Court Opinion

ID: 9371132
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-02-15 16:06:29.994416+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:16:25.471142
License: Public Domain

STATE OF LOUISIANA

              COURT OF APPEAL, FIRST CIRCUIT

COREY WILLIAMS                                                                           NO.        2022 CW          1224

VERSUS                                                                                                  Page 1 of 2

GULF COAST         OCCUPATIONAL
MEDICINE,          INC.,      ABC
INSURANCE       COMPANY,            JANE      DOE,
DRUG TEST,          INC.      D/B/A DISA
INC.,    DEF       INSURANCE            COMPANY,                                   FEBRUARY               10,       2023
PSYCHEMEDICS            CORPORATION,
AND GHI       INSURANCE            COMPANY

In Re:             Gulf      Coast        Occupational               Medicine,           Inc.,          applying           for
                   supervisory                writs,           23rd        Judicial               District           Court,
                   Parish of Ascension,                       No.    102898.

BEFORE:         WELCH,           PENZATO,          AND     LANIER,         JJ.

        WRIT       GRANTED.             The     trial         court's       October           13,       2022       judgment
denying       the motion            for       summary          judgment          filed       by defendant,               Gulf
Coast    Occupational               Medicine,              Inc. ( " Gulf          Coast") ,             is    reversed.
Plaintiff,          Corey          Williams,          alleges          that       Gulf        Coast's             employee,
Hannah     Lee       Townsend,               negligently             collected           a    hair        sample          from
Williams        that          contained            another           person's           hair,           and       that     his
sample    tested            positive           for       cocaine       and       cocaine           metabolites             due
to the presence               of the          other person's                hair.        Williams             alleges       he
suf f erect     damages            as    a    result           of    the     false       positive              drug       test
results.           In   a     negligence             action         under    La.     Civ.          Code       art.       2315,
the    plaintiff            bears       the     burden         of    proving        fault,I causation,                     and
damages       by    a    preponderance                of      the    evidence.               Gas~ard v.             Safeway
Ins.    Co.,       2014-1676 (            La.      App.        1st    Cir.       6/5/15),           174       So.3d       692,
694,    writ       denied,         2015-1588 (            La.       10/23/15),          184       So.3d       18.        While
the     question              of        causation             is      usually           an         issue           for     the
factfinder's             determination,                   it    is     possible              to     determine             this
issue    on    summary            judgment         if reasonable minds                       could not             differ.
Id.      In    its       motion          for       summary           judgment,          Gulf        Coast          asserted
that Williams will be unable to prove that                                          any alleged breach of
the     standard            of      care       by        Townsend          during        her        collection              of
Williams'          hair       sample          caused          the    hair        sample       to        test       positive
for    cocaine          and      cocaine        metabolites.                In    support           of       its    motion,
Gulf Coast          submitted an               affidavit             by Carl M.          Selavka,             a    forensic
scientist,           who         opined         in       an     expert       report           attached              to     his
affidavit          that "          in    order        for       another           person's              hair       to     have
contaminated                the     specimen              collected              from        Mr.        Williams           and
thereby       cause         the     Positive          Cocaine         result        reported,                HUNDREDS       of
strands       of this         extraneous             hair would have                to be          included in the
sample         collected."                    Williams'              expert,            Dr.         Gary           Wimbish,
similarly           opined          that        in       order        for    a      hair          sample           to     test
positive       for      cocaine,             the   sample would have                    to    contain a             visible
amount        of     hair          contaminated                with       cocaine.            However,              in     his
deposition,             which           was     attached             to     Gulf        Coast~s              motion        for
summary        judgment,                Williams          stated          that      he       could           not     recall
whether       someone            else's        hair       was       present        on    the        paper          Townsend
used     to     collect            Williams'             hair        sample        prior           to    her        shaving
Williams'          arms       to    collect          his       hair.        Additionally,                    Dr.    Wimbish
explained          that       he    could       not       testify         that     it        was    someone          else's
hair,     and      not      Williams'              own     hair,      that       caused           Williams'             sample
                           STATE OF LOUISIANA

             COURT OF APPEAL, FIRST CIRCUIT

                                                                                 2022   cw   1224
                                                                                  Page 2     of 2

to    test   positive       for    cocaine.        Based   on   our   de    novo    review      of
this    matter,      we    conclude       that     Williams        failed    to     set      forth
sufficient      evidence      to    demonstrate       that    he   will     be   able   to   meet
his    burden   of proof      at    trial     to   show that    any alleged negligence
by    Gulf   Coast     caused      his   damages.       Accordingly,         the   motion      for
summary      judgment       filed        by   Gulf    Coast     is    granted       and      Corey
Williams'       claims     against       Gulf   Coast   Occupational         Medicine,        Inc.
are dismissed with prejudice.

                                                JEW
                                                AHP
                                                WIL

COURT    OF APPEAL,        FIRST CIRCUIT

       DEPUTY   CLERK OF      COURT
             FOR THE      COURT