Opinion ID: 3135504
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: L.R.4th 811 (1989) (listing cases).

Text: Defendant does not respond to the appellate court’s reliance on section 299A of the Restatement (Second) of Torts. This section, entitled “Undertaking in Profession or Trade,” provides: -10- “Unless he represents that he has greater or less skill or knowledge, one who undertakes to render services in the practice of a profession or trade is required to exercise the skill and knowledge normally possessed by members of that profession or trade in good standing in similar communities.” Restatement (Second) of Torts §299A, at 73 (1965). Comment a to section 299A notes that the word “skill,” as used here, refers to a “special form of competence which is not part of the ordinary equipment of the reasonable man, but which is the result of acquired learning, and aptitude developed by special training and experience.” Further, “[a]ll professions, and most trades, are necessarily skilled, and the word is used to refer to the special competence which they require.” Restatement (Second) of Torts §299A, Comment a, at 73 (1965). It cannot be disputed that a doctor of veterinary medicine is skilled. It is also beyond dispute that the practice of veterinary medicine and surgery is a “profession or trade” (Restatement (Second) of Torts §299A, Comment b, at 73 (1965)) and that the medical or surgical treatment of an animal, with or without a contract for such services, is an “undertaking” (Restatement (Second) of Torts §299A, Comment c, at 73-74 (1965)). As the appellate court observed, this court has previously cited section 299A of the Restatement with approval. In Purtill v. Hess, 111 Ill. 2d 229, 242 (1986), we discussed the burden on the plaintiff in a medical malpractice action to establish “the standard of care against which the defendant physician’s alleged negligence is judged.” We cited comment e to section 299A for the “similar locality” rule, “which requires a physician to possess and to apply that degree of knowledge, skill, and care which a reasonably well-qualified physician in the same or similar community would bring to a similar case under similar circumstances.” Purtill, 111 Ill. 2d at 242, citing Restatement (Second) of Torts §299A, Comment e, at 74-75 (1965). In Advincula v. United Blood Services, 176 Ill. 2d 1, 23 (1996), this court cited section 299A in support of a statement that the standard of care for all professionals is “the use of the same degree of knowledge, skill and ability as an ordinarily careful professional would exercise under similar circumstances.” We noted that standard of care “is utilized to measure the conduct of a wide variety of both medical and nonmedical professions,” including podiatry and dentistry. -11- Advincula, 176 Ill. 2d at 23 (citing Dolan v. Galluzzo, 77 Ill. 2d 279, 281 (1979) (podiatric practitioner), and Rosenberg v. Miller, 247 Ill. App. 3d 1023, 1028-29 (1993) (dentists)). We conclude that section 299A of the Restatement (Second) of Torts is an accurate statement of the common law of Illinois with respect to the duty of care owed by members of professions or trades, and we, therefore, agree with the appellate court’s holding that a veterinarian owes a duty of care. See C. Bailey, Annotation, Veterinarian’s Liability for Malpractice, 71 A.L.R.4th 811, §2(a) (1989) (noting that “the gravamen of such an action is that in providing veterinary care, the veterinarian failed to use such reasonable skill, diligence, and attention as might ordinarily have been expected of careful, skillful, and trustworthy persons in the profession”). Thus, the duty owed by defendant arises independently of his employment by the state and he was not performing a “uniquely governmental function” (Jinkins, 209 Ill. 2d at 335) when he treated plaintiffs’ horse. Defendant protests that the appellate court’s recognition of a common law duty of veterinarians “raises all animals–from domestic pets to investments such as race horses–to the same level or plane as human beings.” We note, however, that comment c to section 299A states that “[i]n the ordinary case, the undertaking of one who renders services in the practice of a profession or trade is a matter of contract between the parties, and the terms of the undertaking are either stated expressly, or implied as a matter of understanding.” (Emphasis added.) Restatement (Second) of Torts §299A, Comment c, at 73-74 (1965). This statement implicates the Moorman doctrine. In the typical case, a veterinarian will be providing care to an animal after having formed a contractual relationship with the owner of the animal. Thus, even though the veterinarian is subject to a duty of care, the owner may be limited to a contractual remedy for any breach of duty. The appellate court in the present case held that plaintiffs’ claim comes within an exception to the Moorman doctrine so that they are not limited to a breach of contract claim. For the reasons explained previously, we express no opinion on this issue. -12- (b) Whether the Relief Sought Would Operate to Control the Actions of the State or Subject It to Liability The relief sought by plaintiffs is money damages for two types of loss: the reduction in the fair market value of the horse and the revenue lost as a result of the horse’s inability to race. Plaintiffs argue that a judgment in their favor will not control the actions of the state and will not subject the state to liability. At oral