Opinion ID: 2995359
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Expert Testimony by Family Physician

Text: During trial, Dr. Nancy Ness, a family physician testified as an expert on Eagle River’s behalf regarding the appropriate standard of care for nurse practitioners. Cooper objects to Dr. Ness’s testimony in two respects. First, she claims that Eagle River should be judicially estopped from presenting Dr. Ness’s testimony because Eagle River objected in a motion in limine to non-nurse practitioners testifying as to the proper standard of care. When the trial judge overruled Eagle River’s objection, Eagle River retained Dr. Ness as an expert. Second, Cooper challenges Dr. Ness’s qualifications to render an expert opinion on the issue of standard of care. Both arguments are without merit. Judicial estoppel is an equitable doctrine, generally applied by circuit courts, that precludes a party from asserting a position in a legal proceeding and then subsequently asserting an inconsistent position. State v. Petty, 548 N.W.2d 817, 820 (Wis. 1996). The purpose of judicial estoppel is to protect the judiciary as an institution. Id., quoting State v. Fleming, 510 N.W.2d 837, 841 (Wis. Ct. App. 1993). In Wisconsin, the doctrine is used to prevent litigants from playing fast and loose with the judicial system by maintain[ing] inconsistent positions during the course of the litigation. Id. To invoke judicial estoppel, a court must identify three elements: (1) the later position must be clearly inconsistent with the earlier position; (2) the facts at issue should be the same in both cases; and (3) the party to be estopped must have convinced the first court to adopt its position. Salveson v. Douglas County and Wisconsin County Mut. Ins. Corp., 630 N.W.2d 182, 192 (Wis. 2001). Here, condition #3 is obviously lacking because the district judge did not adopt the position advanced by Eagle River in its motion in limine. Once the district judge overruled Eagle River’s objection to non-nurse practitioners testifying regarding the appropriate standard of care, Eagle River was free to adhere to the judge’s decision. Cooper’s objection to Dr. Ness’s qualifications as an expert is similarly flawed. Trial judges have broad discretion in determining expert qualifications and their determination will be affirmed unless it is manifestly erroneous. Bob Willow Motors, Inc. v. General Motors Corp., 872 F.2d 788, 797 (7th Cir. 1989); Jones v. Hamelman, 869 F.2d 1023, 1028 (7th Cir. 1989). While Cooper’s assertion that Dr. Ness had only limited experience with nurse practitioners has some merit, the trial court’s decision to admit her testimony was not manifestly erroneous. Dr. Ness served as the medical director of a large multi-specialty clinic that employed two nurse practitioners and several physician assistants. Although Dr. Ness’s role is administrative in nature, at least twenty-five percent of her practice concerns obstetrics. Cooper may quarrel with the conclusions that Dr. Ness reached (and that the jury obviously credited), but her qualifications are not so limited as to warrant a new trial. We therefore affirm the decision of the district court to admit Dr. Ness’s testimony. C. Introduction of Pathology Slide During the presentation of its defense, Eagle River called Dr. Janice Lage, who interpreted a pathology slide containing tissue samples from Cooper’s placenta and offered certain conclusions regarding the cause of Cooper’s placental abruption. Cooper argues that the district court erred in admitting the slide because Eagle River never established a proper foundation./5 Federal Rule of Evidence 901 (a) states that authentication is proper if the proponent presents evidence sufficient to support a finding that the matter in question is what its proponent claims. A common requirement in authenticating evidence is the chain of custody; however, an uninterrupted chain of custody is not a prerequisite to admissibility. Instead, gaps in the chain go to the weight of the evidence, not its admissibility. United States v. Wheeler, 800 F.2d 100, 106 (7th Cir. 1986). If the trial judge is satisfied that in reasonable probability the evidence has not been altered in any material respect, he may permit its introduction. United States v. Aviles, 623 F.2d 1192, 1198 (7th Cir. 1980). The pathology slide in this case was properly authenticated to a degree sufficient to warrant its admissibility. The reference number on the slide matched the specimen number contained in Cooper’s pathology report. Nowhere does Cooper allege that Eagle River engaged in misconduct,/6 nor does Cooper point to anything in the record that suggests the placental sample derived from a source other than Cooper. Based on these facts, the district court’s decision to admit the pathology slide was proper. See United States v. Dombrowski, 877 F.2d 520, 525 (7th Cir. 1989); Mauldin v. Upjohn Co., 697 F.2d 644, 649 (5th Cir. 1983) (presenting analogous factual circumstances).