Vodopest v. MacGregor

• Decision Date: 28 March 1996
• Docket Number: No. 62553-1,62553-1
• Citation: 913 P.2d 779,128 Wn.2d 840
• Court: Washington Supreme Court
• Parties: Patricia VODOPEST, Petitioner, v. Rosemary MacGREGOR, Respondent.

Page 840

128 Wn.2d 840

913 P.2d 779

Patricia VODOPEST, Petitioner, v. Rosemary MacGREGOR, Respondent.

No. 62553-1.

Supreme Court of Washington En Banc.

March 28, 1996.

Bryan P. Harnetiaux, Spokane, Harbaugh & Bloom, Gary N. Bloom, Spokane, Debra L. Stephens, Spokane, amicus curiae for Washington State Trial Lawyers Association.

Schroeter, Goldmark & Bender, William J. Rutzick, Seattle, for Petitioner.

Kraft, Kimbrough & Ganz, Joseph J. Ganz, Bellevue, for Respondent.

GUY, Justice.

This case involves a summary judgment which dismissed a negligence action based on an exculpatory clause in a preinjury release. We are faced with the question whether preinjury releases which bar a cause of action for negligence in the context of a medical research project violate public policy.

Facts

Both the Plaintiff and the Defendant are nurses and mountain trekkers. In the fall of 1989, Patricia Vodopest (Plaintiff) read an article in The Mountaineer magazine entitled, "Breathe Like a Sherpa at High Altitudes" written by Rosemary MacGregor (Defendant). The article described a 1989 "preliminary study" involving a trek to Everest base camp in the Himalayas to test a theory on a breathing technique to be used at high altitudes to alleviate "high altitude sickness." The article explained that a group of trekkers had been trained to use a breathing technique using a biofeedback breathing tracer and that some of the trekkers had been put through a respiratory challenge test by Dr. Robert Shoene at the Harborview pulmonary lab. The article explained that while on the trek, the group used an oximeter to measure oxygen saturation while trekking and concluded that the technique had proved successful in alleviation of high altitute sickness. Defendant MacGregor's article explained that her special technique of "altitude breathing" required weeks to months of training while climbing or hiking. The article concluded with the statement that MacGregor intended to "take a second research group" to the Himalayas in the spring of 1990 and asked for interested parties to contact her.

Plaintiff Vodopest later read a second article in the Boeing Alpine Club newsletter entitled, "Nepal, Himalayan Breathing Research Trek--WOULD YOU LIKE TO GO?" That article stated that in March 1990, a party of fifteen trekkers would be going to the Solo Khumbu area of Nepal to "continue research on a 'Sherpa Breathing' technique for high altitude survival." It stated that "[w]e are repeating a successful research trip conducted in April of 1989" in which "seven trained breathers performed well at high altitude and were able to consistently eliminate all symptoms of altitude sickness." The trip leader was Rosemary MacGregor, a nurse and stress-management/biofeedback therapist. The article concluded with, "If you are interested in being a research subject on this trek, please call Rosemary ..." and stated that "breathing training needs to take place as soon as possible."

Plaintiff Vodopest agreed to join the trek partly because MacGregor was a nurse and because MacGregor would be doing research on breathing techniques to eliminate high altitude sickness. MacGregor trained Vodopest on the breathing techniques.

One of the members of the trek group was Dr. Merrill Hille who was an associate professor at the University of Washington. MacGregor asked Professor Hille to collaborate on MacGregor's breathing research for the 1990 trek. Professor Hille and MacGregor submitted a "Research Proposal" on the "Effect of Biofeedback on Control of Ventilation and Performance at High Altitude" to the University of Washington Human Subjects Review Committee. The initial application which was submitted included biofeedback training involving the breathing technique; but since the training had already begun for the trekkers prior to the application of the research proposal, the University Committee declined to review that research proposal because the University does not review research which is already in progress. The application was reformulated and resubmitted to the University. Approval from the University, therefore, was limited to the part of the research involving the collection of the data (from the oximeter readings and questionnaires) from the trekkers and the control groups and did not include the training in the breathing. The research included two control groups comprised of Nepalese sherpas and porters, and random hikers. One of the documents in the proposal to the University indicated that the purpose of the study was to "evaluate the effects of breathing training using biofeedback (oximetry) at high altitudes" and stated that "[t]he results of this study may provide information on potentially life-saving breathing practices at high altitude."

