Opinion ID: 2538237
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Convenience of the Witnesses

Text: We next turn to the inconvenience which will be caused to non-party witnesses. From the deposition transcripts we glean several key witnesses reside in or near Lincoln Parish. All three members of the medical review panelDr. Ken Miller, Dr. E.L. Edwards, and Dr. Curtis Balius reside in north Louisiana. Two nurses who defendants aver will be called as witnessesValerie Renee' Skipper and David Raspberryreside and work in Lincoln Parish. [4] Nurse Shift Director, Jerry Don Allen, also resides in Lincoln Parish. Plaintiff counters that she plans to call witnesses who live in the New Orleans area, primarily doctors and nurses from Tulane Hospital. Plaintiff avers these witnesses may be called to testify on subjects concerning the care Mar'Kirney received during her previous visits to Tulane Hospital, any conversations between Tulane Hospital staffers and Lincoln General staffers regarding Mar'Kirney's treatment, the condition she was in when she arrived at Tulane Hospital on the afternoon of June 15, 2004, and the medical care she received prior to her death. Plaintiff's brief lists the names of thirty-three persons who she claims may testify and who presumably live in the New Orleans area, although plaintiff candidly admits not all of these witnesses will actually be called at trial. However, plaintiff introduced no evidence into the record showing who any of these listed persons are, where they live, or what subjects they will testify to. Even assuming plaintiff had properly introduced this list of potential witnesses into evidence, we find it unconvincing. Significantly, plaintiff does not establish these witnesses' testimony will be directly relevant to the primary allegations of the petition. Although testimony related to Mar'Kirney's treatment at Tulane Hospital may be relevant as background, plaintiff does not allege any malpractice took place at Tulane Hospital. The only alleged instances of malpractice took place in Lincoln Parish, and the testimony of the Lincoln Parish witnesses is more directly relevant to the dispositive issues in this case. The convenience of the north Louisiana witnesses should therefore be weighted more heavily than the convenience of those witnesses who may testify as to background matters not directly related to the alleged malpractice. As this case demonstrates, determining whether a transfer will serve convenience of witnesses will often involve a tradeoff of causing inconvenience to one witness against causing inconvenience to another witness. However, it is not simply a question of seeing which party can list the most potential witnesses who might be inconvenienced. We find this factor favors defendant.