Court Opinion

ID: 9474151
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 04:49:19.248783+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:43:55.783541
License: Public Domain

*1495FAY, Circuit Judge,
dissenting:
Often the answer to a legal inquiry depends upon how one phrases the question, My understanding of the claim being made here is that the plaintiffs lost the opportunity of considering the postponement of the surgery performed until after the birth of a child they very much desired. Not knowing that Mrs. Price was pregnant, the subject was not raised by Dr. Schaffer or the Prices.
Dr. Schaffer ordered a preoperative pregnancy test. It was reported to him in writing that such was performed and that it was negative. The Prices did not know until August of 1983 that this was not so. It is of no moment that the Navy now admits the test results were probably positive. It was recorded as negative. This was an act of negligence not known or discovered until August 1983.
The majority relies upon the fact that the Prices made no attempt to ascertain what had gone wrong. Nothing had gone wrong. The surgery was performed and Mrs. Price recovered. It seems to me that it is a fact question as to whether or not a reasonable person would think about making inquiry at that point. We could probably take judicial notice that medical tests are not perfect. There is no indication that Dr. Schaffer indicated any surprise to the Prices about Mrs. Price having been pregnant. A pelvic ultrasound was performed and no evidence of pregnancy was found. Why would the Prices have pursued some course of investigation? Surely the law does not require every patient to double check the results of each test performed by a hospital staff.
Only through a fluke did the Prices discover the negligent reporting of the serum pregnancy test. Present counsel has some experience with Naval medical records and made sufficient inquiry to force the service to go behind the written entry of “negative.” It is inconceivable to me that anyone in the Navy would have admitted to the Prices that the record was probably wrong regardless of when or how many times they sought information. The record still shows a written entry of “negative.” Due to a claim being filed and attorneys becominS involved, the Navy now concedes these records are in error.
Most respectfully, I dissent. I would reverse the summary judgment and allow the fact finder to determine when the prices knew or should have known that the negligent act of reporting a negative result caused them to lose the opportunity of having a child.