Court Opinion

ID: 9726099
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 12:30:45.184959+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:25:23.433411
License: Public Domain

POCHÉ, J.
I respectfully dissent.
Evidence Code section 9991 creates an exception to the physician-patient privilege for “a communication relevant to an issue concerning the condition of the patient in a proceeding to recover damages on account of the conduct of the patient. . . .” (Italics added.) The proceeding here is not to recover damages on account of the conduct of the patient. Defendant neither alleges he suffered damages nor seeks to recover damages on account of plaintiff’s conduct. The clear and unambiguous language of section 999 therefore does not fit this situation.
Nor does the legislative history lend itself to the construction adopted by the majority opinion. It does just the opposite. In 1974 the California Law Revision Commission recommended amending section 999 to produce the very result suggested by the majority. (See 12 Cal. Law Revision Com. Rep. (1974) pp. 602-608.) The Legislature, however, rejected that recommendation.
The comment of the Law Revision Commission to the enacted statute is even less supportive of the majority’s construction of section 999. The gist of the comment, as well as its emphasized wording, reveals the obvious and single goal of the Legislature was to cover a derivative action based upon the doctrine of respondeat superior. As the commission commented; “Section 999 permits disclosure not only in a case where the patient is a party to the action but also in a case where a party’s liability is based on the conduct of the patient. An example of the latter situation is a personal injury action brought against an employer based on the negligent conduct of his employee who was killed in the accident.” (Italics added; see Cal. Law Revision *1316Com. com., Deering’s Ann. Evid. Code (1986 ed.) § 999, p. 177; 29B West’s Ann. Evid. Code (1989 pocket supp.) p. 80.) The party to which this comment refers must be the defendant, since it is the defendant, not the plaintiff, who is potentially liable.
In sum, neither the actual wording of section 999, nor the legislative history provides a pad sufficient to support the majority’s leap frogging to permit discovery of plaintiff’s medical records. I would therefore issue a peremptory writ directing respondent superior court to grant the motion to quash the subpoena directed at plaintiff’s medical records.

 All further statutory references are to the Evidence Code.