude evidence of Griego's fault. Although it was error to instruct the jury on principles of comparative fault, this error had the effect of shifting Plaintiff's burden of proving causation under Lujan to Defendants and therefore did not cause her prejudice.