CONFLICTING EXPERT OPINIONS IN THIS MEDICAL MALPRACTICE ACTION REQUIRED DENIAL OF DEFENDANTS’ MOTIONS FOR SUMMARY JUDGMENT; THE FACT THAT THE ISSUE WHETHER ASPIRIN SHOULD HAVE BEEN ADMINISTERED AS TREATMENT FOR STROKE WAS RAISED IN A DEPOSITION (BUT NOT IN THE COMPLAINT OR BILL OF PARTICULARS) ALLOWED PLAINTIFF TO RAISE THE ISSUE IN OPPOSITION TO SUMMARY JUDGMENT (SECOND DEPT).

The Second Department, reversing Supreme Court, determined defendants’ motions for summary judgment in this medical malpractice action should not have been granted. The was conflicting expert-opinion evidence about whether plaintiff should have been administered aspirin as treatment for a stroke. Although the aspirin-issue was first raised in opposition to defendants’ motions, the issue had been raised in a deposition and was therefore properly raised in the opposition papers:

… [T]he plaintiffs raised triable issues of fact as to whether Nandakumar departed from the accepted standard of care in his neurological evaluation and treatment of the injured plaintiff’s condition by failing to timely order and administer aspirin to the injured plaintiff, and whether such alleged departures proximately caused her alleged injuries … . Although the plaintiffs’ theory regarding the administration of aspirin was not specifically alleged in the complaint or bill of particulars, this theory was referred to by the plaintiffs’ counsel when deposing a … resident, and thus, was appropriately raised in opposition to [defendant’s] motion … . Walker v Jamaica Hosp. Med. Ctr., 2022 NY Slip Op 04996, Second Dept 8-17-22

Practice Point: Summary judgment is not appropriate in a medical malpractice action where there are conflicting expert opinions. Here, whether aspirin should have bean administrated to treat stroke was raised in a deposition, but not in the complaint or bill of particulars. Because it was raised in a deposition, it was properly raised in opposition to the defendants’ summary judgment motions.