Hill v. Rhinehart
Indiana Court of Appeals
45 N.E.3d 427 (2015)
John Hill (plaintiff) suffered severe complications, including limb amputations, after being given Heparin despite doctors' orders against it following his heart surgery, and sued the four doctors involved in his care: Lloyd, Csicsko, Ryan, and Rhinehart (defendants). The trial court granted Lloyd and Csicsko a directed verdict after Hill's case-in-chief, finding no evidence they were negligent, and the jury returned a verdict for Ryan and Rhinehart on the merits; Hill appealed, arguing the directed verdict for Lloyd and Csicsko improperly prevented the jury from considering all four doctors' joint and several liability together.
Whether joint and several liability can impose liability on a defendant who is not otherwise independently liable.