Opinion ID: 2108736
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: The Davis-Frye Hearing

Text: Defendant Oakwood Hospital failed to present any substantiation for its motion asserting that the testimony of plaintiff's causation expert, Dr. Ronald Gabriel, was inadmissible because it was not recognized in the scientific community. Rule 2.119(A)(1)(b) of the Michigan Court Rules requires that a motion state with particularity the grounds and authority on which it is based. All that defendant stated was a conclusory and overbroad statement that [t]he testimony and opinions regarding plaintiff's condition and the causes for it that were offered by Dr. Ronald Gabriel in deposition are groundless in the extreme and, by his own admission, without support or even mention in modern medical literature. To this statement, defendant attached several pages of Dr. Gabriel's deposition testimony. After reviewing them, I find that Dr. Gabriel's only relevant admission is that few recent studies regarding fetal head compression exist because it occurs rarely. The reason it occurs rarely is that fetal heart monitors and other medical technology help detect the conditions associated with it so that head compression is averted. A lack of recent studies does not necessarily indicate that a scientific theory has been abandoned or has fallen into disrepute. It may indicate that the theory has become generally accepted. For instance, although there are no recent scientific studies showing the shape of the earth, the statement, The earth is round, would be accepted in the scientific community. In its response to defendant's motion, plaintiff cited the Physician's Desk Reference and quoted a textbook describing the effects of labor on a fetus. Defendant offered nothing in response. Had it set forth specific grounds and authority to support the motion, a Davis-Frye hearing would have been appropriate. Under the majority's relaxed standard articulated today, whenever in the future a party claims that a theory is groundless in the extreme, it appears that party will be entitled to a Davis-Frye hearing. This effectively removes from the trial court the discretion to decide whether a hearing is needed, making it automatic. Criminal defendants questioning proffered testimony regarding the psychological effect their actions had on a child victim could receive a Davis-Frye hearing on the bald assertion that the testimony is unacceptable in the scientific community. Defendant's written motion was vague. Attached to it was some of Dr. Gabriel's deposition testimony in which he stated that a compression injury occurred and that it resulted from the administration of excessive Pitocin. The court heard oral argument on the motion. In focusing on the expert testimony that it believed was inadmissible, defendant referred to Dr. Gabriel's testimony that plaintiff had experienced a traumatic head injury during childbirth. It asked for a hearing at which it might present an expert to testify that there is no scientific support for this theory. Defendant did not have an expert nor did it provide an affidavit signed by an expert indicating that Dr. Gabriel's theory is not recognized in the scientific community. In denying the motion, the judge noted: The problem with your [defendant's] motion is you don't have any Affidavits. You don't have any evidence in there that  I mean, that there should be a Davis Frye Hearing. I mean, it's just you as an attorney saying that ....[granting a hearing without any support for defendant's argument] would mean that everybody can come in here and allege that whatever everybody's expert is saying is not supported by scientific data, and I would have to hold a Davis Frye Hearing in every single case where any expert had to testify. And that's not the standard. You have to submit some evidence to me that I need a Davis Frye Hearing, other than you just saying it.[ [2] ] The judge indicated a willingness to revisit the motion should defendant provide support for its contention: [Y]ou can submit anything additional. I will take a look at it. But that's my ruling today. Defendant never renewed the motion. The Michigan Rules of Evidence grant considerable deference to a trial judge in ruling on motions. With regard to preliminary questions, MRE 104(a) provides that questions regarding the qualification of a person to be a witness and the admissibility of evidence shall be determined by the court.... In making its determination, it is not bound by the Rules of Evidence except those with respect to privileges. Contrary to the majority's assertions and in accordance with this rule, the trial court was not bound by MRE 702, which governs the testimony of expert witnesses, when it ruled on defendant's motion. It is without question that, once a defendant shows that a genuine issue exists with regard to a theory's acceptance, the theory's proponent must prove its acceptance in the medical community. But before that, the party raising the issue must present more than a conclusory allegation that an issue exists. Defendant failed to make the necessary showing in this case. It never provided support for counsel's proposition that Dr. Gabriel's traumatic injury theory lacked recognition in the scientific community. Even given the opportunity to provide support to the court, defendant was either unwilling or unable to do so. Hence, the trial court did not abuse its discretion when it refused to hold a Davis-Frye hearing.