Opinion ID: 2972622
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Dr. Ramnath’s Affidavit

Text: 10 Dr. Ramnath was the treating physician at the hospital to which Mohney presented immediately following his injury on May 21, 1995. Dr. Ramnath completed a history and physical of Mohney, which included the following statement: “This seventeen year old man was playing hockey at approximately 11:00 this morning and was thrown face forward into the boards, striking his face against the boards.” Plaintiffs submitted an affidavit signed by Dr. Ramnath detailing his treatment of Mohney and Dr. Ramnath’s conclusions regarding the manner in which Mohney’s injury occurred. Paragraphs 9-11 of Dr. Ramnath’s affidavit state: 9. I have had the opportunity to review the MiniDV tape of the accident. The accident is consistent with the history recorded in my records. Levi Mohney hit the boards face first. Subsequent to the initial impact, his head rotates down so that the crown of his head is in contact with the boards. 10. This history is consistent with a facial impact and rotation into a crown presentation with a vertical load and hyperflexion type of injury. 11. The injuries Levi Mohney sustained are consistent with the history and physical findings of the injury recorded in the medical records of Flower Hospital, and with the tape of the accident. The district court excluded Paragraphs 9-11 of Dr. Ramnath’s affidavit because Dr. Ramnath based his conclusions in such paragraphs on his review of the videotape of the incident, not his personal observations of Mohney in treating him. Plaintiffs-Appellants did not list Dr. Ramnath as an expert (and do not seek to have him testify as one) but rather argue that a treating physician may render opinions with respect to causation without being subject to disclosure requirements of Fed. R. Civ. P. 26(a)(2)(B). See Martin v. CSX Trans., Inc., 215 F.R.D. 554 (S.D. Ind. 2003). The Martin court, however, ruled that 11 disclosure requirements were not necessary in that case because the treating physician formed the causation opinion during the care and treatment of the plaintiff, not in anticipation of litigation. On the other hand, the Martin court also noted that where the treating physician’s opinion is rendered in anticipation of litigation, courts have held that “causation is beyond the scope of the testimony a treating physician may provide without tendering an expert disclosure report.” Id. at 556-57 (citations omitted) (recognizing a split of authority on the issue in the Seventh Circuit). More significantly, this Court has squarely addressed this issue. See Harville v. Vanderbilt University, Inc., 95 Fed.Appx. 719 (6th Cir. 2003). In Harville, this Court upheld a district court’s decision to exclude the expert testimony portions of the deposition testimony of treating physicians for failure to comply with Rule 26 disclosure requirements. Id. at 724-25; cf. Ridder v. City of Springfield, 108 F.3d 1377, 1997 WL 117024, at  (6th Cir. 1997) (upholding order permitting plaintiff’s treating physician to testify without Rule 26(a)(2)(B) expert report disclosures “so long as they do not purport to testify beyond the scope of their own diagnosis and treatment”). Despite Dr. Ramnath not being listed as an expert witness, he clearly was opining as to the manner in which Mohney’s head rotated from a facial impact to a crown presentation, based in part on his viewing of the video. Dr. Ramnath’s affidavit was not prepared until December 2002, long after the incident occurred. There is no evidence that Dr. Ramnath reached the same conclusions regarding causation at the time he treated Mohney. As such, it was reasonable for the district court to find that Dr. Ramnath was rendering an expert opinion that was subject to disclosure requirements and to exclude his affidavit for failing to satisfy those requirements. Moreover, by striking only Paragraphs 9-11 of Dr. Ramnath’s affidavit, the district court left intact those matters over which 12 Dr. Ramnath had personal knowledge. Accordingly, we hold that the district court did not abuse its discretion in excluding Paragraphs 9-11 of Dr. Ramnath’s Affidavit.