argument, counsel for defendant averred that if the defendant were to be found liable in tort and if the plaintiff were awarded such damages, the University would indemnify defendant. In Jinkins, the defendant state employees did not argue that the state’s statutory duty to indemnify them (see 5 ILCS 350/2(a) (West 2004) (Indemnification Act)) would make the state liable for any judgment against them. Nevertheless, this court remarked, in a footnote, that the appellate court had, in two previous cases, rejected this argument “based on the distinction between liability and indemnification.” Jinkins, 209 Ill. 2d at 336 n.2 (citing Janes v. Albergo, 254 Ill. App. 3d 951, 965-66 (1993), and Kiersch v. Ogena, 230 Ill. App. 3d 57, 63-64 (1992)). In the present case, the appellate court cited Jinkins, Janes, and Kiersch in support of its conclusion that a judgment against defendant, “in itself, would not subject the state to liability.” 375 Ill. App. 3d at 456. We agree. In Kiersch, the defendant was being provided legal representation and indemnification by his employer, Illinois State University, in keeping with the University’s policy and the Indemnification Act. The appellate court rejected defendant’s argument that a state university’s providing legal representation and indemnification to its employees transformed all suits against university employees in their individual capacities into suits against the state. Kiersch, 230 Ill. App. 3d at 63. Indemnification, which is the statutory or contractual obligation of the indemnitor to reimburse the indemnitee for his loss, is not the same as liability, which is a legal obligation or responsibility enforceable by civil remedy or criminal punishment. The statutory duty to indemnify runs from the state employer to the state employee. In contrast, liability is imposed on the tortfeasor himself, not upon the party who indemnifies him. As the appellate -13- court observed in Janes, “the State’s obligation to indemnify its employees for liability incurred by them does not constitute the State’s assumption of direct liability.” Janes, 254 Ill. App. 3d at 965. This distinction is further enforced by the language of the Indemnification Act itself, which provides in section 2(d) that “unless the court or jury finds that the conduct or inaction which gave rise to the claim or cause of action was intentional, wilful or wanton misconduct and was not intended to serve or benefit interests of the State, the State shall indemnify the State employee for any damages awarded and court costs and attorneys’ fees assessed as part of any final and unreversed judgment, or shall pay such judgment.” (Emphasis added.) 5 ILCS 350/2(d) (West 2004). Jury trials are not available in the Court of Claims. Kiersch, 230 Ill. App. 3d at 64. See also Seifert v. Standard Paving Co., 64 Ill. 2d 109, 120 (1976) (the lack of a provision for jury trials before the Court of Claims does not violate the state constitutional guarantee of the right to trial by jury). Thus, the Indemnification Act anticipates that there will be cases tried in the circuit court in which a state employee will be found liable and, unless the court or jury finds that his actions were wilful or wanton, he will be indemnified by the state. If the availability of indemnification were sufficient to confer exclusive jurisdiction in the Court of Claims, there would be no role for a jury. Janes, 254 Ill. App. 3d at 966. We agree with the appellate court that a judgment against defendant would not subject the state to liability. The appellate court also rejected the premise that a judgment against defendant in circuit court would operate to control the state. “Surely,” the appellate court remarked, “the College of Veterinary Medicine does not have a policy of performing unauthorized surgeries.” 375 Ill. App. 3d at 455. In Jinkins, we considered whether a judgment against a psychiatrist and a counselor employed by a state mental health facility would operate to control the actions of the state. The defendants asserted that a judgment for the plaintiff, the administrator of the estate of a deceased patient, might cause the state to change its policies so that health-care professionals would be required to involuntarily admit individuals to state mental health facilities as a precautionary measure, even if admission was not necessary. This, they argued, could increase the number of lawsuits brought by -14- involuntarily admitted patients and place a strain on scarce resources. Jinkins, 209 Ill. 2d at 336. We found the argument “speculative” and without basis in the record. And, in any event, we noted that judgment for the plaintiff would merely have had the effect of reinforcing the policy, expressed in state law, that requires “both state and private institutions to devote resources and fashion policy to adhere to the standard of care.” Jinkins, 209 Ill. 2d at 337, citing 20 ILCS 1705/4.1 (West 1996). We concluded that a judgment for the plaintiff would not operate to control the actions of the State, which would continue to make policy decisions and expend resources in keeping with “the goal of meeting the standard of care already directed by existing state law.” Jinkins, 209 Ill. 2d at 337. In Fritz, we formulated the “operate to control” inquiry as whether a verdict for the plaintiff in circuit court “ ‘would limit the employee’s ability to engage in lawful activity on behalf of the State.’ ” Fritz, 209 Ill. 2d at 315, quoting Wozniak v. Conry, 288 Ill. App. 3d 129, 133 (1997). We concluded that if the allegedly tortious acts of a state employee “cannot properly be characterized” as lawful actions on behalf of the state, then a circuit court judgment that would tend to curb such actions does not violate sovereign immunity. We agree with the appellate court that a judgment against defendant will not operate to control the state or limit the ability of a member of the veterinary faculty of the University of Illinois to engage in lawful activity. Thus, the Court of Claims does not have exclusive jurisdiction over a claim that a veterinarian employed by the state has breached the duty of care applicable to veterinarians because that duty arises from the common law, independently of state employment, and a judgment against such a veterinarian will neither operate to control the state nor subject the state to liability. (3) Whether Defendant Is Immune From Liability Defendant argues that notwithstanding any duty that might be imposed upon veterinarians under state law, he is immune from liability because he is “completely and utterly exempt from the provisions” of the Practice Act. Specifically, he points to section 4 of -15- the Practice Act, which states that “Nothing in this Act shall apply to  (3) Veterinarians employed by colleges or universities or by state agencies, while engaged in the performance of their official duties.” 225 ILCS 115/4(3) (West 2000). This provision, according to defendant, evinces a legislative intent to exempt professors of veterinary medicine not only from the license requirement (225 ILCS 115/3(b) (West 2000)), and the continuing education requirement (225 ILCS 115/16 (West 2000)), but from even forming a “veterinarian client-patient relationship” as that term is defined in the statute (225 ILCS 115/3(a)(G) (West 2000)). Plaintiffs respond that the Practice Act is a licensing statute, not a tort immunity act. The exemption in section 4(3) is, in plaintiffs’ view, “intended to allow Illinois universities to attract and employ learned professionals in veterinary science, without imposing the additional burden of acquiring an Illinois license, or being subject to a regulatory agency.” We agree. Defendant’s argument is, in effect, that the only source of duty for a member of a licensed and regulated profession or occupation is the governing statute and that, therefore, one who is exempt from the statute cannot be held to a standard of care in the practice of his profession or occupation. The Practice Act is codified in chapter 225 of the Illinois Compiled Statutes, which is titled “Professions and Occupations.” This chapter codifies the licensing and regulation of a multitude of occupations including acupuncture (225 ILCS 2/1 (West 2004)), funeral directors and embalmers (225 ILCS 41/1–1 (West 2004)), professional boxers and wrestlers (225 ILCS 105/1 (West 2004), as well as physicians (225 ILCS 60/1–1 (West 2004)), and dentists (225 ILCS 25/1 (West 2004)). If we were to accept defendant’s reading of the Practice Act, we would also have to conclude that the only duty that may apply to any member of any of the regulated occupations and professions arises through the statute. For example, section 17 of the Illinois Dental Practice Act lists 10 separate acts that constitute the practice of dentistry. 225 ILCS 25/17 (West 2004). Section 17 further provides that the practice of dentistry by a clinical instructor in the course of his or her teaching duties in an approved dental school or college is “exempt from the operation of this Act” if either of two conditions is met. 225 ILCS 25/17(d) (West -16- 2004). Under defendant’s reasoning, a clinical instructor of dentistry who is exempt from the licensing provision of the Dental Practice Act would owe no duty to his dental patients to exercise the same degree of skill and knowledge as licensed members of the profession. Such a result would be absurd. Defendant asks this court to infer a legislative intent to grant tort immunity to a certain class of people in the absence of express statutory language granting such immunity. Our research reveals no authority for making such an inference and defendant cites none. Our constitution, however, contains a guarantee that “[e]very person shall find a certain remedy in the laws for all injuries and wrongs which he receives to his person, privacy, property or reputation. He shall obtain justice by law, freely, completely, and promptly.” Ill. Const. 1970, art. I, §12. When the legislature intends to confer immunity from tort liability, it is likely to do so expressly. See, e.g., 225 ILCS 25/36 (West 2004)) (granting immunity from civil or criminal liability for good-faith reporting of any violation of the Dental Practice Act); 225 ILCS 60/30 (West 2004) (granting immunity from civil liability to physician who provides emergency care under the Good Samaritan Act); 620 ILCS 20/3 (West 2004) (extending immunity under Local Governmental and Governmental Employees Tort Immunity Act to airport employees). Because of the constitutional guarantee of a certain remedy for every legal wrong, we will not imply tort immunity in the absence of such express language. We, therefore, conclude that section 4(3) of the Practice Act is intended to exempt certain veterinarians from the license requirement and other requirements of the act, but not to provide immunity from liability in tort for those exempted. Defendant is not immune from liability. (4) Whether Plaintiffs Have Stated a Claim for Conversion Under its analysis of the Moorman issue, the appellate court considered both the negligence count and the conversion count. With respect to the conversion count (which was dismissed by the circuit court on other grounds), the appellate court reasoned that defendant’s “duty to refrain” from operating on the horse’s right stifle “did not -17- arise exclusively from the service contract.” 