Court Opinion

ID: 9550338
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 18:34:08.369583+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:21:23.902127
License: Public Domain

SCARBOROUGH, Chief Justice, dissenting. I respectfully dissent. I would make the alternative writ permanent, uphold the constitutionality of NMSA 1978, Section 41-9-5, (Repl.Pamp.1986), and overrule Ammerman v. Hubbard Broadcasting, Inc., 89 N.M. 307, 551 P.2d 1354 (1976), cert. denied, 436 U.S. 906, 98 S.Ct. 2237, 56 L.Ed.2d 404 (1978) to the extent it held that statutory privileges created by the legislature are unconstitutional. I agree with the majority that historically the judiciary has shared procedural rule-making authority under the constitution with the legislature, therefore, I would uphold the confidentiality provisions of Section 41-9-5 as written and in their entirety. Section 41-9-5 provides that all data and information acquired by a peer review organization is confidential except for circumstances that are unrelated to the issue involved here. The majority recognizes that similar statutes have been interpreted as creating privileges. See Humana Hosp. Desert Valley v. Superior Court of Maricopa County, 154 Ariz. 396, 742 P.2d 1382 (Ct.App.1987). The majority also recognizes that Section 41-9-5 withholds from discovery otherwise relevant and admissible evidence. Ammerman requires that we invalidate Section 41-9-5. Under Am-merman, statutory privileges are unconstitutional to the extent they impact judiciary proceedings. In Ammerman, the Supreme Court struck down as unconstitutional a statute by which the legislature provided that certain communications of journalists were privileged and not subject to disclosure in judicial proceedings. The statute here is strikingly similar to the statute involved in Ammerman. Ammerman has been criticized by scholars. See 2 Weinstein & Berger, Weinstein’s Evidence 11501[07] (1985); Browde & Occhialino, Separation of Powers and the Judicial Rule-Making Power in New Mexico: The Need for Prudential Restraints, 15 N.M. L.Rev. 407 (1985); Note Evidence-Newsman’s Privilege — Legislatively Enacted Newsman’s Privilege Invalid as Infringement on Judicial Rule-Making Power, 1977 B.Y.U.L.Rev. 493. I would overrule Ammerman to the extent it held that statutory privileges are unconstitutional. In St. Vincent Hospital v. Salazar, 95 N.M. 147, 619 P.2d 823 (1980), we upheld a privilege similar to that of Section 41-9-5 which was conferred by the Medical Malpractice Act, NMSA 1978, Section 41-5-20 (Repl.Pamp.1986). There, we upheld the statutory privilege to the extent it protected medical review panel “deliberations and any report made by the panel.” St. Vincent, 95 N.M. at 148, 619 P.2d at 824. Although the privilege which we upheld in St. Vincent pertained to deliberations and reports of medical review panels (as contrasted with the deliberations and reports of peer review organizations), the history of the medical review process is instructive. Since 1976, 732 cases have been resolved following a medical review panel hearing. Of these cases, only 143 resulted in litigation. It is clear that activity of the Legislature in the area of medical malpractice has resulted in the early conclusion of hundreds of malpractice lawsuits. Similarly, peer review is intended to reduce the number of cases of medical malpractice by identifying and eliminating incompetent physicians. Consequently, I believe that we should uphold Section 41-9-5 to the same extent we upheld Section 41-5-20. The privilege created by Section 41-9-5 reflects a public policy decision appropriately made by the Legislature in favor of confidentiality of review organization proceedings for the preservation of the public health and safety. There is no question that the Legislature has constitutional authority to enact laws in the exercise of its police power for the preservation of the public health and safety, including laws that provide evidentiary privileges. The majority discusses the burden of proof required when a privilege is asserted under Section 41-9-5. They hold that the burden rests upon the party asserting the privilege to prove the requested evidence should be considered confidential. This discussion is inappropriate because the issue was not briefed by the litigants. Contrast the position of the majority with the reasoning set forth in State Ex. Rel. Atty. Gen. v. First Judicial District of New Mexico, 96 N.M. 254, 258, 629 P.2d 330, 334 (1981), reh’g denied. The majority also discusses circumstances where full disclosure of all data and information acquired by a peer review organization is contemplated. Such a result would render meaningless the entire statutory scheme set forth in Section 41-9-5. I am unable to support such a proposition. I doubt that we would reach similar results in two other situations that come to mind. By way of comparison, consider the constitutional privilege against disclosure afforded judges whose conduct is subject to examination by the Judicial Standards Commission. N.M. Const, art. VI § 32. Also, we have clearly, by rule, afforded attorneys confidentiality when inquiry is made into their conduct by disciplinary counsel acting for the Supreme Court. SCRA 1986, 17-304. Are we creating a separate standard for physicians and hospitals? Since this Court has seen fit to reject the privileges granted under Section 41-9-5, we should at least provide physicians with the confidentiality of Section 41-9-5 peer review proceedings by Supreme Court rule to the same extent such privileges are extended to attorneys by SCRA 1986, 17-304. For these reasons I dissent.