Supreme Court of Illinois

In a matter arising from a spinal injury suffered as a result of the anesthesia administered during knee surgery, judgement for plaintiff against defendant-hospital is affirmed where: 1) the hospital can be held vicariously liable under a theory of apparent agency; 2) the facts here support such a claim; and 3) the jury could have found that the patient reasonably believed the anesthesiologist to be a hospital employee.

Appellate Information

• Decided 06/22/2006
• Published 06/22/2006

Judges

• Justice McMORROW delivered the judgment of the court, with opinion:

Court

• Supreme Court of Illinois

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• R. Dennis Rasor and Diane I. Jennings, of Anderson, Rasor & Partners, L.L.P., and George F. Galland, Jr., of Miner, Barnhill & Galland, P.C., Chicago, for appellant., Hugh C. Griffin and Adam L. Frankel, of Lord Bissell & Brook, L.L.P., Chicago, for amicus curiae Adventist Health System et al., Michael E. Prangle, of Hall Prangle & Schoonveld, L.L.C., Chicago, for amici curiae Advocate Health Care et al., Thaddeus J. Nodzenski and Mark D. Deaton, Naperville, for amicus curiae Illinois Hospital Association., Michael J. Morrissey and Morgan M. Strand, of Cassiday Schade & Gloor, L.L.P., Chicago, for amicus curiae Metropolitan Chicago Healthcare Council., Todd A. Smith, Chicago, for amicus curiae Association of Trial Lawyers of America., Bruce R. Pfaff, Chicago, for amicus curiae Illinois Trial Lawyers Association.


• For Appellees:
  
• Robert A. Clifford, Timothy S. Tomasik, Robert P. Sheridan, David A. Novoselsky and Leslie J. Rosen, Chicago, for appellees.