Opinion ID: 337924
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: The Expert Medical Opinion Testimony

Text: 8 Appellant Bombardier contends that the systematic violation of the pretrial order on the part of the plaintiff-appellee prevented a fair trial. Bombardier argues that it is entitled to Rule 60(b) relief because it was surprised and excusably unprepared to refute the medical testimony presented by appellee Sadowski at trial. The appellant contends that the plaintiff-appellee gained unfair advantage in the presentation of her medical testimony contrary to the intendment of Fed.R.Civ.P. 16. 9 The gravamen of Bombardier's charge is that it was never given any valid warning that Dr. William Frackleton would opine that there existed a 20.25% permanent total disability. Had it timely received such a warning, Bombardier insists, it would certainly have arranged for an independent medical examination of the plaintiff. The appellant claims that it was first warned that Dr. Frackleton would testify that the plaintiff sustained a severe residual functional defect to her forearm only upon receipt of his final report. 10 Our review of the record confirms that plaintiff's counsel made effective use of Dr. Frackleton's trial testimony regarding the 20.25% total disability. However, Bombardier's contention that it was not aware that there was a severe functional disability associated with plaintiff's arm injury and index finger amputation is not similarly supported. The earliest medical report of Dr. George Thuerer was dated January 28, 1972, and the appellant had obtained that medical report during discovery. Dr. Thuerer states, although in non-mathematical terms, that this patient has had a very severe injury to her right forearm and there will be considerable permanent disability. 11 The final report prepared by Dr. Frackleton shortly before trial does not contain any surprise information. Its conclusion that the plaintiff had sustained a severe residual function defect is wholly consistent with the earlier January 28, 1972, report of Dr. Thuerer. While Dr. Thuerer's February 27, 1973, report and Dr. Frackleton's February 10, 1975, report contain more detail, they cannot be fairly read as embodying surprising medical conclusions. 12 Rule 60(b) is not to be invoked to give relief to a party who has chosen a course of action which in retrospect appears unfortunate or where error or miscalculation is traceable really to a lack of care. See 7 Moore, Federal Practice P 60.22(2), at 254-56 (2d ed. 1975). While the plaintiff did not furnish the final report of Dr. Frackleton until April 28, 1975, long after the time for delivery specified in the pretrial order, her inability to obtain and forward the report was before the trial court when it considered appellant's Rule 60(b) motion below. The plaintiff's attorneys had made numerous calls to Dr. Frackleton's office asking for a copy of the February report, and the plaintiff's attorneys forwarded the report to defense counsel at the latest one day after receiving it themselves. 13 Moreover, Bombardier never objected at trial to the testimony of Dr. Frackleton. On the basis of the appellant's failure to comply with Fed.R.Civ.P. 46 alone, the trial court acted well within its discretion in denying the defendant's post-trial Rule 60(b) motion. In the absence of plainly prejudicial error, which we do not find here, a party may not sit silently by, letting claimed error occur and then seek relief if the result is unfavorable. 9 Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure § 2472, at 455 (1971). Our examination of the record discloses that there was no objection at the time of Dr. Frackleton's testimony that the defendant was in any way surprised by the severity of the injury or had been denied the opportunity to learn of its severity. Also, we note that in response to a direct inquiry of Bombardier's counsel the doctor testified that the schedule of disability calculations was available not only to physicians but to anyone in Wisconsin or elsewhere. 14