Opinion ID: 792077
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: The Verdict against Brookdale.

Text: 49 Defendants contend that the malpractice verdict against Brookdale is inconsistent with the jury's findings that the individual doctors did not commit malpractice. They argue that there is no evidence in the record demonstrating that the hospital deviated from any known standard of care apart from the evidence offered against the physicians. In New York, a malpractice claim against a hospital can rest on vicarious liability for the negligence of a hospital employee who is a defendant in the lawsuit or on independent negligence of the hospital. See Boone v. North Shore Univ. Hosp., 12 A.D.3d 338, 784 N.Y.S.2d 151, 152 ( 2d Dep't 2004); Cannizzo v. Wijeyasekaran, 259 A.D.2d 960, 689 N.Y.S.2d 315, 316 (1999). 50 Although plaintiff's complaint contained a vicarious liability claim against Brookdale, the Armstrong jury was not charged that it could find the hospital negligent on a vicarious liability theory. Instead, the court told the jury that plaintiff's theory of negligence was that the hospital had [a]n absence of proper written policies of procedures; poor training and lack of experience in the hospital's emergency-room staff. According to the court, plaintiffs also claimed that the hospital failed to require its staff to follow well-recognized and established administrative regulations and hospital procedures. Plaintiff did not object to the omission of the vicarious liability charge. Nor do they claim now that the court erred by failing to charge vicarious liability. Moreover we see no plain or fundamental error in the lack of a vicarious liability instruction. Unlike the contradictory and confusing verdict sheet errors discussed above, the abandonment of a theory of recovery is a decision well within the normal range of strategic trial decisions and does not prevent a jury from reaching a rational conclusion. We therefore do not consider any argument regarding Brookdale's negligence based on vicarious liability. 51 Because the theory of hospital negligence submitted to the jury was not derivative, we must determine whether the record contained evidence from which a reasonable jury could conclude that the hospital itself deviated from the standard of care practiced by hospitals of its type. See Cobb, 363 F.3d at 101 (Rule 50 allows entry of judgment against a party on a particular issue where there is no legally sufficient evidentiary basis for a reasonable jury to find for [a] party on that issue) (internal quotation marks omitted). Plaintiff points to no evidence of a general lack of proper procedures, poor training, or lack of experience on the part of hospital staff. Plaintiff's description of her proof at trial focuses almost exclusively on the defendant doctors and social worker. Similarly, the plaintiff's experts described no deviation from the general standard of care expected by a hospital. Dr. Kildare Clarke testified that Brookdale deviated from the rules of the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Care Organizations because it did not ensure that its employees obtained an informed consent from Chanel, but he cited no evidence other than the conduct of the defendant doctors. In fact, Dr. Clarke testified that he had no familiarity with the usual practice involved in obtaining a consent at Brookdale. Similarly Dr. Joseph Wright testified that Brookdale deviated from the standard of care by failing to ensure that the attending physician, Dr. Rahman, properly supervised the residents, Drs. Takla and Lewis. However, his testimony was based solely on the failure of Dr. Rahman to sign Chanel Armstrong's chart, evidence that would not enable a reasonable jury to find that the hospital was independently negligent. In fact, plaintiff introduced evidence that it was hospital policy to require that a consent section on the hospital chart be signed. Finding no evidence of any kind to support any independent negligence, we reverse the negligence verdict against the hospital and direct the entry of judgment in favor of Brookdale. 52