Court Opinion

ID: 9523762
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 02:46:34.264529+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:07:36.179738
License: Public Domain

Beasley, J.
(concurring in part and dissenting in part). I concur in remanding for a further hearing and for detailed findings of fact by the trial judge.
I do not agree that the hospital has the burden of proof to show that its charges for furnishing hospital records to litigants is reasonable. On the contrary, I believe the burden is and should be on a party seeking hospital records to establish that the charges are unreasonable.
Neither do I agree that the hospital must, for the purposes of determining reasonable cost, include the cost of copies of hospital records made for the hospital’s internal purposes. The hospital is not required to finance the cost to litigants of deciding whether they have claims.
In concurring to remand, I do not join in holding that the trial judge has abused his discretion. However, I do believe that there should be an opportunity for an evidentiary hearing and findings of fact by the trial judge. The Court of Appeals will then be in a better position to render a precedent-making opinion. In that connection, it may well be that a further court rule or statute will be desirable to accomplish a better balance between the primary purposes of hospitals and the needs of litigants.