Opinion ID: 1510712
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Plaintiff's Treating Physicians Called as Expert Witnesses by Defendant

Text: Plaintiff contends that the defendant's use of Dr. Myers and Dr. Kodner as expert witnesses on behalf of the defendant violates the holding of this Court in State ex rel. McCloud v. Seier, 567 S.W.2d 127 (Mo. banc 1978). We disagree. In McCloud, the defendant sought to have the Court designate plaintiff's treating physician as the examining physician for the defendant under Rule 60. [1] Rule 60 contains a procedure whereby a party (usually the defendant) by motion can request that the court order another party (usually the plaintiff) to submit to a physical or mental examination by a physician. The Rule contains reciprocal provisions by which each party may receive a report of findings from the examining physician. It is common practice for the moving party to suggest to the court the name of the proposed examining physician. In McCloud the defendant suggested that the court appoint the plaintiff's treating physician as the examining physician. We held that the Rule does not contemplate such an appointment: We hold that under our Rule 60, a patient-litigant cannot be required over his objection to submit to an examination by his treating physician at the request of and for the benefit of the patient's adversary. McCloud, 567 S.W.2d at 130. McCloud does not prohibit a defendant from eliciting an opinion favorable to the defendant from plaintiff's treating physician if the physician holds such opinion. It is common practice to obtain favorable concessions from the other party's expert or treating physician. In any event, McCloud does not speak to the issue of whether ex parte communications with the plaintiff's treating physician will be prohibited.