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Thursday, March 03, 2011

Medical Malpracitce: Respondeat Superior & Amended Pleadings

Yesterday the Tennessee Court of Appeals issued its opinion in Randolph ex rel. Randolph v. Meduri, No. W2010-01224-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Mar. 2, 2010). Here's the summary from the opinion:

This appeal arises out of an action to hold UT Medical Group, Inc. vicariously liable for the alleged negligence of its employees. In 1997, the original plaintiff filed an amended complaint for medical malpractice and wrongful death which specifically named two doctors as employees of the defendant who negligently caused the death of a patient. As trial approached, a substitute plaintiff attempted to add new allegations concerning the negligence of a third doctor. The trial court denied the motion to amend and later granted a motion in limine to exclude evidence concerning the alleged negligence of the third doctor as beyond the scope of the 1997 amended complaint. The plaintiff consequently was unable to offer expert testimony at trial to prove an employee of the defendant negligently caused the patient’s death, and the trial court granted judgment in favor of the defendant. We affirm.
Here's a link to the opinion:


The opinion offers a discussion on the doctrine of respondeat superior; the pleading of the doctrine and its effects; and how a delay in an amendment to a pleading can affect a case.

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