Medical Malpractice: New Case on Presuit Notice and Certificates of Good Faith

The Middle Section for the Tennessee Court of Appeals recently issued its opinion in Hinkle v. Kindred Hosp., No. M2010-02499-COA-R3-CV (Tenn. Ct. App. Aug. 31, 2012).  The summary of the opinion is as follows:

The widow of a man who suffered a devastating injury while undergoing a medical procedure in the defendant hospital filed suit against the hospital and the doctor who ordered the procedure, claiming medical malpractice, failure to obtain informed consent, and battery.  The defendant hospital filed a motion for summary judgment, and the defendant doctor filed a motion to dismiss, both arguing that the plaintiff’s malpractice claims had to be dismissed because she failed to strictly comply with requirements of the Medical Malpractice Act, specifically Tenn. Code Ann. § 29-26-121 (a)(1) (60-day notice) and §29-26-122(a) (certificate of good faith). The trial court granted both motions in part and denied them in part. We reverse the trial court’s dismissal of the medical malpractice claims against both defendants as well as the related claims. We also reverse the trial court’s dismissal of the claim against the defendant doctor for failure to obtain the patient’s informed consent, but we affirm its dismissal of the medical battery claim against the defendant doctor.

Here's a link to the majority opinion:

https://www.tba.org/sites/default/files/hinkled_090412.pdf

Here's a link to the partial concurrence and dissent by Judge Dinkins:

https://www.tba.org/sites/default/files/hinkled_DIS_090412.pdf