Opinion ID: 1862642
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: fraud claim against the hospital

Text: In addition to alleging that the defendants had wrongfully caused the death of their son, Glendon and Charles Lee, Sr., alleged that the Hospital had misrepresented the nature of the care that Charles would receive in order to induce them to admit their son to the care of the Hospital and to expend great sums of money in procuring medical care. Their amended complaint further alleged that as a proximate result of the fraudulent misrepresentations of the Hospital, the plaintiffs unknowingly submitted their son to the care of medical students, unlicensed physicians, and others, and, in addition to incurring expenses for medical care, suffered great emotional and mental distress and anguish as a result of Charles's death. The Hospital argues that Alabama law provides for one exclusive cause of action for death allegedly caused by the tortious acts or omissions of another; therefore, it contends, the joinder of the fraud claim with the wrongful death claim and the submission of the fraud claim to the jury mandates reversal of this case. Brief of Children's Hospital, at 39. We disagree. The fraud claim was tried and submitted to the jury against the Hospital, only. The jury returned a special verdict on forms clearly indicating the claims on which liability rested. Because the jury rejected the plaintiffs' arguments on the fraud claim and returned a verdict in favor of the Hospital on that claim, its submission could not have tainted the verdict on the wrongful death claim, which assessed damages against both defendants in the amount of $6,875,000. See State Farm Fire & Casualty Co. v. Ponder, 469 So.2d 1262 (Ala.1985); Russell v. Baccus, 707 F.2d 1289 (11th Cir.1983); Van Cleef v. Aeroflex Corp., 657 F.2d 1094 (9th Cir.1981). Moreover, the evidence introduced in support of the plaintiffs' fraud claim also was material to issues arising under the wrongful death claims, such as the conduct of the defendants in relation to applicable standards of care. See Sims v. Struthers, 267 Ala. 80, 100 So.2d 23 (1957); C. Gamble, McElroy's Alabama Evidence § 425.01(14) (4th ed. 1991). Thus, assuming, without deciding, that the joinder of the fraud and wrongful death claims and the submission of the fraud claim to the jury constituted error, we are unable to conclude that those errors necessitate a reversal.