Court Opinion

ID: 9694863
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 17:57:38.654699+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:20:05.928575
License: Public Domain

WIGGINS, Justice
(concurring specialty)-
I concur in the legal interpretation by the majority opinion of Iowa Code section *464614.1(9)(a) (2001). However, I write separately to express my view that I would find not only do the defendants fail to establish there is no genuine issue of material fact regarding the application of section 614.1(9)(a), but also under the present summary judgment record the defendants do not establish sufficient facts to have the statute-of-limitations issue submitted to a jury.
Because a cross-motion for summary judgment on the statute-of-limitations issue was not filed by the plaintiffs, the majority has declined to extend its discussion to consider the adequacy of the record to withstand such a motion. In order to more clearly describe the scope of our ruling and to provide guidance to the district court, I would make it clear that under the current record no reasonable jury could conclude the plaintiffs should have known the injury was caused by medical care prior to the time the treating physician made the connection between the injury and the ingestion of Antabuse. See Hardi v. Mezzanotte, 818 A.2d 974, 980 (D.C.2008) (holding when the physician is at the stage where he is providing a diagnosis and advice for the patient’s medical care, the patient cannot be expected to question him or to know the doctor’s actions might be negligent and result in harm to the patient).
Nothing in the majority opinion is inconsistent with these observations.