A. Standard of Review Whether a cause of action is a health care liability claim is a question of law. Dual D Healthcare. Operations, Inc. v. Kenyon, 291 S.W.3d 486, 488 (Tex.App.Dallas 2009, no pet.); see Marks v. St. Luke's Episcopal Hosp., 319 S.W.3d 658, 663 (Tex. 2010) (explaining principles of statutory construction). Ordinarily, we review the denial of a motion to dismiss filed pursuant to section 74.351 under an abuse of discretion standard.
Therefore, we must determine whether Leeds's claims against the home arose from either the rendition of health care services or a breach of safety standards directly related to health care. See Dual D Healthcare Operations, Inc., v. Kenyon, 291 S.W.3d 486, 489 (Tex. App.-Dallas 2009, no pet.). Analysis
We review a trial court's decision on a motion to dismiss under section 74.351 for an abuse of discretion. Whether a cause of action is a health care liability claim is a question of law. Dual D Healthcare Operations, Inc. v. Kenyon, 291 S.W.3d 486, 488 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2009, no pet.); see Marks v. St. Luke's Episcopal Hosp., 319 S.W.3d 658, 663 (Tex. 2010) (explaining principles of statutory construction). THE EXPERT-REPORT REQUIREMENT OF § 74.351
See Am. Transitional Care Ctrs. of Tex., Inc. v. Palacios, 46 S.W.3d 873, 877 (Tex. 2001). However, whether a cause of action is a health care liability claim is a question of law. Dual D Healthcare Operations, Inc. v. Kenyan, 291 S.W.3d 486, 488 (Tex.App.-Dallas 2009, no pet.); see Marks, 319 S.W.3d at 663 (explaining principles of statutory construction). Thus, to the extent the issue involves whether chapter 74 applies to the plaintiffs claims, we apply a de novo standard of review.
Texas appellate courts construing the TMLA have diverged on whether “directly related” applies to safety claims or only to other claims in the definition's list of departures from accepted standards. Compare St. David's Healthcare P'ship, L.P. v. Esparza, 315 S.W.3d 601, 604 (Tex.App.—Austin 2010), rev'd on other grounds,348 S.W.3d 904 (Tex.2011) (“directly related to health care” modifies “safety”); Appell v. Muguerza, 329 S.W.3d 104, 115 (Tex.App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2010, pet. filed) (same); Dual D Healthcare Operations, Inc. v. Kenyon, 291 S.W.3d 486, 489–90 (Tex.App.—Dallas 2009, no pet.) (same); Omaha Healthcare Ctr., L.L.C. v. Johnson, 246 S.W.3d 278, 284 (Tex.App.—Texarkana 2008), rev'd on other grounds,344 S.W.3d 392 (Tex.2011) (same); Harris Methodist Ft. Worth v. Ollie, 270 S.W.3d 720, 723 (Tex.App.—Fort Worth 2008), rev'd on other grounds,342 S.W.3d 525 (Tex.2011) (same); Christus Health v. Beal, 240 S.W.3d 282, 289 (Tex.App.—Houston [1st Dist.] 2007, no pet.) (same); Valley Baptist Med. Ctr. v. Stradley, 210 S.W.3d 770, 774–75 (Tex.App.—Corpus Christi 2006, pet. denied) (same), with Holguin v. Laredo Reg'l Med. Ctr., L.P., 256 S.W.3d 349, 354–55 (Tex.App.—San Antonio 2008, no pet.) (safety claim need not be directly related to health care); Emeritus Corp. v. Highsmith, 211 S.W.3d 321, 328 (Tex.App.—San Antonio 2006, pet. denied) (“[A] claim may be a ‘health care liability claim’ under the safety definition even if it does not ‘directly relate[ ] to healthcare.’ ”).
