Opinion ID: 2033477
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Burden of Proof and Scope of Privilege

Text: In addressing AMISUB's claim in this mandamus action, we must determine which party bears the burden of proof with regard to a claim of privilege under § 71-2047 or § 71-2048. We have not previously decided this issue. In other cases involving a party's claim of a privilege, we have stated that the party asserting the existence of the privilege has the burden of proving that the documents sought are protected. See, generally, Greenwalt v. Wal-Mart Stores, 253 Neb. 32, 567 N.W.2d 560 (1997) (attorney-client privilege); Branch v. Wilkinson, 198 Neb. 649, 256 N.W.2d 307 (1977) (physician-patient privilege); Castle v. Richards, 169 Neb. 339, 99 N.W.2d 473 (1959) (attorney-client privilege). In the instant action, AMISUB claims that it is entitled to a protective order denying Collins copies of the incident report and fall lists by virtue of the privileges set forth in § 71-2046 et seq. As in other instances involving the assertion of a privilege, we hold that AMISUB, the party claiming the privileges under §§ 71-2047 and 71-2048, has the burden of proving that the incident report and fall lists are protected documents under one of those statutes. We further observe that the privileges which AMISUB seeks to invoke are statutorily created under §§ 71-2047 and 71-2048, and we have held, and repeat as applicable here, that a statutorily created privilege will be narrowly construed. See, similarly, Branch v. Wilkinson, supra (statutory physician-patient privilege being in derogation of common law should be strictly construed). With respect to the scope of the privileges at issue, we note that by its terms, § 71-2046 provides for the establishment of a, or one, medical staff committee and a, or one, utilization review committee, each of which reviews, inter alia, the care and facilities provided by the hospital. Nothing in the language of § 71-2046 contemplates the creation of multiple committees at a hospital department or unit level or the extension of the statutory privileges of §§ 71-2047 and 71-2048 to such departmental or unit-based committees. See, generally, 82 C.J.S. Statutes § 330 at 434 (1999) (words in statute importing the singular only will be applied to plural only when it is necessary to do so in order to carry out the obvious intent of the legislature). Thus, § 71-2046 provides that Nebraska hospitals will create one of each of the committees set forth in the statute to perform their functions on a hospital-wide basis. Reading § 71-2046 et seq. together, we determine that the privileges set forth in §§ 71-2047 and 71-2048 with respect to documents extend only to documents requested by such hospital-wide committees and further extend to the proceedings, minutes, records, and reports of such committees and to the communications originating in the hospital-wide medical staff committee and hospital-wide utilization review committee as defined in § 71-2046.