Pierce Couch Partners Rusty Hendrickson and Hailey Hopper prevail

A mandate was recently issued by the Oklahoma Supreme Court following an opinion from a divided Oklahoma Court of Civil Appeals in the case of Brisco v. Gerard, 2023 OK CIV APP 19, in which Summary Judgment for the Defendant Physician was upheld. In that case, Pierce Couch Partners Rusty Hendrickson and Hailey Hopper prevailed on Summary Judgment on the issue of whether a physician who denied transfer and admission of a patient at a mental health facility formed a physician-patient relationship with the Plaintiff’s decedent after having a phone call with a physician’s assistant at a hospital regarding the patient’s presentation. Soon after the phone call, the patient was discharged from the hospital and within an hour after discharge the patient was killed in a violent confrontation with a third party. With the help of Partner John Lennon on the appellate briefs, the Oklahoma Supreme Court denied Certiorari 9-0, solidifying another victory for Pierce Couch.