Opinion ID: 1383940
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: background / procedural history

Text: Amman Johnson underwent surgery at LeBonheur Children's Medical Center (LeBonheur) on November 4, 1991, to repair a heart condition. During the surgery, Amman sustained permanent neurological damage resulting from cardiac arrest. Mary Johnson, Amman's mother, filed suit against LeBonheur and other health care providers involved in the surgery seeking damages for the injuries sustained by Amman. The complaint alleges, inter alia, that Dr. Michael Citak and Dr. Michael Martindale were acting as the agents and servants of LeBonheur during Amman's surgery and that LeBonheur is vicariously liable under the doctrine of respondeat superior for their negligence. Dr. Citak and Dr. Martindale were physician residents in the University of Tennessee (UT) training program. They were compensated by UT and thus were state employees pursuant to Tenn.Code Ann. § 8-42-101(3). While in the UT training program, both resident physicians worked on rotation at LeBonheur. [1] During their rotation, they were required to follow LeBonheur's protocols, rules, and regulations in providing treatment or services, or otherwise in attending patients of LeBonheur. Amman Johnson was one of the LeBonheur patients for whom the resident physicians provided services. Dr. Citak assisted in performing Amman's surgery, and Dr. Martindale assisted in providing the anesthesia care during the surgery. LeBonheur filed a motion for partial summary judgment. LeBonheur asserted that it could not be held vicariously liable based solely upon the actions of Dr. Citak and Dr. Martindale because the physician residents were immune from liability as state employees under Tenn.Code Ann. § 9-8-307. On December 8, 1998, the trial court entered an order overruling the motion. LeBonheur was granted permission to seek an interlocutory appeal pursuant to Tenn. R.App. P. Rule 9. The Court of Appeals affirmed the trial court's overruling of the partial summary judgment motion. We granted appeal.
Summary judgment is appropriate when there is no genuine issue as to any material fact and... the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law. Tenn. R. Civ. P. 56.04. A ruling on a motion for summary judgment involves only questions of law and not disputed issues of fact. Owner-Operator Indep. Drivers Ass'n v. Concord EFS, Inc., 59 S.W.3d 63 (Tenn.2001). Accordingly, our review of a denial of summary judgment is de novo with no presumption of correctness as to the trial court's findings. Webber v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 49 S.W.3d 265, 269 (Tenn.2001). The evidence must be viewed in the light most favorable to the nonmoving party, and all reasonable inferences must be drawn in the nonmoving party's favor. Staples v. CBL & Assocs., Inc., 15 S.W.3d 83, 89 (Tenn.2000).