Opinion ID: 1712761
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: did the trial court err in granting a summary judgment under circumstances which presented a genuine issue of material fact?

Text: ¶ 23. Having heard the testimony of Dr. Meeks, the trial judge entered an order granting summary judgment consistent with a prior order he issued which apparently concluded that UMMC doctors were state employees. The tenor and rationale supporting the prior order are not developed in the record. We can not say that there are no genuine issues of material fact regarding whether Dr. Meeks was acting as a UMMC professor or in the capacity of a private doctor engaged in private practice when he treated Fox. Dr. Meeks's own testimony revealed that he regarded himself as self-employed while practicing at the Pavilion and earning money beyond his base salary at the hospital. The trial court itself noted that it was unsure whether Dr. Meeks was for all purposes an employee of UMMC or engaging in private practice at the time of the alleged negligence. Viewing the record in the light most favorable to the plaintiffs it is clear that genuine issues of material fact were left unresolved and that summary judgment was therefore premature. Specifically, the parties in this case have sworn to different versions of the disputed facts through their pleadings and affidavits. Therefore, summary judgment under these circumstances was not appropriate.