Verdict In Favor of Physician Set Aside in “Breach of Implied Covenant of Trust and Confidence” Case

The Third Department set aside a jury verdict in favor of defendant, plaintiff’s former physician.  The lawsuit alleged a cause of action for “breach of the implied covenant of trust and confidence inherent in the patient-physician relationship” based upon defendant’s breach of “her duty of confidentiality” when she reported the details of a hospital visit with plaintiff to plaintiff’s wife.  The confidential information apparently at least implied plaintiff posed a danger to plaintiff’s wife [Juric].  In setting aside the verdict, the Third Department wrote:

In our view, the record does not contain proof establishing that defendant had a reasonable basis to believe that plaintiff posed an actual, current, imminent  threat to Juric as required to sustain her affirmative defense pursuant to Supreme  Court’s jury charge [the affirmative defense was “justification”]. Thus, even according defendant every favorable inference and considering the facts in the light most favorable to her …, we agree with plaintiff that there was “no valid line of reasoning and permissible inferences which could possibly lead rational [people] to the conclusion reached by the jury on the basis of the evidence  presented  at trial” … Juric v Bergstraesser, 515333, 3rd Dept, 4-25-13