Opinion ID: 213382
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: facts

Text: Doolin, a nurse and resident of the state of Florida, was recruited in June of 2005 to assist in the formation of an open heart surgery program at the Governor Juan F. Luis Hospital and Medical Center in St. Croix, United States Virgin Islands (the “Hospital”). While in St. Croix, she detected a small nodule on her right breast. On August 26, 2005, Gregory Moorman, M.D., an obstetrician-gynecologist, performed a biopsy on the nodule. Dr. Moorman sent the specimen to James V. Kasin, M.D., a pathologist, for a determination of the nature of the specimen. 1 Those requirements are discussed in the district court‟s opinion and need not be repeated here. 2009 WL 2578738 at . 2 Kasin examined the specimen and prepared a pathology report in which he concluded that Doolin had focal intraductal carcinoma accompanied by fibrocystic changes, i.e., breast cancer. Kasin sent the report to Moorman who relayed the results to Doolin. Drs. Moorman and Kasin are employees of the Hospital. On September 9, 2005, Doolin traveled to Owensboro, Kentucky, to consult with a surgeon, Dr. Gerald Edds, about her diagnosis. Based on Kasin‟s report, Edds scheduled Doolin for an immediate lumpectomy. Dr. George Gilliam performed the lumpectomy at Owensboro Mercy Health System on or about September 9, 2005. Neither the specimen removed during the lumpectomy, nor the post surgical mammogram showed evidence of cancer. Nevertheless, Gilliam, in reliance on the Kasin report, referred Doolin to an oncologist to receive precautionary treatment. The oncologist to whom Doolin was referred performed tests on the original pathology slides that Kasin had prepared and determined that Doolin had never had cancer and that Kasin had misdiagnosed her.