STOUT v. WOLLMANN

STOUT v. WOLLMANN
1998 OK 54
967 P.2d 878
69 OBJ 2146
Case Number: 88576
Decided: 06/09/1998
Mandate Issued: 09/11/1998
Supreme Court of Oklahoma

Bernice STOUT, Appellant,
v.
Dr. Eric WOLLMANN, M.D., Appellee.

[967 P.2d 879]
APPEAL FROM DISTRICT COURT OF CLEVELAND COUNTY;
Honorable Janet A. Foss.

¶0 Plaintiff in medical malpractice action asserts error in trial court's exclusion of evidence that Defendant's expert witness was on board of directors of Defendant's malpractice insurer and that he served on its loss prevention committee.

REVERSED AND REMANDED FOR NEW TRIAL.

Michael M. Blue, John M. Merritt, Merritt & Rooney, Inc., Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, For Appellant.

James R. Banowsky, Norman, Oklahoma, For Appellant.

Randall L. Sewell, Steven T. Horton, Short, Wiggins, Margo, & Adler, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, For Appellee.

Karen M. Grundy, Best Sharp Holden, Best, Sullivan & Kempfert, Tulsa, Oklahoma, For Amicus Curiae, Oklahoma State Medical Association.

HODGES, J.

¶1 This appeal in a medical malpractice action raises the issue of whether it was error for the trial court to exclude evidence that Defendant's expert witness was on the board of directors of Defendant's medical malpractice mutual insurance company and was a member of its loss prevention committee. This Court holds that the trial court abused its discretion by excluding such evidence.

¶2 Plaintiff, Bernice Stout, filed this medical malpractice action alleging that Defendant, radiologist Eric Wollmann, M.D., was negligent in his performance of an arteriogram on her. At trial, Plaintiff sought to impeach Defendant's expert witness with evidence demonstrating bias or prejudice. Specifically, Plaintiff wanted to question the expert concerning his relationship with Defendant's medical malpractice insurer, Physicians Liability Insurance Company (PLICO), a mutual insurance company. The trial court granted Defendant's motion in limine and the evidence was thus excluded. The jury returned a verdict in favor of Defendant.

¶3 The issue of a defense expert's malpractice insurance coverage in common with a defendant is controlled by this Court's recent decision in Mill v. Grotheer, 69 Okla. B.J. 1425 (Okla. April 14,1998). There, this Court held that the defense witness must have some higher degree of connection to a defendant's insurer. Only then does the relationship becomes sufficiently probative so as to substantially outweigh the prejudice to a defendant caused by the jury's knowledge that defendant carries malpractice insurance. Id. at 1427. In this matter, however, that higher degree of connection has been demonstrated.

¶4 At trial, Plaintiff offered proof that the defense expert and defendant were insured by PLICO. In addition, the expert was, at the time of trial, a paid member of PLICO's board of directors. He also served on PLICO's loss prevention committee which is concerned, in part, with loses due to malpractice claims.

¶5 The higher degree of connection of the expert with PLICO made it more probable that the expert could be biased towards the insurer. The trial court erred by prohibiting cross examination of the expert concerning his relationship with PLICO. A new trial is ordered. In view of the fact that a new trial will be conducted, it is not necessary to address Plaintiff's other assertion of error.

REVERSED AND REMANDED FOR NEW TRIAL

¶6 KAUGER, C.J., SUMMERS, V.C.J., HODGES, LAVENDER, WILSON, WATT, JJ., concur.

¶7 SIMMS, HARGRAVE, OPALA, JJ., concur in result.