Court reviews whether defendant negated causation in his motion for summary judgment in a wrongful death medical malpractice case

JEFFEREY D. KEY, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS ADMINISTRATOR OF THE ESTATE OF RANDALL EUGENE KEY ET AL.v. BLOUNT MEMORIAL HOSPITAL, INC. ET AL. (Tenn. Ct. App. May 31, 2011)



This is an appeal from a grant of summary judgment to the defendant hospital in a medical malpractice wrongful death case. The trial court struck as untimely the materials filed by the plaintiff in opposition to the defendant's motion for summary judgment. The responsive materials were filed less than five days before the date originally scheduled for a hearing on the defendant's motion; however the hearing was continued for several months. Having struck the plaintiff's filings, the court held that the motion negated violation of the standard of care and causation and granted the motion as unopposed.

The plaintiff contends on appeal that the defendant did not negate either violation of the standard of care or causation; that the materials responsive to the motion should not have been stricken; and that, if the materials filed in opposition to the motion are considered, the plaintiff presented issues of material fact for trial. We vacate the trial court's grant of summary judgment and remand for further proceedings. 


Opinion available at:

http://www.tba2.org/tba_files/TCA/2011/keyj_053111.pdf