Witzke v. Dettweiler
Decision Date | 02 June 1972 |
Docket Number | No. 831,831 |
Citation | 498 P.2d 689,83 N.M. 802,1972 NMCA 72 |
Parties | Robert H. WITZKE, Plaintiff-Appellant, v. John DETTWEILER, Defendant-Appellee. |
Court | Court of Appeals of New Mexico |
Plaintiff's appeal in this medical malpractice case presents issues concerning (1) substantial evidence; (2) burden of proof; and (3) closing argument.
Substantial evidence.
Plaintiff, a long time patient of defendant, went to defendant's office on the morning of February 14, 1968, at which time he told defendant of the onset of pain. Upon the conclusion of the office visit, plaintiff, on the advice of defendant, returned home and went to bed. Around 9:00 a.m. on February 15th, plaintiff's wife telephoned defendant and informed defendant as to developments in plaintiff's condition subsequent to the office visit. About 4:00 p.m. on February 15th, defendant called at plaintiff's home, found plaintiff to be seriously ill, and immediately hospitalized him. An operation discovered and repaired a perforated ulcer.
Plaintiff sued defendant for malpractice. The evidence presented two theories of malpractice. First, a negligent diagnosis at the time of the office visit on February 14th; the diagnosis being pain of a pleuritic nature. Second, a negligent failure to care for plaintiff by failing to either immediately make a house call or hospitalize plaintiff after the wife's telephone call on the morning of February 15th.
The trial court found that defendant was not negligent and that: 'In examining, diagnosing and treating plaintiff on February 14 and 15 defendant exercised the usual degree of care and skill common to medical doctors under the same circumstances.' See N.M. U.J.I. 8.1. Plaintiff contends these findings are not supported by substantial evidence.
Plaintiff states: 'Crucial to Plaintiff's case are the facts as they appeared to Defendant upon his initial examination of Plaintiff on February 14, 1968, when Plaintiff first came to Defendant complaining of pain. . . .' We agree. In addition, the information imparted to defendant by the telephone call on February 15th is also of importance. The facts, and defendant's response to them, are established by findings of fact which are not challenged. These unchallenged findings then are the facts before us on appeal. Wood v. Citizens Standard Life Insurance Company, 82 N.M. 271, 480 P.2d 161 (1971).
These unchallenged findings are:
The doctor who testified for plaintiff expressed an opinion as to malpractice on the basis of plaintiff's history and the facts as he knew them. This doctor also testified that under circumstances revealed by the unchallenged findings quoted above a diagnosis of perforated ulcer should not be made. This doctor also testified that as to defendant's asserted negligent failure to take immediate action after the telephone call on February 15th, '. . . it would depend on what the conversation was.' That conversation, referred to in unchallenged finding 7, differs from the facts which were the basis of the doctor's opinion.
Further, plaintiff's doctor testified as to the standard of care. This standard was based on assumed facts which differ from the facts set forth in the unchallenged findings.
We review the evidence in the light most favorable to the successful party in determining whether there is substantial evidence to support the findings. Aetna Casualty & Surety Co. v. Woolley, 83 N.M. 397, 492 P.2d 1260 (Ct.App.1972). The testimony of plaintiff's doctor, on the basis of facts revealed in the unchallenged findings, is substantial evidence which supports the finding of no negligence and the finding that d...
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