Opinion ID: 676036
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Common Law Fear-of-Developing-Disease Cases

Text: 27 1. In General. In its first challenge to the judgment, the railroad asserts the traditional negligent infliction of emotional distress analysis is inappropriate, and urges us instead to follow the specific jurisprudence employed in fear-of-developing-disease cases. Those cases generally hold as a prerequisite to recovery for emotional distress that a plaintiff prove actual exposure to a disease and a reasonable medical probability of later developing it. See, e.g., Harper v. Illinois Cent. G. R.R., 808 F.2d 1139, 1140 (5th Cir.1987) (per curiam) (no recovery under Louisiana law for mental anguish based on fear of future health problems absent evidence of exposure to chemicals). Some courts also require a plaintiff to show the exposure caused a present injury, and that future injury is reasonably certain to occur, or that the emotional distress suffered by plaintiff manifested itself physically. See, e.g., Bubash v. Philadelphia Elec. Co., 717 F.Supp. 297, 300 (M.D.Pa.1989) (worker who briefly had been exposed to low level radiation did not suffer physical injury entitling him to compensation for emotional distress under Pennsylvania law); DeStories v. Phoenix, 154 Ariz. 604, 744 P.2d 705, 709 (App.1987) (no recovery to plaintiffs who had been exposed to asbestos dust absent physical injury or illness, or physical harm resulting from the emotional distress). 28 2. Inapplicable where Physical Injury Present. Yet, as is made clear in a case heavily relied upon by defendant, the fear-of-future-disease analysis applies only [w]ith respect to infliction of emotional distress absent physical injury or contact. Nesom v. Tri Hawk Int'l, 985 F.2d 208, 210 (5th Cir.1993) (applying Louisiana law in fear of contracting a disease case). 29 Proof of exposure to a contaminated substance, or exposure plus manifestation of emotional distress or probable future injury, are substitute means for providing a guarantee of the merits of a plaintiff's claim, where no physical injury has been incurred. See id. at 210-11 (denying recovery absent proof of exposure to disease causing agent because [s]uch circumstances do not provide a sufficient indicia of reliability). Since Marchica suffered an actual physical injury, the rule governing fear of future disease is inapposite and the traditional negligent infliction of emotional distress analysis applies. 30 Had Marchica merely touched the discarded needle and become concerned about the possibility of developing AIDS, the case would stand on a very different footing. But because Marchica's emotional distress was the direct result of a documented physical injury and was reasonably foreseeable in light of the fact that he may have been exposed to HIV by way of the needle puncture, he was not required to prove actual exposure to the disease in order to state a viable cause of action. While the jury was entitled to consider the lack of proof of exposure in ascertaining whether Marchica's fear was reasonable, the lack of such proof did not entitle defendant to judgment as a matter of law.