Court Opinion

ID: 9609061
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 03:21:59.204139+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:02:48.660776
License: Public Domain

CARDINE, Justice,
concurring in part and dissenting in part, with whom BROWN, Chief Justice joins.
I concur in the reversal of summary judgment granted Dr. Haller and dissent from reversal of the summary judgment granted appellee Health Systems and Hospital Association (hereinafter HS and HA). As the majority opinion states, Dr. Haller was an independent contractor whose negligence, if any, is not imputed to HS and HA. The acts of Ron Munroe, the physician’s assistant, are imputed to HS and HA because of the employer-employee relationship, but there was no evidence that he was negligent. The evidence is simply uncon-troverted that Ron Munroe saw appellant when a medical doctor was unavailable, ice packed and wrapped his wrist in an ace bandage, and, in the words of appellant's attorney and expert, “told him to return in two days if he was not better.” Dr. Gasser, testifying in deposition, was of the opinion that what Munroe did “would be reasonable care.” Appellant’s expert, Dr. Hoke, a general practitioner, stated in his affidavit only that he was “familiar with the standards of care for general practitioners in the Rocky Mountain region.” (Emphasis added.) He claimed no familiarity with the standard of care required of a physician’s assistant. Nevertheless, he stated in his affidavit:
“The standard of care afforded Mr. Parker was below the standard of care both from the physician’s assistant and from Dr. Haller.”
Each of the doctor/expert medical witnesses stated their opinion as to whether the acts of Ron Munroe satisfied the standard of care required of a physician’s assistant. Opinion evidence, by an expert, is entirely appropriate under Rule 702, W.R.E., which provides:
“If scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue, a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education, may testify thereto in the form of an opinion or otherwise.”
But the expert witness must be qualified to give his opinion — that is, there must be a proper foundation. In this case, there was no foundation for Dr. Hoke’s opinion as to Ron Munroe, he claiming only to be familiar with the standard of care for general practitioners. Thus, upon the uncontro-verted affidavit and deposition testimony of appellees, summary judgment for HS and HA was proper and should be affirmed.
The majority purports next to reverse a summary judgment granted Ron Munroe as a defendant by the name of John Doe. An interesting disposition, especially so since it appears from the record that neither Ron Munroe nor John Doe was ever granted summary judgment. The majority opinion was revised in response to the dissent but, as revised, still declines to recog*379nize that the summary judgment order grants “the Defendants’ motions for summary judgment.” The only motions for summary judgment that could have been granted were those filed; the only motions filed were by Health Systems, Hospital Association, and Dr. Haller. Neither Ron Munroe nor John Doe ever filed a motion for summary judgment. It, therefore, could not have been granted and can neither be affirmed nor held null and void.