See id. See St. David's Healthcare P'ship, L.P. v. Esparza, 315 S.W.3d 601, 604 (Tex. App.—Austin 2010), rev'd on other grounds, 348 S.W.3d 904 (Tex. 2011) ("directly related to health care" modifies "safety"); Appell v. Muguerza, 329 S.W.3d 104, 115 (Tex. App.—Houston [14th Dist.] 2010, pet. denied) (same); Dual D Healthcare Operations, Inc. v. Kenyon, 291 S.W.3d 486, 489-90 (Tex. App.—Dallas 2009, no pet.) (same); Omaha Healthcare Ctr., L.L.C. v. Johnson, 246 S.W.3d 278, 284 (Tex. App.—Texarkana 2008), rev'd on other grounds, 344 S.W.3d 392 (Tex. 2011) (same); Harris Methodist Ft. Worth v. Ollie, 270 S.W.3d 720, 723 (Tex. App.—Fort Worth 2008), rev'd on other grounds, 342 S.W.3d 525 (Tex. 2011) (same); Christus Health v. Beal, 240 S.W.3d 282, 289 (Tex. App.— Houston [1st Dist.] 2007, no pet.) (same); Valley Baptist Med. Ctr. v. Stradley, 210 S.W.3d 770, 775 (Tex. App.—Corpus Christi 2006, pet. denied) (same). Two months later, the Supreme Court considered whether a female patient's claim that her doctor assaulted her by groping her breasts while examining her for sinus and flu symptoms was a HCLC.
Whether Stark's claims for premises liability and breach of contract are health care liability claims is an issue presenting a question of law. See Dual D. Healthcare Operations, Inc. v. Kenyon, 291 S.W.3d 486, 489-90 (Tex.App.-Dallas 2009, no pet.); Lee v. Boothe, 235 S.W.3d 448, 451 (Tex.App.-Dallas 2007, pet. denied). Health Care Liability Claim
This construction accords with six of the seven other courts of appeals that have addressed this issue.Compare St. David's Healthcare P'ship v. Esparza, 315 S.W.3d 601, 605 (Tex.App.-Austin 2010, pet. filed); Dual D Healthcare Operations v. Kenyan, 291 S.W.3d 486, 489-90 (Tex. App.-Dallas 2009, no pet.); Yamada v. Friend, No. 2-47-177-CV, 2008 WL 553690, at *3-4 (Tex.App.-Fort Worth Feb. 28, 2008, pet. granted) (mem. op.); Omaha Healthcare Ctr. v. Johnson, 246 S.W.3d 278, 281-84 (Tex.App.-Texarkana 2008, pet. filed); Christus Health, 240 S.W.3d at 287-89; Stradley, 210 S.W.3d at 774-75, with Emeritus Corp., 211 S.W.3d at 327-28. The Supreme Court of Texas may resolve this issue when it issues its opinion in Yamada v. Friend, which has been submitted in cause number 08-0262 in that court.
166 S.W.3d 502, 505 (Tex.App.-Amarillo 2005, pet. denied). Finally, in Dual D Healthcare Operations, Inc. v. Kenyon, the court held that claims based on a patient's fall in a nursing home after workers had stripped and waxed the floors were not health care liability claims because the plaintiff did not allege the breach of any safety standard related to medical care. 291 S.W.3d 486, 489 (Tex.App.-Dallas 2009, no pet.). Esparza, like the plaintiffs in Ollie, Shults, and Kenyon, has made no allegation that St. David's breached a safety standard directly related to medical care. As a result, we overrule the point of error raised by St. David's on appeal and affirm the trial court's order.
Id. § 74.351(b). Whether a claim is a health care liability claim is a question of law we review de novo. Dual D Healthcare Operations, Inc. v. Kenyon, 291 S.W.3d 486, 488 (Tex.App.-Dallas 2009, no pet.); Lee v. Boothe, 235 S.W.3d 448, 451 (Tex.App.-Dallas 2007, pet. denied). The statute defines "health care liability claim" as: