Opinion ID: 1161746
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 8

Heading: Negligence of Dr. Fogarty

Text: In support of his motion for summary judgment, Dr. Fogarty submitted the affidavit of Dr. Robert H. Fennell, who stated that Dr. Fogarty's diagnosis of the tumor as a neurilemoma did not fall below the standard of care and that it is not negligent or below the standard of care for a board certified pathologist to decide not to send histological slides out to a `consultant' for a second opinion. Dr. Charles Garrett, appellant's expert pathologist, testified in his deposition that the slides reviewed by Dr. Fogarty contained worrisome signs which should have caused concern about potential malignancy of the tissue and, as a result, the standard of care would mandate referral to a soft tissue tumor specialist. Dr. Garrett further indicated that if consultation had been obtained from a facility specializing in soft tissue tumors, a misdiagnosis would have been highly unlikely. These materials demonstrate a factual dispute on the question of whether Dr. Fogarty acted negligently in failing to obtain consultation from a specialist.