WPC 9: ĭLŧ #YN0}AӮd|Y"PxԫlB|βWeuC92s}CiM齒Ahɩ{ٴ? + i)Q|KkM.ap!WaUF)$@Oa[:*#Q_ȌCK"mWy2o=]QkTl9J=㧢sE!!|j0+wa/>c2ş'cf pQ`:C; vQyA2!M(lEJG{c@{@QNvgU}jgY-(qirRܥ |*m’ZAo{FÌz?w>L4Ug]V*y5FXAK$]fVXk@=șMG/Q*ˆu&S{v j|X f;Ax62Jb#\ % ^ # 0/ UN w 4 z  i x mz z  W   NEb 0 B 0 D3a D- 0K AS _ 0% 0D A HP LaserJet 4Si,,,,,,0{( (`$.8dd8    ("  Z6Times New Roman Regular9?(bk1 C:\PROGRA~1\COREL\WORDPE~1\TEMPLATE\CUSTOM~1\REVISE~1.WPTC:\Program Files\Corel\WordPerfect Office 2000\Template\Custom WP Templates\revised standard opinion.wpt3|xULevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5Level 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5- -(|G2$ !.8dd8         0   d(|3$ !.8dd8     VVVV'dxd)!dxdx( $ Figure  1  ^_X`YE<<CLevel 1Level 2Level 3Level 4Level 5(|3$ !.8dd8     ($$   1  X[Z&OLE 2.0 Box <=8C HKKKK !.8dd8     _  8XXdd8  @ INTHECOURTOFAPPEALSOFTENNESSEE  @WW$ATKNOXVILLE# #Ԉ ,   June2000Session X XX #XX#BARBARAMADISON,etc.v.MARIELOVE,etal.XX   ` ̀ AppealfromtheLawCourtforWashingtonCounty  h @@No.18802G.RichardJohnson,Chancellor   X  FILEDJULY28,_2000_  8  @@*AV) ` dE<` A (  @@TTNo.E200001692_COA_ԄRMCV '  AV) ` dE<` A      UponremandfromtheSupremeCourtanduponfurtherconsideration,wereverseourselvesand  concludethatthetrialcourterredingrantingthedefendantssummaryjudgmentontheplaintiffs  claimofnegligentfailuretorenderaidtoanotherinperil.Accordingly,wevacatethetrialcourts  judgmentandremandforfurtherproceedings.   Tenn.R.App.P.3AppealasofRight;JudgmentoftheLawCourt f Vacated;CaseRemanded  V   #Xk#XX.CharlesD.Susano,Jr.,J.,deliveredtheopinionofthecourt,inwhichHoustonM._Goddard_, 6 _P.J._,andD.Michael_Swiney_,J.,joined. &v EdwinBarrettCharlesandHowardR.DunbarofJohnsonCity,Tennessee,fortheappellant,Barbara V Madison. F RichardE.Ladd,Jr.andMarkE.Fryeof_Abingdon_,Virginia,fortheappelleesMarieLove,Val & Holmes,andTravisLove,d/b/aEncoreEnterprises.    OPINION #XX3#XX "! #XX #XX    ByorderfiledJune19,2000,theSupremeCourtgrantedtheplaintiffsapplicationfor $# permissiontoappealfromouropinionreleasedNovember24,1999,andremandedthiscasetothe v% $ CourtofAppealswithadirection todecidethecaseonitsmeritsinaccordancewiththisCourts f&!% opinionin _McCarley_Ԁv.WestQualityFoodService ,960S.W.2d585[(Tenn.1998)].#XX} #XXԀThelanguage V'"&  onitsmeritsistroublingsincethiscasewentoffonsummaryjudgment.Forthisreason,weare F(#' notinapositiontodecidethiscase onthemeritsasthosewordsareordinarilyusedand 6)$( understood.Nevertheless,itisabundantlyobvioustousthattheSupremeCourt directed[us]to &*v%) decidethecase,soitisclearthattheSupremeCourtdidnotintendforustosimplyremandthis +f&* casetothetrialcourtwithoutfurtherinvolvementofthisCourt.HadtheSupremeCourtintended ,V'+ sucharesult,itcouldhavevacatedourjudgmentandthatofthetrialcourtandsimplyremandedthis ,F(, caseforfurtherproceedingsinthetrialcourt.Forallofthesereasons,weconstruetheSupreme -6)- CourtsorderasadirectionfromtheHighCourtthatwe_reconsider_Ԁourdecisioninviewofthe   _McCarley_ case.Thiswewilldo.    _McCarley_ dealswiththesummaryjudgmentanalysisingeneralandcausationinnegligent  foodcontaminationcasesinparticular.Thelatterissueisnotrelevanttothefactsoftheinstantcase. p WebelievetheSupremeCourtsdecisiontogranttheplaintiffsapplicationforpermissiontoappeal `  wasrelatedsolelytothecorrectnessofthesummaryjudgmentanalysisemployedbythetrialcourt P  andapprovedbyus.In _McCarley_ ,theSupremeCourtheldthatthelowercourtsinthatcasehad @  failedtoapply theproperstandardandburdenshiftinganalysisapplicabletosummaryjudgment 0  dispositions....960S.W.2dat587.Specifically,theSupremeCourtheldthatthematerialfiledin  p  supportofthedefendantsmotionforsummaryjudgment failedtonegateabasisofthe_McCarleys_ `  claimandhence the_McCarleys_burdenofproductionwasnevertriggered. Id .at589.Upon P  furtherreflection,wefindthesamedeficiencyinthematerialfiledbythedefendantsintheinstant @  case. 0    Inouroriginalopinion,weconcludedthattheaffidavitofpathologistDr.WilliamF.  McCormick,inwhichhestatedthatthecauseofdeathoftheplaintiffsdecedent,Kim_Thi_ԀLe_Phan_,  isunknown,wassufficienttonegateanessentialelementoftheplaintiffscauseofaction,i.e.,  causation.Weconcludedasfollows:    8 ` Assuming,forthepurposeofanalyzingtheissueofsummary p judgment,thatEncorebreachedadutyowedtoKim,theplaintiffs ` causeofactionisstymiedbyafataldeficiency:thecauseofdeathis P unknown.Ifthecauseofdeathisunknownanditisontherecord @ nowbeforeustheplaintiffisunabletorelateKimsdeathto 0 Encoresbreachofduty.Thisbeingthecase,thereisnothingfortrial  p andsummaryjudgmentwasandisappropriate.`` x` x WehavedecidedthatweerredinfindingthatDr.McCormicksaffidavitnegatedtheelementof @ causation. 0   WhileDr.McCormicksaffidavitandhencehispresumedtestimonymaybeaserious ! impedimenttothesuccessfulpursuitofthisclaimattrial,thatisnottheissuebeforeus.Material "  supportingamotionforsummaryjudgmentmustdomorethan nipattheheelsofanessential #! elementofacauseofaction;itmustnegatethatelement.WhileitisclearthatDr.McCormicks $" affidavitcastsdoubtupontheplaintiffsabilitytoprovecausation,thataffidavitdoesnotdoenough. % # Itdoesnotnegatetheplaintiffsclaimofcausationinawaythatwouldtriggertheplaintiffsburden p&!$ toproducecountervailingmaterial.Inordertonegatetheelementofcausation,thedefendants `'"% wouldhavehadtopresentadmissiblecompetenttestimonythatthedefendantsfailuretorenderaid P(#& didnotcauseorcontributetothedeathoftheplaintiffsdecedent.Theaffidavit,withitscauseof @)$' deathisunknownlanguageisnotthesame. 0*%(    +p&)   TheSupremeCourtheldin _McCarley_ thatthelowercourtsinthatcasefailedtoproperly   analyzewhetherthenon_movant_sburdenwastriggered.960S.W.2dat588.Weconcludethatwe  aresubjecttothesamecriticism.Anaffidavitwhichsimplycastsdoubtonaplaintiffsclaimisnot  sufficienttorequiretheplaintifftoengageinabattleoffacts onthepapers.Intheinstantcase,  theplaintiffwasnotrequiredtorespondtothedefendantsmotionsincethedefendantssupporting p materialdidnotconclusivelynegateanessentialelementoftheplaintiffscauseofaction. `  Therefore,weconcludesummaryjudgmentwasandisinappropriate. P    Thejudgmentofthetrialcourtisvacatedandthiscaseisremandedforfurtherproceedings. 0  Costsonappealaretaxedtotheappellees.  p     `     h     ___________________________________ 0     `     h     CHARLESD.SUSANO,JR.,JUDGE