Opinion ID: 1748237
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: First Theory of Liability

Text: As to Plaintiff's first theory, that Dr. Patterson was vicariously liable for the negligence of the hospital nurses, it was on this theory that the Court of Appeals found the trial court's charge to be confusing and ambiguous. It should be noted that the Plaintiff sued Saint Joseph Hospital and settled her claim in this regard. Plaintiff signed a release which released all Saint Joseph employees from any and all claims arising out of or resulting from any treatment, omission, event or act while Evelyn Tutton was a patient at Saint Joseph Hospital from May 5 through May 12, 1979, and during any other time Evelyn Tutton was a patient at Saint Joseph Hospital. Since the Saint Joseph nurses have been released from any liability owed to the Plaintiff, Dr. Patterson cannot be held vicariously liable for their conduct. Stewart v. Craig, 208 Tenn. 212, 344 S.W.2d 761 (1961); Craven v. Lawson, 534 S.W.2d 653 (Tenn. 1976). However, it appears that this issue was not raised at trial. The Court of Appeals determined that the trial court's charge on the vicarious liability count was erroneous and vacated the judgment against Dr. Patterson and remanded the cause for a new trial without considering whether the error was harmless. We are of the opinion that the trial court's error, if any, was harmless error. T.C.A. § 20-9-502 provides as follows: Verdict applied to good account. [sic]  If any counts in a declaration are good, a verdict for entire damages shall be applied to such good counts. Tennessee courts have held on the basis of the above quoted statute that a trial court's erroneous instruction on one count of a multicount suit is harmless error if its instructions as to the other counts were proper. Tennessee Cent. Ry. Co. v. Umenstetter, 155 Tenn. 235, 237, 291 S.W. 452 (1927); Bloodworth v. Stuart, 221 Tenn. 567, 577, 428 S.W.2d 786 (1968). [A] general verdict approved by the trial judge is not vitiated by the absence of proof on one or more counts of the declaration if there is evidence to sustain the averments of a single count. Alex v. Armstrong, 215 Tenn. 276, 286, 385 S.W.2d 110 (1964); Valentine v. Conchemco, Inc., 588 S.W.2d 871, 877 (Tenn. App. 1979). In Bloodworth v. Stuart, supra , plaintiff relied upon two separate theories; the attractive nuisance doctrine, and the playground doctrine. The trial judge in his charge submitted both theories to the jury. The jury returned a general verdict for plaintiff. On appeal, this Court found that the trial judge erred in not directing a verdict for the defendant on the attractive nuisance count. There was material evidence in the record from which the jury could conclude that the playground doctrine applied; thus applying T.C.A. § 20-9-502, this Court held that [h]aving found the jury was justified in finding liability under the count of the declaration based on the playground doctrine, the verdict will be applied to that count. 221 Tenn. at 577, 428 S.W.2d 786. Justice Dyer, in his dissent, argued that an erroneous instruction in regard to a multiple count case can be reversible error even though proper instructions were given as to other counts being litigated. He concluded that the defendant was prejudiced by submission to the jury the attractive nuisance count. In this case Defendant contends that the trial judge erred in submitting the vicarious liability count to the jury. We are of the opinion that the trial court's erroneous instruction in regard to this count is harmless error, having found that the jury was justified in finding the Defendant liable under either of the other two counts. [1] Bloodworth v. Stuart, supra . We cannot say that after considering the whole record, the erroneous charge more probably than not affected the judgment. Rule 36(b), T.R.A.P.