Court Opinion

ID: 9571289
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 20:30:32.542915+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:30:15.774690
License: Public Domain

Beasley, Judge,
concurring in part and dissenting in part.
I respectfully dissent because of the holding in Division 1 of the opinion, regarding the “locality” charge.
1. The trial court order on various pretrial motions ruled that “as to the Defendant Candler General Hospital the locality rule will be the standard applied in this case. Johnson v. Wills Memorial Hospital and Nursing Home, 178 Ga. App. 459 (343 SE2d 700) (1986). The Plaintiff’s motion to disallow expert testimony by the Defendant’s witnesses as to the locality standard is denied. Accordingly, it will be incumbent upon the Plaintiff to prove at trial by expert testimony a deviation from the locality rule as to the claims asserted against Candler. Likewise, the Defendant may introduce expert testimony that the required standards were adhered to. Candler General Hospital v. McNorrill, 182 Ga. App. 107 at 111.”
At the trial the court charged the jury: “although it is the function of the jury to say whether a particular result was caused by negligence, you must evaluate the actions of Candler and its employees by a standard test. You are not permitted to set up and use an arbitrary or artificial standard by which to judge this matter. The proper test is the so-called locality rule, which says that the actions of Candler and its employees must be judged by the standard of what is reasonable for similar hospitals in the same or similar communities. It is the plaintiff’s burden to prove by expert testimony that Candler or its employees deviated from the standard of care for the same or similar localities. If the plaintiff fails to show such a lack of reasonableness under the locality standard, then you must return a verdict in behalf of Candler.”
The general standard of care and not the “locality” standard may well be applicable when the claim is that hospital employees were negligent in failing to perform and in performing administrative and clerical duties, rather than that the services or facilities of the hospital were inadequate.
However, appellant has not shown harm by the pretrial ruling or the court’s charge to the jury on this point. In order for this to be harmful to the plaintiff-patient, it must be shown that there was expert evidence presented on what the local standard was, and it must appear to the appellate court that it was less stringent a standard than the general standard. Otherwise there is no distinction drawn between the two standards and we cannot conclude that the jury applied a standard different from the general one. It may be that as to *527the particular duties allegedly breached here, the standard is the same. See Kellos v. Sawilowsky, 254 Ga. 4 (325 SE2d 757) (1985) (attorney’s standard of care same statewide as nationwide).
In any case, we cannot conclude from the record before us that the jury did not apply what would be the general standard of care when determining whether the hospital employees were negligent. Appellant has not supported this enumeration of error “by a reference to the page or pages in the transcript where the evidence may be found.” Rule 15 (c) (3) (ii). Even if we had the whole transcript, which we do not, we would not be obliged to search through it for such evidence. Dugger v. Danello, 175 Ga. App. 618, 620 (2) (334 SE2d 3) (1985). Compare Justice v. Dunbar, 244 Ga. 415 (260 SE2d 327) (1979). Moreover, it is appellant’s obligation to provide all of those portions of the record necessary for showing that the court erred as enumerated. (OCGA §§ 5-6-37; 5-6-41 (c); 5-6-42; Thurmond v. Bd. of Commrs., Hall County, 174 Ga. App. 570 (1) (330 SE2d 787) (1985), citing Baldwin v. Grimes, 219 Ga. 68 (131 SE2d 563) (1963).
In deciding whether or not an error of law was made by the trial court in a jury charge, the appellate court cannot consider the charge in isolation, separated from the evidence. Its relationship to the evidence is crucial to whether or not it constituted harmful, reversible error as well as to whether it correctly stated a principle of law. See Lockard v. Davis, 169 Ga. App. 208, 210 (2) (312 SE2d 194) (1983); Weaver v. State, 67 Ga. App. 692 (2) (b) (21 SE2d 542) (1942).
Unless appellant shows harmful error, we cannot reverse. Leverett v. Flint Fuel, 183 Ga. App. 75, 78 (3) (357 SE2d 882) (1987).
2. Having taken this position with respect to Division 1, I would have to reach the merits of the enumeration of error regarded as moot in Division 2. However, to do so in this dissent would serve no useful purpose.
3. With respect to Division 3, error in the before-trial evidentiary rulings would be harmless unless the same error were committed at trial. Appellant does complain in her enumeration about the allowance of trial testimony as well as about the pretrial ruling, so she has properly presented the question. It is the evidence which the jury has or does not have that counts here. Since the evidence complained of relates only to the measure of damages, and the verdict was for defendant, the legal issue on appeal need not be reached. Whelchel v. Thomas Ford Tractor, 190 Ga. App. 156 (1) (378 SE2d 510) (1989). I must for this reason dissent with respect to this division also.
4. I concur in Divisions 4 through 9, which in the final analysis leads to the conclusion that a new trial is not required unless a consideration of the merits of the enumeration treated in Division 2 demands it.
I am authorized to state that Presiding Judge Deen and Judge *528Birdsong join in this opinion and that Judge Sognier joins in Division 3 of this opinion.
Decided July 14, 1989
Rehearing denied July 28, 1989.
Joseph B. Bergen, Frederick S. Bergen, John J. Sullivan, for appellant.
Frank W. Seiler, Bouhan, Williams & Levy, Peter D. Muller, Joseph A. Mulherin III, for appellee.