Opinion ID: 419681
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Osteopaths who have obtained private legislation

Text: 37 Dr. Brandwein further alleges that he has been denied equal protection of the laws because certain individuals have obtained special legislation from the state legislature permitting them to use the title M.D. despite the fact that they received degrees as Doctors of Osteopathy. 38 The procedural history of this claim differs from that of the other equal protection claims. The first two equal protection claims were raised as separate counts in Dr. Brandwein's six-count complaint filed with the district court. Following the defendants' motions to dismiss, Dr. Brandwein moved for summary judgment. In the affidavit filed in support of plaintiff's motion for summary judgment, Dr. Brandwein raised the additional issue of osteopaths who had obtained special legislation. He did not seek to amend his original complaint to include this additional issue. The district court then dismissed each count of Dr. Brandwein's complaint and also, without comment, denied the motion for summary judgment. 39 If this were a separate claim for relief, we would be without jurisdiction to pass on it, because it was not properly raised before the district court. See Fed.R.Civ.P. 15(a); 6 C. Wright & A. Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure Sec. 1474 (1971). Without an amendment to the complaint incorporating this new issue, it was not before the district court for judgment and is not now reviewable by this court, at least insofar as we review the correctness of the district court's order of dismissal. 40 This issue may, however, be construed as an additional argument or theory in support of the more general equal protection claim raised by Dr. Brandwein. Because the new argument was not raised by amendment to the complaint, but rather in an affidavit in support of plaintiff's motion for summary judgment, a different standard of review applies. To find the district court's denial of plaintiff's motion for summary judgment to be erroneous, we must find that plaintiff demonstrated that no genuine issue of material fact remained on this point. Given the meager nature of the allegations raised by Dr. Brandwein, we cannot so hold. 41 In the affidavit, Dr. Brandwein alleges at paragraphs 12 and 51 that some osteopathic graduates have been licensed by the Medical Board and use the title M.D., through special legislation or statutory interpretation. No further information is given. This is insufficient to support a summary judgment motion, Fed.R.Civ.P. 56; 10A C. Wright, A. Miller & M. Kane, Federal Practice and Procedure Sec. 2738, at 438, and the district court properly denied the motion. Further, the only instance of special legislation noticed to this court was closely related to the unique historical circumstances surrounding the attempted merger of the osteopathic and medical fields and the later court invalidation of that merger. See Board of Osteopathic Examiners v. Board of Medical Examiners, 53 Cal.App.3d 78, 82, 125 Cal.Rptr. 619 (Cal.Ct.App.1975). As our previous discussion of the merger attempt indicates, the now seemingly inconsistent legislative positions taken on the granting of M.D. titles to osteopaths cannot be deemed irrational choices. 42