Opinion ID: 2194743
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Dr. Bechamp's Changed Standard of Care Testimony

Text: Dr. Townsend also contends that Dr. Bechamp's testimonyelicited by Ms. Donaldson on cross-examination at Dr. Bechamp's de bene esse depositionthat the standard of care required Ms. Donaldson to be hospitalized by January 11th changed from his discovery deposition testimony taken approximately a year before, and that this change constitutes unfair surprise. This argument does not withstand scrutiny. At his discovery deposition Dr. Bechamp initially testified that, within a reasonable degree of medical certainty, Ms. Donaldson should have been hospitalized by January 11th. Under cross-examination, Dr. Bechamp stated that the standard of care did not require hospitalization, though it did require further evaluation on January 11th. In contrast, at his de bene esse deposition, Dr. Bechamp testified that the standard of care did require that Ms. Donaldson be hospitalized by January 11th. [18] When confronted with this apparent contradiction, Dr. Bechamp acknowledged, I would change that answer, based on the fact I did have an opportunity to review the x-rays. [At the time of my discovery deposition] [a]ll I had was a typewritten report. And when I looked at the x-rayswhen I saw the x-rays I would change my answer to that question. Dr. Bechamp also acknowledged that he had first seen the x-rays several weeks before the de bene esse deposition. Although Dr. Bechamp's testimony regarding the standard of care for hospitalizing Ms. Donaldson changed from his initial deposition, we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting this testimony. While Dr. Bechamp did not testify during the discovery deposition that the standard of care required hospitalization on January 11th, he did testify, to a reasonable degree of medical certainty, that Dr. Townsend should have hospitalized her at that time. This changed testimony at the de bene esse hardly constitutes a startling reversal under the circumstances. Furthermore, Dr. Bechamp asserted in his discovery deposition that the standard of care required further follow-up testing on January 11th. Therefore, his overall position that Dr. Townsend had violated the standard of care was consistent because Dr. Townsend did not conduct such testing in a timely fashion. Read in its entirety, Dr. Bechamp's changed testimony was only marginally inconsistent with his original deposition. Finally, as the trial court noted, Dr. Townsend was able to use Dr. Bechamp's inconsistent testimony from his discovery deposition to impeach him at the de bene esse deposition, mitigating any prejudicial effect the change in testimony may have had. The trial court also instructed the jury about prior inconsistent statements as part of the jury instruction on impeachment. See Standardized Civil Jury Instructions for the District of Columbia No. 3.08 (2002 ed. rev.). In addition to his claim of surprise, Dr. Townsend urges that Dr. Bechamp's testimony was particularly prejudicial to him because it was the only evidence that he violated the standard of care by not hospitalizing Ms. Donaldson on January 11th. This is inaccurate. Ms. Donaldson's expert, Dr. London, testified that the standard of care required Dr. Townsend, as of January 11, 2000, to do [o]ne of two things. Hospitalize her for evaluation or observation . . . or diagnostic procedures [like a CT scan]. [19] Given the marginal nature of the inconsistency, the ability to impeach the testimony with the prior testimony, the trial court's instructions, and the lack of prejudice, we conclude that there was no error it its admission. [20]