Lareau v. Page ( 1994 )


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  • USCA1 Opinion











    United States Court of Appeals United States Court of Appeals
    For the First Circuit For the First Circuit
    ____________________

    No. 94-1299

    GAIL A. LAREAU AND MICHAEL LAREAU,
    INDIVIDUALLY AND AS PARENTS AND NEXT OF FRIENDS OF
    ASHLEY LAREAU AND CHRISTOPHER LAREAU,

    Plaintiffs, Appellants,

    v.

    LARRY K. PAGE, M.D.,
    SEQUA CORPORATION,
    AND CHROMALLOY PHARMACEUTICAL, INC.

    Defendants, Appellees.

    ____________________

    APPEAL FROM THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

    FOR THE DISTRICT OF MASSACHUSETTS

    [Hon. William G. Young, U.S. District Judge] ___________________

    ____________________

    Before

    Torruella, Chief Judge, ___________
    Boudin and Stahl, Circuit Judges. ______________

    ____________________

    Joan A. Lukey with whom Charles P. Kindregan and Hale and Dorr ______________ ____________________ ______________
    were on brief for appellants.
    John D. Cassidy with whom John M. Dellea and Ficksman & Conley ________________ _______________ _________________
    were on brief for appellee Larry K. Page, M.D.
    Lawrence G. Cetrulo with whom Kevin E. Young, David B. Frederick, ___________________ _______________ __________________
    and Peabody & Arnold were on brief for appellees Sequa Corporation and ________________
    Chromalloy Pharmaceutical, Inc.
    ____________________
    November 14, 1994
    ____________________

















    STAHL, Circuit Judge. Plaintiffs-appellants Gail STAHL, Circuit Judge. _____________

    Lareau, her husband Michael Lareau, and their children,

    Christopher and Ashley Lareau, filed suit against defendants-

    appellees Dr. Larry K. Page and parent-subsidiary

    corporations Sequa Corporation and Chromalloy Pharmaceutical,

    Inc. (collectively, "CPI") for injuries arising from the

    injection of the contrast medium Thorotrast into Mrs. Lareau

    in 1970. All of the Lareaus appeal various pre-trial rulings

    of the district court, and Christopher appeals an adverse

    jury verdict in his loss-of-consortium action against Dr.

    Page, the only part of this case decided by a jury. We hold

    that the statutes of limitations bar all of the Lareaus'

    claims except their consumer-protection claims against Dr.

    Page and that the Lareaus are not entitled to recover on

    their consumer-protection claims against Dr. Page.

    Accordingly, we affirm the district court's entry of judgment

    for defendants.

    I. I. __

    Background Background __________

    In March 1970, Mrs. Lareau (then Gail Melanson,

    aged 17), suffering from severe headaches and flu-like

    symptoms, was admitted to Children's Hospital in Boston,

    where she came under the care of Dr. Page, a neurosurgeon.

    Fearing that Mrs. Lareau had a malignant brain tumor, Dr.

    Page performed a craniotomy and determined instead that she



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    had a brain abscess, which is a life-threatening accumulation

    of pus that forms within a capsule of tissue in the brain.

    Dr. Page aspirated the abscess, which was approximately the

    size of a tennis ball. He then injected a small amount of

    Thorotrast, a radioactive contrast medium, into the abscess

    cavity to facilitate its post-operative radiologic

    observation. Dr. Page did not inform or warn Mrs. Lareau or

    her parents of the dangers of Thorotrast or obtain their

    consent for using it prior to injecting the substance into

    her abscess cavity. Four days later, using Thorotrast-

    enhanced x-rays, Dr. Page detected the recurrence of Mrs.

    Lareau's abscess. He aspirated the abscess again and,

    shortly thereafter, discharged Mrs. Lareau.

    Post-surgery, Mrs. Lareau remained healthy for

    fourteen years; she grew into adulthood, married Mr. Lareau

    and, in 1983, gave birth to their first child, Christopher.

    On June 13, 1984, however, Mrs. Lareau was admitted to the

    Burbank Hospital in Fitchburg, Massachusetts, suffering from

    severe headaches and a grand mal seizure. Her attending

    physician, Dr. Richard Cornell, noted that the CT scan taken

    on admission revealed "a large calcified mass in the left

    brain due to the old lesion." In the discharge summary, Dr.

    Cornell also noted "a density overlying the lateral aspect of

    the left frontal sinus . . . probably due to retained

    contrast [medium] placed at the time of the removal of her



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    brain abscess, rather than calcification." Mrs. Lareau

    herself never saw these reports.

    Upon her discharge from Burbank Hospital, Mrs.

    Lareau was referred to Dr. Edwin G. Fischer, a neurosurgeon

    at Children's Hospital in Boston. Two weeks after she

    consulted with Dr. Fischer, Mrs. Lareau received a letter

    from him, dated July 6, 1984, in which he warned her that

    there was a "theoretical possibility" that "the Thorotrast

    that was left following treatment of your brain abscess"

    could "induce a tumor in surrounding brain tissue over a

    total period of about 20 years." Dr. Fischer's letter

    continued:

    Since it [the Thorotrast] is located in
    an area of brain that it would be safe to
    remove it from, I am recommending that it
    be removed to avoid the risk of a future
    tumor. Unfortunately I cannot tell you
    what the chances are of developing a
    tumor, but with the Thorotrast out I
    don't think you would have to worry about
    it further.

