Court Opinion

ID: 9542075
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 16:31:00.311156+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:06:32.258425
License: Public Domain

HENRIOD, Retired Justice
(dissenting):
I agree with the observations of Mr. Justice Hall’s dissent, and dissent from the main opinion and the concurrence thereto.
In this case the trial judge decided that the witness was not qualified as an expert because he did not satisfy the “local community” standard of competence rule relating to modus operandi of members of the medical profession. The rule has been in effect in Utah for nearly a half century and has persisted through Posnien v. Rogers,1 decided in 1975, about 3 years after the injury complained of and about 3 years prior to the majority opinion here:2 Two of the Justices in that unanimous ease, now reverse themselves, and the rule is abolished without benefit of citation of little authority, save the opinions of the two. In short in this far-reaching case they are bottomed on assumption, — or on information and belief, having to do with the highly debateable premise that because of technological changes and expansion of medical knowledge and communication, the eviden-tiary “local community” rule relating to modus operandi standards, should be junked, — to be replaced by a competence standard applicable, perhaps to a Pickle-ville, Utah, or a Tennessee mountain doctor, who, administering to the sick as best he can, with the tools he has, must be equated with the competence and ability of the physician at Mayo’s or at the Harvard Medical School, which latter, unlike the former are possessive of the most recent equipment, medication and personnel, including use of the most recent breakthrough in medical science, — the “scanner.” In my humble opinion, the majority decision surely will result in neglect of the maimed, sick and poor people not only resident,in the hinterlands, but those in small cities, and other places, because of the indisposition of medical men to undertake operations beyond the tooth-pulling or broken leg level. The Hippocratic Oath may wilt a bit when the spectre of a malpractice suit haunts a doctor, — especially a practitioner of long experience and wisdom, but not having had an opportunity to be trained in or possibly not yet acquainted with or converted to recent, new techniques, — and where such litigation will not be attended with, and not restrict*822ed to the modus operandi of the hundreds of his peers, practicing “in his community.” This, also, where his practice and all his life’s accumulations and accomplishments, may go down the bedpan at the expense of a sort of carpet-bagging medic, who professes to know the standards of professional medical excellence in 50 states and Puerto Rico, coupled with a generous jury (of his peers). This, even after having flunked one of the most important examinations of his profession, as was the case here.
In my opinion it was unfortunate that the decision in the trial court disqualifying the witness, resulted from the application of the rule of standards based on “local community.” Such rule is one of the most respected rules of evidence in Utah’s legal history. The witness here was a Los Ange-les doctor, not Board-certified as a neurosurgeon, in which he claimed special expertise. He flunked the examination in his own claimed specialty, yet was wont to testify against medics engaged in a different specialty. The trial court well could have disqualified the witness here on the basis of personal know-how, irrespective of any recognition of the rule. This Court many times has affirmed, where the trial court’s reason may be faulted, but where the evidence or something else appears to have been meritorious, and quite sufficient to affirm.
I am of the opinion that the lawyers of this state will welcome this decision with surprise, or disapproval, or more likely disappointment, — perhaps all three, since the demise of the “local community” rule, by establishing a stare decisis that overrules a stare decisis, kills the lawyers’ traditional belief that they too were entitled to be judged by their peers.
The disheartening facet of the new rule allowing peripatetic non-resident opinion-ates to testify to the impossible, i. e., the modus operandi of each of 50 states by virtue of such witnesses’ highly doubtful claim of personal experiences about each, reflects the almost certain consequence that people who may need medical attention most, rather sadly may be shorted in serious cases where the outcome may be in doubt and require what cannot be an indemnifying decision against failure. This, also, simply because a medical man justifiably may feel disinclined, in a possible malfeasance case, to appear in court, instead of in the hospital, — thus forcing a needy person limp-ingly to shop around, fly into the arms of a quack or those of death, — all on account of a practitioner’s unwillingness to be subject to the testimony of a paid, imported, nonresident and suspect hostile witness in preference to resident medical men. The argument made that local doctors are unwilling to testify against their doctor neighbor, belies the malpractice case load statistics and is nothing short of an aspersion on the integrity and civic responsibility of the great majority of medics. The number of unfounded malpractice cases, in my opinion, far exceeds that of recalcitrant prospective witnesses in a real, meritorious case.
Among cases that have enunciated the “local community” rule, for nigh onto a half century, are Baxter v. Snow, 78 Utah 217, 2 P.2d 257 (1931); Coon v. Shields, 88 Utah 76, 39 P.2d 348 (1934); Baker v. Wycoff, 95 Utah 199, 79 P.2d 77 (1938); Edwards v. Clark, 96 Utah 121, 83 P.2d 1021 (1938); Anderson v. Nixon, 104 Utah 262, 139 P.2d 216 (1943); Fredrickson v. Maw, 119 Utah 385, 227 P.2d 772 (1951); Huggins v. Hickens, 6 Utah 2d 233, 310 P.2d 523 (1957); Forrest v. Eason, 123 Utah 610, 261 P.2d 178 (1953); Marsh v. Pemberton, 10 Utah 2d 40, 347 P.2d 1108 (1959); Paull v. Zions Bank, 18 Utah 2d 183, 417 P.2d 759 (1966); Posnien v. Rogers, 533 P.2d 120 (1975), now interred, attired in fabric of erstwhile respectability.
I think the trial court should be affirmed by reason of stare decisis, the lack of any respected authority to justify the reversal, the rule that seems to curry favor in other jurisdictions, and because the rule seems to be eminently equitable, as evidenced by its approval by such an unusually large number of decisions of this Court and its many members over such a long period of time, and because of its negative practical impact that I think will affect the well-being of so many needy unfortunates.
*823MAUGHAN, J., having disqualified himself does not participate herein.
HENRIOD, Retired Justice, sat.

. 533 P.2d 120, which says: “Plaintiff was required to show that Dr. Rogers did not exercise the care and diligence as is ordinarily exercised by skilled veterinarians doing the same type of work in the community.”

. This chronology at least should make the decision here “prospective” instead of “retroactive,” which would relieve this Court of the anomaly of deciding a case and making its new rule applicable to a situation where the rule would not have applied at any time after the injury, as evidenced by a unanimous court in Posnien and would not have been applicable at the time of Posnien, nor thereafter (5 years)— until now.