At Defendant MacGregor's request, Vodopest signed a form entitled "Release from Liability and Indemnity Agreement" which stated that she had been informed of all dangers of the trek including "illness" and that she released MacGregor "from all liability, claims and causes of action arising out of or in any way connected with my participation in this trek." The release also stated, "I personally assume all risks in connection with all activities, and further agree to indemnify and release Rosemary MacGregor, other group leaders, and all other participants from all liability, claims and causes of action or harm which may befall me arising from my participation in this trek."

A copy of this release agreement, different only in that it included Professor Hille and the University in addition to MacGregor as the released parties, was submitted to the University but was returned to MacGregor and Professor Hille stamped "INVALID FORM". The manager of the Human Subjects Division at the University explained that releases from liability for negligence are not allowed as a part of any approved study, as the federal government does not allow exculpatory language in human subject experimentation. Defendant MacGregor did not tell the trekkers that the release form had been rejected by the University's Human Subjects Division.

The trekkers left Seattle for Phakding, Nepal, on March 5, 1990. During the trek, Vodopest and the other trekkers recorded their oximetry readings and completed the environmental symptoms questionnaires. Vodopest began to exhibit symptoms of altitude sickness at 8,700 feet. MacGregor was her roommate and was aware of her symptoms. MacGregor said it might be a food problem and Vodopest continued to climb the next day. As she continued to ascend, her symptoms increased. She was nauseated, had a headache, was dizzy, could not eat or drink, was not urinating, and was exhausted and dazed. Defendant MacGregor gave her rehydration salts and Vodopest continued to ascend with MacGregor's physical support. Vodopest states that as a research subject, it was her responsibility to chart her symptoms twice a day and that since this was done on the form that MacGregor had her fill out for the research on altitude sickness, she expected MacGregor was reviewing them.

The day Vodopest reached 11,300 feet, she alleges she again reported being very ill but the group went on because MacGregor told Vodopest to continue to breathe correctly and she would be fine. Defendant MacGregor told Vodopest that she probably had the Khumbu flu and told her to "breathe away" the symptoms. On the trek from Phortse Tenge to Dole, Vodopest's symptoms became life-threatening. She allegedly developed cerebral edema demonstrated by symptoms of shortness of breath, racing heart beat, terrible head pain, nausea, vomiting, loss of balance, and a swollen face. Another nurse/trekker administered simple neurological tests which Vodopest failed. Defendant MacGregor allegedly suggested that Vodopest had an ear infection. The next morning Vodopest was sent down and was ultimately diagnosed with cerebral edema from altitude sickness. As a consequence, she states she suffered permanent brain damage.

Vodopest sued MacGregor, asserting claims for negligence and gross negligence. ¹ Vodopest claimed that she suffered neurological damage because of MacGregor's negligence in promoting the use of her breathing technique, rather than advising Vodopest to descend to a lower altitude, as a remedy for her symptoms of high altitude sickness. Defendant MacGregor moved for summary judgment based on the exculpatory agreement contained in the preinjury release. Plaintiff Vodopest argued that the preinjury release of liability for negligence in the setting of a medical research project violated public policy. The trial court granted summary judgment on the action for negligence but refused to dismiss the cause of action for gross negligence, holding that a preinjury release is not valid with regard to gross negligence. The gross negligence claim was tried to a jury. The jury found in favor of the Defendant.

Vodopest appealed the dismissal of the negligence claim. The Court of Appeals, in a divided, unpublished opinion, upheld the summary judgment. The majority of the Court of Appeals concluded that the Nepal trip was primarily a trek and the release was therefore valid. The dissent found the facts sufficient to characterize the trek as a research project involving human subjects and concluded that experimenters owe research subjects a duty of reasonable care from which they should not be permitted to obtain relief even when the research activity overlaps with a high-risk, adult recreational activity. Both the majority and the dissent rely on, but reach different conclusions in applying the factors enunciated in, this Court's opinion in Wagenblast v. Odessa Sch. Dist. 105-157-166J, 110 Wash.2d 845, 758 P.2d 968, 85 A.L.R.4th 331 (1988).

Issue

The only issue before us is whether the preinjury release signed by the Plaintiff is effective to totally bar her cause of action for negligence. As discussed below, we determine it is not.

Discussion

Exculpatory clauses in...