Opinion ID: 3010765
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Dr. Scotti's Theory

Text: It was not disputed by Dr. Scotti at trial that had Mr. Murray been a perfectly healthy seventy-one year old man at the time of the accident, he would probably not have died as a result thereof. Yet, it was Dr. Scotti's testimony that the accident caused Mr. Murray's death. In sum, Dr. Scotti opined that the hip fracture triggered acascade of 6 events that directly lead to Mr. Murray's death-- and that had it not been for the fracture, Mr. Murray would not have died on April 11. Briefly put, the cascade theory works as follows. According to Dr. Scotti, all of Mr. Murray's pre-existing conditions (heart problems, kidney disease, etc.) were under control at the time he went into the hospital for treatment of his foot. The fall and subsequent hip fracture either aggravated the pre-existing conditions out of their controlled state, or caused new conditions (such as the Non-Q-wave infarction) to arise, which ultimately lead to death. For example, Dr. Scotti testified that the Fat Emboli Syndrome noted on Mr. Murray's discharge summary was specifically caused by the fractured hip.2 It was this condition which most likely caused his temperature to rise significantly after the accident. Moreover, it was Dr. Scotti's opinion that the fall ultimately spurred on Mr. Murray's liver disease (i.e. hepatitis B). As for Mr. Murray's renal failure, it too appears that the jury could have reasonably inferred from the testimony that this problem also was triggered by the accident. Dr. Scotti testified that the end stage renal failure was certainly a result of the cascade effect caused by the fall. Indeed, Dr. Genovese-Stone, defendants' expert at trial, conceded that Mr. Murray was not in kidney failure the day before he fell, that there was nothing in the medical records to indicate that his kidney was about to fail, and that, with his medication, Mr. Murray's kidney condition was under control prior to the fall. C. Mr. Murray's Insurance and the Litigation Thereon At the time of Mr. Murray's death, he owned accidental death benefit policies worth various amounts from the five defendant insurance companies.3 Plaintiff Josephine _________________________________________________________________ 2. Dr. Scotti described Fat Emboli Syndrome as a condition in which the fatty materials from the patient's bone marrow escape into the bloodstream. These materials can then form small clots in the patient's lung and block the lung vessels. App. at 72A. 3. Those policies (and their values) are the following: United of Omaha Life Insurance Company ($3,995.00); Mutual of Omaha Insurance 7 Murray was the named beneficiary under each of these policies, and after Mr. Murray died, she filed claims for benefits pursuant to them. Each of the insurance companies independently reviewed Mrs. Murray's claim, determined that Mr. Murray's death was not accidental, and refused to pay benefits. On May 10, 1994, Mrs. Murray filed a complaint in Superior Court, Monmouth County, New Jersey, against the insurance companies, who removed the case to the District Court for the District of New Jersey. On September 13, 1996, a jury returned a verdict in Mrs. Murray's favor. After the jury was excused, the district court granted the insurance companies' renewed motion for judgment as a matter of law, and dismissed the complaint with prejudice. Mrs. Murray appeals.4 The insurance companies crossappeal, contending that the district court erred in charging the jury.