375 Ill. App. 3d at 457. Because defendant performed the surgery in violation of an express instruction from the plaintiffs, it was outside the scope of the parties’ contract and, therefore, not barred by Moorman. The appellate court concluded that: “Contract or no contract, if one cuts, carves, lacerates, incises, or otherwise alters someone else’s property except as authorized by that person, one commits a classic tort: either trespass to chattels or conversion, depending on the extent of the alteration.” 375 Ill. App. 3d at 458. As noted above, defendant has forfeited consideration of the Moorman issue before this court, so we turn to the question whether plaintiffs have stated a cause of action for conversion. “To prove conversion, a plaintiff must establish that (1) he has a right to the property; (2) he has an absolute and unconditional right to the immediate possession of the property; (3) he made a demand for possession; and (4) the defendant wrongfully and without authorization assumed control, dominion, or ownership over the property.” Cirrincione v. Johnson, 184 Ill. 2d 109, 114 (1998). In count II of their amended complaint, plaintiffs alleged that they were the owners of the horse with the “absolute and unconditional right to immediate possession of the horse,” and that a demand for possession of the horse would have been “useless” because the defendant could not have returned their personal property to them “in its unaltered state.” With regard to the element of assumption of control, dominion, or ownership, the plaintiffs alleged that defendant’s performing unauthorized surgery, in violation of their express instructions, constituted “an unauthorized assumption of the right to possession or ownership of the horse.” Defendant’s motion to dismiss argued that count II failed to plead a cause of action for conversion because plaintiffs did not allege that he had “permanently deprived them of possession of the horse.” The circuit court granted the motion, dismissing the conversion claim with prejudice. The appellate court reversed, relying on section 226 of the Restatement (Second) of Torts, which provides: “ ‘One who intentionally destroys a chattel or so materially alters its physical -18- condition as to change its identity or character is subject to liability for conversion to another who is in possession of the chattel or entitled to its immediate possession.’ ” 375 Ill. App. 3d at 458, quoting Restatement (Second) of Torts §226, at 439 (1965). Comment d to this section suggests that a claim for conversion of a horse on the basis of physical injury to the animal is not unheard of and that one may indeed be liable for the conversion of a horse without permanently depriving the owner of possession: “ ‘If a horse is permanently lamed, it remains a horse, the owner may still be in possession, and the horse may have value to a glue works, but it has become useless for the ordinary purposes of a horse. In such a case there is a conversion.’ ” 375 Ill. App. 3d at 458, quoting Restatement (Second) of Torts §226, Comment d, at 440-41 (1965). Thus, the appellate court concluded, the claim for conversion was properly pleaded. In the portion of their brief addressing the Moorman issue, plaintiffs argue that the doctrine does not bar a claim for the intentional tort of conversion. They argue, further, that the appellate court was correct that their amended complaint did state a claim for conversion. They also point out that defendant failed to raise any issues related to the conversion claim in his petition for leave to appeal. Nevertheless, we have a duty to consider sua sponte whether the Court of Claims has exclusive jurisdiction with respect to the conversion claim. Eastern v. Canty, 75 Ill. 2d 566, 570 (1979) (explaining that a court has a duty to examine its jurisdiction, even if no question is raised by the parties). Section 8(d) of the Act confers exclusive jurisdiction upon the Court of Claims “in cases sounding in tort.” 705 ILCS 505/8(d) (West 2004). This provision is not limited to claims of negligence. By its plain language, this section applies to all tort claims, including intentional torts such as trespass to chattel and conversion. We noted in Healy, 133 Ill. 2d at 309, that an action is against the state when there is “ ‘no allegation[ ] that an agent or employee of the State acted beyond the scope of his authority through wrongful acts.” The essence of a claim for conversion is an allegation that the defendant engaged in an intentional, wrongful act. -19- Further, regarding the relief sought, holding the defendant liable for the intentional tort of conversion cannot operate to control the actions of the state because the University simply cannot have a policy requiring its employees to commit the intentional tort of conversion. Further, as noted above, the State’s indemnification of defendant, should he be found liable for conversion, will not operate to control the actions of the State. We therefore, conclude, that plaintiffs’ claim for conversion should not have been dismissed by the circuit court.