Teeters v. Currey
Tennessee Supreme Court
518 S.W.2d 512 (Tenn. 1974)
After giving birth, Teeters (plaintiff) underwent sterilization surgery recommended by her doctor, Currey (defendant), for medical safety reasons, but roughly two and a half years later she discovered she was pregnant and later gave birth prematurely with severe complications. She sued for malpractice almost three and a half years after the surgery but only eleven months after discovering the pregnancy. Tennessee's one-year malpractice statute of limitations, as previously interpreted, would have already barred her claim if it ran from the date of surgery, and the trial court, following existing precedent, dismissed her suit on that basis.
Whether the statute of limitations for a medical malpractice claim begins to run from the date of the negligent treatment or from when the patient discovers or should have discovered the resulting injury.