Court Opinion

ID: 9594866
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 00:33:32.322331+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:01:25.001295
License: Public Domain

HUNTLEY, Justice,
concurring.
I concur with the majority’s adoption of a “bright line” rule which requires that the plaintiffs’ expert, pursuant to I.C. § 6-1013(c), become familiar with the local community standard of care.
Plaintiffs contend that treatment here provided violated a standard of care in every community in Idaho. It is true that in some cases, malpractice may seem self-evident. An intoxicated doctor operating on a patient is one example. In such a case, resources are undoubtedly wasted by requiring an expert to become familiar with the local standard of care: the malpractice alleged speaks for itself. However, I submit the vast majority of cases are not so clear cut. If plaintiffs’ position were adopted, an endless stream of cases would reach this Court, demanding that we define what is, and what is not, “clear cut” malpractice. Making such a distinction is often arbitrary. This is especially true because we are trained in the field of law, not medicine.
Just as important, as the majority opinion notes, it does not take a Herculean effort for an expert to become familiar with the local standard of care. It can be done on the telephone. Moreover, if the plaintiff’s expert cannot find a doctor from the local community to inform him or her of the local standard of care, I.C. § 6-1012 provides that where the standard of practice is “indeterminable, evidence of such standard in similar Idaho communities at said time may be considered.” Thus, the decision today speaks clearly as to the requirements concerning the expert’s knowledge of the local standard of care. As a result, the statute will no longer serve as a trap for the unwary.