    On September 12, 1984, Mrs. Lareau went to Dr. R.

    Michael Scott, a neurosurgeon at New England Medical Center,

    for a second opinion. While confirming the existence of the

    Thorotrast, Dr. Scott did not recommend surgery. After

    consulting further with Dr. Cornell, Mrs. Lareau decided not

    to go ahead with surgery on, as she said in her deposition

    testimony, "just a theoretical possibility."





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    Mrs. Lareau continued to consult Dr. Fischer,

    returning in September 1985 and March 1987 for cranial CT

    scans. Both scans indicated the presence of Thorotrast but

    no tumor formation. In 1986, between these two

    consultations, Ashley Lareau was born.

    In a letter dated November 11, 1988, Dr. Fischer

    again wrote to Mrs. Lareau:

    As you know, we have been concerned about
    the Thorotrast used to treat your brain
    abscess. The theoretical possibility has
    always been that the remaining material
    could cause the formation of a tumor.
    This past year a report of such a case
    has appeared in the neurosurgical
    literature, the tumor occurring 21 years
    after treatment of the abscess.

    I think this is sufficient cause for us
    to reconsider things and obtain a new
    scan . . . .

    Mrs. Lareau went to see Dr. Fischer in March 1989. Dr.

    Fischer again recommended surgery to remove the Thorotrast,

    this time referring to the report of brain cancer in the

    literature.

    On June 16, 1989, Mrs. Lareau watched a report on

    the dangers of Thorotrast on the ABC News program 20/20. _____

    Mrs. Lareau maintains that she did not discover the harm done

    to her by defendants' actions until she saw the 20/20 report. _____

    After the program, as she said in her deposition testimony,

    Mrs. Lareau was "an emotional wreck" and began to suffer





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    worsening headaches and painful "pulling" sensations in her

    head.

    Almost a year later, in the spring of 1990, on the

    advice of her attorney, Mrs. Lareau went to Massachusetts

    General Hospital to see a neurologist, Dr. Amy Pruitt, who

    referred her to a neurosurgeon, Dr. Robert Ojemann. On

    August 13, 1990, shortly after Mrs. Lareau had begun legal

    action against Dr. Page and CPI, Dr. Ojemann operated on Mrs.

    Lareau to remove the Thorotrast. Mrs. Lareau's post-surgical

    report revealed a calcified mass, or granuloma, caused by the

    Thorotrast. Following surgery, Mrs. Lareau suffered painful

    cranial swelling and exhaustion, was unable to leave her

    house, and was readmitted for observation. Her emotional

    distress, the accompanying worsening headaches, and the

    surgery allegedly affected her relationship with her husband

    and caused both Ashley and Christopher to suffer emotional

    problems, for which Christopher received psychological

    counseling.

    On June 27, 1990, the Lareaus commenced their

    diversity action against Dr. Page and CPI. They brought suit

    against CPI for negligence, breach of warranty, failure to

    warn, loss of consortium, negligent infliction of emotional

    distress, and violations of the Massachusetts Consumer

    Protection Act, Mass. Gen. L. ch. 93A. Their action against

    Dr. Page sought recovery for medical malpractice, loss of



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    consortium, negligent infliction of emotional distress, and

    violations of chapter 93A. The district court granted

    defendants' motions for summary judgment based on the

    applicable statutes of limitations with regard to all claims

    brought by Mrs. Lareau, Mr. Lareau, and Ashley. The district

    court granted CPI's motion for summary judgment on

    Christopher's negligent-infliction-of-emotional-distress

    claim; later, at the close of all of the evidence in

    Christopher's trial against Dr. Page, the district court

    granted Dr. Page judgment as a matter of law on Christopher's

    negligent-infliction-of-emotional-distress claim.1 On the

    eve of trial, the district court also granted CPI's motion

    for summary judgment based on the learned-intermediary rule,

    which disposed of all of the Lareaus' claims against CPI. At

    the subsequent district court trial on Christopher's loss-of-

    consortium claim against Dr. Page, the jury returned a

    verdict for Dr. Page. This appeal followed.

    II. II. ___

    Standard of Review Standard of Review __________________


    ____________________

    1. Initially, the district court granted Dr. Page's motion
    for summary judgment on Christopher's negligent-infliction-
    of-emotional distress claim. Subsequently, the district
    court vacated the summary judgment ruling and directed a
    verdict in Dr. Page's favor on that issue "when it became
    apparent that the interests of justice would be served
    thereby." Lareau v. Page, 840 F. Supp. 920, 931 n.12 (D. ______ ____
    Mass. 1993). As Fed. R. Civ. P. 50 no longer uses the term
    "directed verdict," we refer to the district court as having
    granted Dr. Page judgment as a matter of law.

