Opinion ID: 2587934
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: TVH and ACTV were properly excluded from the special verdict form.

Text: The district court determined that TVH and ACTV should not be included on the special verdict form under Idaho law because B & B had failed to produce any expert testimony demonstrating that either of the entities' actions fell below the applicable standard of care. We agree. The elements of a cause of action for medical malpractice are stated in I.C. § 6-1012: In any case, claim or action for damages due to injury to or death of any person, brought against any physician and surgeon or other provider of health care ... such claimant or plaintiff must, as an essential part of his or her case in chief, affirmatively prove by direct expert testimony and by a preponderance of all the competent evidence, that such defendant then and there negligently failed to meet the applicable standard of health care practice of the community in which such care allegedly was or should have been provided.... Therefore, before any nonparties could be included on the special verdict form, B & B was required to present as part of its case in chief, by direct expert testimony, that the entities breached the applicable standard of heath care practice of the community and that there was a causal connection between the breaches of care and the death of Ms. Jones. B & B did not provide the requisite proof to show that TVH or ACTV should have been included on a special verdict form. At no point did B & B produce any direct expert testimony as required by I.C. § 6-1012. During trial, the district court addressed this issue directly: [I]n order for that hospital to go on the verdict form, there has to be some support for the contention that they violated the standard of care applicable to hospitals. For example, if there was an expert on the standard of care for hospitals who would come in and say, it is a violation of the standard of care for hospitals in Boise in August 2004 to fail to have this type of line available for these reinfusion bags or to have this kind of cuff available where it shouldn't be, where somebody might accidentally put it on a bag, then your point would be made and I'd put them on the verdict form. But there's no such testimony that's been adduced thus far and you're telling me there's no such expert whose going to testify to that fact.... Therefore, they're not going to be able to go on the verdict form. The district court did not abuse its discretion in refusing to put TVH or ACTV on the special verdict form when it expressly informed B & B of what was required to support a claim of medical malpractice and B & B failed to present the evidence.