Court Opinion

ID: 9542942
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 16:40:35.037866+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:09:20.328518
License: Public Domain

ERICKSON, Justice,
concurring in part and dissenting in part:
I concur in the result, and dissent to that part of the opinion that addresses damages for wrongful birth.
I agree with the majority’s conclusion that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment on the Liningers’ claim for “wrongful birth.” In its August 26, 1986 order dismissing the case with prejudice, the trial court stated that “the motions of defendants for summary judgment are granted.” Under C.R.C.P. 56, we need only determine if there is any “genuine issue of material fact and [whether] the moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law.” Since this court has concluded that the defendants were not entitled to dismissal as a matter of law, and there are genuine issues of material fact, summary judgment should not have been granted on the Liningers’ “wrongful birth” claim. We need not address any other issues raised.
In my view, the proper measure of damages for the Lininger’s claim should not be addressed in reviewing the motion for summary judgment. The majority points out in footnote 9 that this court denied certiorari on the issue of the proper measure of damages. The majority opinion acknowledges the difficulty in addressing the issue at this stage of the proceedings. On the one hand, the majority holds that in the event the plaintiffs prevail on the “wrongful birth” claims, they may “recover those extraordinary medical and educational expenses occasioned by Pierce’s blindness.” At 1207. On the other hand, the majority “express[es] no opinion as to whether other damages may be recovered....” Id. at 1207. If the plaintiffs do not prevail at trial, the measure of damages awarded in future “wrongful birth” cases will be governed by a precedent that resulted from the virtually nonexistent record before us. Given the procedural posture of this case and the lack of a record relating to damages, I think it is premature to address the damage issue at this time.
I also believe that labelling the claim as one for “wrongful birth” confuses the analysis of the case. The majority states “As we have explained above, however, the complaint states a cause of action within the confines of common law negligence.” At 1208. Since those claims for relief identified in the complaint as “wrongful birth” claims sound in traditional negligence and medical malpractice, I believe that denominating the claims as “wrongful birth” claims clouds the issue. “Wrongful birth” is a misnomer that does not identify the underlying tort as much as it inartfully describes the result of the tort. It is not the birth of Pierce Lininger that gives rise to the plaintiffs’ claim for relief. Rather, it is the alleged negligent failure to diagnosis Pierce’s congenital condition that forms the basis of the plaintiffs’ complaint.
Because I believe that the majority analyzes the issue within the traditional negligence/malpractice framework, and reaches the proper result, I concur in the result and agree that the trial court erred in granting summary judgment on the claims referred to as “wrongful birth” claims. I agree with the majority in concluding that the claims for “wrongful life” were properly dismissed, and reflect an improper designation of the claims asserted.