Opinion ID: 1725241
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Did the court err in allowing Dr. Tom Jeffcoat to testify concerning the medical condition of the alleged victim after the victim asserted his medical privilege?

Text: Cotton contends that the trial court erroneously permitted Dr. Jeffcoat to testify concerning communications made by the victim during treatment, as well as to any information learned by Jeffcoat in the course of treating Dillon. Rule 503 of the Mississippi Rules of Evidence provides as follows: A patient has a privilege to refuse to disclose and to prevent any other person from disclosing (A) knowledge derived by the physician or psychotherapist by virtue of his professional relationship with the patient, or (B) confidential communications made for the purpose of diagnosis or treatment of his physical, mental or emotional condition.... The doctor-patient privilege applies in criminal proceedings as well as civil proceedings. Ashley v. State, 423 So.2d 1311, 1314 (Miss. 1983); Keeton v. State, 175 Miss. 631, 167 So. 68 (1936). The information revealed by Dr. Jeffcoat during trial falls directly within the category of information protected by the privilege. The information concerned confidential communications and information learned within the course of treatment. Sessums v. McFall, 551 So.2d 178, 180-81 (Miss. 1989). Accordingly, the trial court erroneously allowed testimony from Dr. Jeffcoat about confidential information gained during the course of Dillon's treatment. While Dillon had a right to raise the doctor-patient privilege in order to prevent disclosure of the information revealed during treatment, the privilege is personal and may only be raised by the patient. McCormick on Evidence, § 102, pp. 252-53 (3d Ed. 1984). Cotton concedes that he does not have standing to raise the privilege for this reason, yet he claims that the privilege was duly invoked by Dillon, [1] and that the trial court's denial of the privilege resulted in prejudice to Cotton's defense at trial. In Vance v. State, 182 Miss. 840, 183 So. 280 (1938), the defendant was involved in an argument which erupted into gunfire and ultimately led to the death of his opponent. During the gun fight, the defendant's daughter was hit with a bullet. 182 Miss. at 853-55, 183 So. 280. At trial, the daughter was denied her request to invoke the doctor-patient privilege and exclude the testimony of her doctor who ultimately testified that the bullet extracted from her wound came from the gun carried by her father, the defendant. Id. at 860, 183 So. 280. On appeal, this Court concluded that even if it was error for the court to have admitted the testimony of the physician over the objection of [the daughter], in a legal sense that cannot operate in favor of the accused, and he cannot complain thereasto. Id. at 861, 183 So. 280. The Vance decision primarily reinforces the proposition that only the patient has standing to raise the privilege. See also Maddox v. State, 173 Miss. 799, 163 So. 449 (1935) (only patient may waive privilege); Davenport v. State, 143 Miss. 121, 108 So. 433 (1926) (same). However, the Mississippi Rules of Evidence have since become the authority for our doctor-patient privilege. Under the Rules, we hold that a defendant may raise as an issue to this Court the trial court's denial of a patient's doctor-patient privilege during the defendant's trial provided the patient properly raised the privilege in the court below and the denial resulted in prejudice to the defendant. Otherwise, the privilege which we have chosen to recognize for public policy reasons has no effect in this particular situation; the patient can not assert as error on appeal the denial of his privilege since he is not a party to the suit. [2] Dillon, the patient, properly raised the doctor-patient privilege in a motion in limine in the proceedings below. Because Cotton was prejudiced by the denial of this privilege, as the doctor's testimony was a large part of the prosecution's case against Cotton, we find that it was reversible error for the trial court to deny Dillon his privilege. Accordingly, this is grounds for a new trial. The court below must recognize the existence of Dillon's doctor/patient privilege on remand.