Court Opinion

ID: 9538886
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 07:43:24.654097+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T14:58:13.502335
License: Public Domain

*148SCHROEDER, Justice,
specially concurring.
I concur in the result but caution that the Court’s opinion in III. A. not be read broadly. The Court comments that, “[t]he doctor-patient relationship, however, does not create a clear risk of prejudice.” Emphasis should be placed on the opposing concern. The doctor-patient relationship creates a serious risk of prejudice, and the determination of whether the patient should remain on the jury panel should be approached with extreme caution.
In most instances if there is actually a current doctor-patient relationship the juror will be disqualified for cause under I.R.C.P. 47(h)(3) as a debtor of the doctor. Ironically, most people are probably more concerned with retaining goodwill with their doctor than with a creditor. The doctor upon whom a prospective juror is dependent for on-going medical treatment of what may be intimate details of health is likely more important in the juror’s life than the creditor who can be paid. Regardless, the doctor-patient relationship is not one of the bases for a challenge under I.R.C.P. 47(h). The district court approached the issue properly under existing law. The point remains, however, that this Court’s ruling should be read cautiously.
Examination of the juror runs several risks. First, the doctor may have dealt with intimate, personal details of the juror’s life. The juror may be hesitant to share a frank opinion under these circumstances. Additionally, examination of the juror runs the risk of constituting a sworn testimonial on behalf of the doctor that can influence other members of the panel. Extreme caution should be taken in limiting the type of examination of the juror that takes place in front of other jurors lest the entire panel be tainted.
Because the doctor-patient relationship is not enumerated as a basis for a challenge for cause in I.R.C.P. 47(h), and because the district court developed an appropriate record, I concur in the result, though I caution care in such cases.