Court Opinion

ID: 9760853
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 01:19:49.078466+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:29:18.110528
License: Public Domain

BLEIL, Justice,
dissenting.
Nine doctors testified. Not one testified that any of Wadley’s conduct caused one *881dollar of medical expenses. Nor did any other witness.
Kathy Murdock had previously borne a child with severe birth defects. That child died. Before Jessie Burgess was born, he was diagnosed as having extensive congenital birth defects, including defects affecting the brain and brain stem. He in fact was bom with multiple birth defects. A little over a year and three-fourths of a million dollars later, the Burgess child died.
As indicated by the majority, the reasonableness and necessity of the medical expenses were stipulated. The question was whether Wadley’s conduct proximately caused the medical treatment required. Nine medical experts testified. Three did not testify regarding causation. Five opined that almost all of the medical treatments, as well as the death of the child, resulted from the serious birth defects and that treatment for the meconium ingestion was incidental and brief.
Only one doctor might be said to have testified concerning a causal link. Michael Cardwell testified for the plaintiffs based upon his review of hospital records. However, the only testimony of his relating to causation occurred after the doctor was asked whether he had an opinion as to whether treatment for meconium aspiration was necessary:
A Yes, I have an opinion.
Q And what is your opinion?
A In my opinion, the therapeutic maneuvers performed at Arkansas Children’s Hospital is (sic) necessary to treat meconi-um aspiration syndrome suffered by baby Jessica (sic).
Q Do you feel like the treatment modalities that are described in the records are reasonable efforts to treat the condition that’s set forth in those records?
A Yes, I feel that the treatments were necessary and reasonable in the circumstances.
No one testified what those treatments cost, and the cost is not apparent from any other evidence.
I find that no evidence shows a causal link between Wadley’s conduct and the $500,-000.00 awarded by the jury or the $352,-784.00 awarded by the trial court. Therefore, I respectfully dissent.