Opinion ID: 1058197
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Mrs. Draper's Claims

Text: Irrespective of immunity, the parties raise several issues regarding Mrs. Draper's causes of action. Before we address the issues raised by the parties, however, we must first determine whether Mrs. Draper's claim is one of medical malpractice or of common law negligence. We have previously observed the subtle distinction between medical malpractice and common law negligence recognizing that medical malpractice is but a species of negligence and no rigid analytical line separates the two. Gunter v. Lab. Corp. of America, 121 S.W.3d 636, 639 (Tenn.2003) (citations omitted). A negligence claim requires proof of (1) a duty of care owed by the defendant to the plaintiff; (2) conduct by the defendant falling below the standard of care amounting to a breach of that duty; (3) an injury or loss; (4) causation in fact; and (5) proximate or legal cause. Biscan v. Brown, 160 S.W.3d 462, 478 (Tenn.2005). Medical malpractice actions are controlled by Tennessee Code Annotated section 29-26-115 (2000), which incorporates the common law elements of negligence. Gunter, 121 S.W.3d at 639. Pursuant to section 29-26-115(a), the plaintiff must prove: (1) the recognized standard of care; (2) the defendant's failure to act in accordance with the applicable standard of care; and (3) proximate cause in that as a proximate result of the defendant's negligence, the plaintiff suffered injuries that otherwise would not have occurred. Cases involving health or medical entities do not automatically fall within the medical malpractice statute. Gunter, 121 S.W.3d at 640. Rather, in determining whether an action is for medical malpractice or for common law negligence, the issue is whether the alleged negligent conduct bears a substantial relationship to the rendition of medical treatment by a medical professional. Id. at 641. If so, the medical malpractice statute applies. Id. If, however, the plaintiff seeks compensation for injuries resulting from negligent conduct not affecting a patient's medical treatment, the claim falls under common law negligence. Id. at 640. In the present case, Mrs. Draper raised claims in the trial court based upon both medical malpractice and common law negligence in her complaint. In this Court, Mrs. Draper did not appeal the Court of Appeals' determination that no physician-patient relationship was established between Dr. Westerfield and Bryanna. She also does not seek to further her medical malpractice claim. Rather, Mrs. Draper now relies upon her common law negligence claim. Mrs. Draper seeks relief based upon Dr. Westerfield's conduct in reviewing Bryanna's records and providing information to investigators. Dr. Westerfield's actions do not relate to the medical treatment of Bryanna. Rather, the purpose of Dr. Westerfield's conduct was to provide aid to investigators seeking to protect Bryanna from child abuse. Thus, Mrs. Draper's cause of action is for that of common law negligence. Our focus in this appeal is upon the first element of a common law negligence action, the existence of a duty. The determination of whether a duty exists is a question of law. Biscan, 160 S.W.3d at 478. In general, all persons have a broad duty to exercise reasonable care to avoid causing foreseeable injury to others. Doe v. Linder Constr. Co., 845 S.W.2d 173, 178 (Tenn.1992). One does not have an affirmative duty to act for the protection of a third party unless he or she stands in some special relationship to either the person who is the source of the danger, or to the person who is foreseeably at risk from the danger. Turner v. Jordan, 957 S.W.2d 815, 818 (Tenn.1997) (citation omitted). Mrs. Draper, however, does not rely upon a special relationship in contending that a duty existed. Rather, she maintains that by undertaking to review Bryanna's medical records, Dr. Westerfield assumed a duty to use reasonable care in reviewing the records and reporting his findings and conclusions to the investigators. We have previously held that `[o]ne who assumes to act, even though gratuitously, may thereby become subject to the duty of acting carefully.' Biscan, 160 S.W.3d at 482-83 (quoting Stewart v. State, 33 S.W.3d 785, 793 (Tenn.2000)). By reviewing Bryanna' medical records as part of a child abuse investigation, Dr. Westerfield voluntarily undertook a duty on behalf of Bryanna to use reasonable care in reviewing the medical records and reporting his findings and conclusions to the investigators. If Dr. Westerfield is found not to have reported harm and is therefore not immune from liability, Mrs. Draper's common law negligence action may proceed. Mrs. Draper, however, still bears the burden of establishing the remaining elements of negligence: breach of duty, injury or loss, cause in fact, and proximate cause. See Biscan, 160 S.W.3d at 478. Finally, Dr. Westerfield contends that irrespective of the issue of immunity, he is not subject to civil liability because Tennessee Code Annotated section 37-1-401, et. seq. (1996), entitled Mandatory Child Abuse Reports, does not create a private right of action for failure to report suspected child abuse. Dr. Westerfield cites to Premium Finance Corp. of America v. Crump Insurance Services of Memphis, Inc., 978 S.W.2d 91, 93 (Tenn.1998), in which this Court discussed the principles for determining whether the legislature intended that a statute provide for an independent statutory right of action. A careful reading of Mrs. Draper's complaint and amended complaints, however, reveals that she did not allege an independent statutory right of action for violation of Tennessee Code Annotated section 37-1-403 (1996). Rather, in addition to the medical malpractice action, Mrs. Draper brought a common law negligence claim against Dr. Westerfield based upon his alleged failure to report suspected child abuse. A statutory right of action and a common law negligence action are two distinct bases of civil liability. See Marquay v. Eno, 139 N.H. 708, 662 A.2d 272, 277 (1995) (distinguishing between the two causes of action). Moreover, Dr. Westerfield did not raise the private right of action issue in his answer to either Mrs. Draper's complaint or her amended complaints or in his motion for summary judgment. The first time that Dr. Westerfield contended that Tennessee Code Annotated sections 37-1-401, et. seq. did not create an independent statutory right of action was in his brief to the Court of Appeals. Since Mrs. Draper did not assert an independent statutory right of action, the Court of Appeals erred in addressing the issue.