Court Opinion

ID: 9600788
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 01:31:14.567618+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:39:38.723559
License: Public Domain

MELTON, Justice,
concurring specially.
As I did in Amu v. Barnes, 283 Ga. 549 (662 SE2d 113) (2008), I write separately in this case to emphasize that a patient must experience an asymptomatic period between the initial misdiagnosis and the onset of new symptoms in order for the “new injury” exception to apply. See, e.g., Burt v. James, 276 Ga. App. 370 (623 SE2d 223) (2005). The presence or lack of an asymptomatic period is a critical factual determination in all cases of this type, whether the underlying illness is HIV infection as in Kaminer v. Canas, 282 Ga. 830 (653 SE2d 691) (2007), or cancer as in Amu, supra. Here, a question of fact remains regarding whether the patient experienced an asymptomatic period. As a result, the Appellants’ summary judgment motions were properly denied.