Tomeh v. Bohannon

A doctor who is merely on-call, but does not render medical treatment or care to a patient, does not have a doctor-patient relationship and is not liable for malpractice.

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Alikina Bohannon, individually and on behalf of her deceased son, Xavier Bohannon, sued Dr. Mohammad Tomeh, South Fulton Medical Center “South Fulton”, and numerous other medical providers, alleging that the hospital and its staff committed malpractice prior to and during Bohannon’s labor and delivery, resulting in Xavier’s death shortly after he was born prematurely. Dr. Tomeh, a pediatrician, filed a motion for summary judgment, arguing that no doctor-patient relationship existed between him and either Bohannon or Xavier. Following a hearing, the trial court denied Dr. Tomeh’s motion, and this Court subsequently granted Dr. Tomeh’s application for interlocutory review. On appeal, Dr. Tomeh contends that is it undisputed that no doctor-patient relationship existed between himself and Bohannon or Xavier. We agree and reverse.1

To prevail on a motion for summary judgment, the moving party must demonstrate that there is no genuine issue of material fact, so that the party is entitled to judgment as a matter of law. A defendant may do this by either presenting evidence negating an essential element of the plaintiff’s claims or establishing from the record an absence of evidence to support such claims. Thus, the rule with regard to summary judgment is that a defendant who will not bear the burden of proof at trial need not affirmatively disprove the nonmoving party’s case, but may point out by reference to the evidence in the record that there is an absence of evidence to support any essential element of the nonmoving party’s case. Where a defendant moving for summary judgment discharges this burden, the nonmoving party cannot rest on its pleadings, but rather must point to specific evidence giving rise to a triable issue.

Tomeh v. Bohannon

A doctor who is merely on-call, but does not render medical treatment or care to a patient, does not have a doctor-patient relationship and is not liable for malpractice.

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