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PETITIONER PATHOLOGIST IS BEING SUED BY AN INMATE WHO ALLEGES MISDIAGNOSIS OF A BIOPSY; BECAUSE THE REQUEST FOR THE BIOPSY CAME FROM A DOCTOR WHO WAS UNDER CONTRACT WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND COMMUNITY SUPERVISION (DOCCS), AND NOT DIRECTLY FROM DOCCS, THE STATE IS NOT OBLIGATED TO DEFEND OR INDEMNIFY THE PATHOLOGIST (CT APP).

The Court of Appeals, in a full-fledged opinion by Judge Cannataro, affirming the Appellate Division, determined the state did not have an obligation to defend or indemnify the petitioner, a pathologist, who concluded the lump under an inmate’s arm was benign. Dr. Cotie, a physician who provided services to inmates under a contract with the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS), had taken a biopsy and had sent it to petitioner for analysis. One year after the “benign” finding, the inmate was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Because the request for the biopsy analysis did not come directly from DOCCS, pursuant to the language in the Correction Law, the state was not required to defend or indemnify the petitioner pathologist:

Under Correction Law § 24-a, the provisions of Public Officers Law § 17 are made applicable to “any person holding a license to practice a profession. . . who is rendering or has rendered professional services authorized under such license while acting at the request of the department or a facility of the department in providing health care and treatment or professional consultation to incarcerated individuals of state correctional facilities” … . The Attorney General has interpreted this language to mean that the State’s obligation to defend and indemnify applies only where there has been an express request by DOCCS for the services of a particular provider—i.e., a formal arrangement or understanding made in advance between DOCCS and the healthcare professional. * * *

Petitioner performed pathology services on the biopsy sample as a result of his contract with the hospital, not because he was acting at DOCCS’ request or executing any public responsibility associated with the care or treatment of incarcerated individuals. Matter of Jun Wang v James, 2023 NY Slip Op 06405, CtApp 12-14-23

Practice Point: Unless DOCCS directly and expressly requests that a doctor provide a service for an inmate, the state will not indemnify or defend the doctor in a lawsuit by an  inmate. A request from a doctor under contract with DOCCS will not trigger indemnification or defense.

 

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