Missouri Court of Appeals, Eastern District / Mar 3, 2020
Amy Revis, Appellant, vs. Donald Bassman, M.D., Respondent.
Amy Revis sued Dr. Donald Bassman for medical malpractice, alleging that a delay in surgery caused tissue necrosis in her heel. The jury returned a verdict for Dr. Bassman, and Revis appealed, challenging several evidentiary rulings and the weight of the evidence. The appellate court reversed the trial court's judgment and remanded for a new trial, finding that the trial court abused its discretion by entirely precluding cross-examination of Dr. Bassman's expert witness regarding his tort reform activities, which could show bias. However, the court affirmed the trial court's rulings on the reliability of the expert's causation testimony, the exclusion of a medical database exhibit for lack of foundation, and the denial of a new trial based on the weight of the evidence.