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    As always, we review a district court's grant of

    summary judgment de novo and, like the district court, review __ ____

    the facts in a light most favorable to the non-moving party.

    See, e.g., Crawford v. Lamantia, 34 F.3d 28, 31 (1st Cir. ___ ____ ________ ________

    1994). Summary judgment is appropriate when "the pleadings,

    depositions, answers to interrogatories, and admissions on

    file, together with the affidavits, if any, show that there

    is no genuine issue as to any material fact and that the

    moving party is entitled to a judgment as a matter of law."

    Fed. R. Civ. P. 56(c). Thus, the nonmovant bears the burden

    of placing at least one material fact into dispute once the

    moving party offers evidence of the absence of a genuine

    issue. Crawford, 34 F.3d at 31; see also Celotex Corp. v. ________ ___ ____ _____________

    Catrett, 477 U.S. 317, 322 (1986). _______

    III. III. ____

    Discussion Discussion __________

    A. Massachusetts Statutes of Limitations and the Discovery _____________________________________________________________

    Rule ____

    In cases such as this one, where jurisdiction is

    based on diversity of citizenship, state statutes of

    limitations apply. See Fidler v. Eastman Kodak Co., 714 F.2d ___ ______ _________________

    192, 196 (1st Cir. 1983). Under Massachusetts law, the

    Lareaus' medical-malpractice, negligence, and breach-of-

    warranty claims are all subject to three-year statutes of

    limitations. See Mass. Gen. L. ch. 260, 4 (medical ___



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    malpractice); Mass. Gen. L. ch. 260, 2A (personal injury);

    Mass. Gen. L. ch. 106, 2-318 (breach of warranty). The

    Lareaus' consumer-protection claims are subject to a four-

    year statute of limitations. See Mass. Gen. L. ch. 260, ___

    5A.

    The parties do not dispute that the Massachusetts

    discovery rule applies to the Lareaus' claims. Under the

    discovery rule, a cause of action accrues when a person (1)

    knows or has sufficient notice that s/he was harmed; and (2)

    knows or has sufficient notice of the cause of the harm.

    McGuinness v. Cotter, 591 N.E.2d 659, 665 (Mass. 1992); Bowen __________ ______ _____

    v. Eli Lilly & Co., 557 N.E.2d 739, 742 (Mass. 1990). The ________________

    plaintiff need not know the full extent of the injury before

    the statute begins to run. Bowen, 557 N.E.2d at 741. "The _____

    important point is that the statute of limitations starts to

    run when an event or events have occurred that were

    reasonably likely to put the plaintiff on notice that someone

    may have caused her injury." Id. Once on notice, "``the ___

    potential litigant has the duty to discover from the legal,

    scientific, and medical communities'" whether s/he has a

    claim. Id. at 742 (quoting Fidler, 714 F.2d at 199); see ___ ______ ___

    also Catrone v. Thoroughbred Racing Ass'n of N. Am., Inc., ____ _______ ___________________________________________

    929 F.2d 881, 886-87 (1st Cir. 1991) (construing

    Massachusetts law).

    B. Application of the Discovery Rule to the Lareaus' Claims ____________________________________________________________



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    The Lareaus instituted this action on June 27,

    1990. Accordingly, their claims are time barred if they

    accrued before June 27, 1987 (or June 27, 1986, in the case

    of their consumer-protection claims). The question before

    us, then, is whether the summary judgment record permits us

    to conclude that, as a matter of law, the Lareaus knew or had

    sufficient knowledge that they had been harmed before June

    27, 1987 (or June 27, 1986). We discuss Mrs. Lareau's

    claims; the Lareaus' consumer-protection claims; and Mr.

    Lareau's, Christopher's, and Ashley's loss-of-consortium and

    emotional-distress claims in turn.

    1. Mrs. Lareau's Claims ____________________

    Mrs. Lareau argues that the earliest date on which

    her causes of action accrued was June 16, 1989, the day on

    which she watched the 20/20 program on Thorotrast. Mrs. _____

    Lareau argues that before watching 20/20, she did not know _____

    what Thorotrast was or that it was harming her; nor did she

    know that she had a Thorotrast granuloma in her brain. Mrs.

    Lareau also argues that she did not suffer emotional distress

    before watching 20/20. Because she instituted this action _____

    approximately one year after watching 20/20, Mrs. Lareau _____

    argues that her claims are well within the applicable

    limitations periods. We do not agree.

    Following careful review of the record, we hold as

    a matter of law that Mrs. Lareau had sufficient notice to



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    have discovered her claims upon receipt of Dr. Fischer's July

    6, 1984 letter. In that letter, Dr. Fischer informed Mrs.

    Lareau that she had Thorotrast in her brain, that there was a

    "theoretical possibility" that the Thorotrast could cause her

    to develop a brain tumor, and that she should have invasive

    brain surgery to remove it. Mrs. Lareau understood the

    import of Dr. Fischer's letter; as she said in her deposition

    testimony, she "was like in shock that anything was wrong,"

    and "was pretty shooken [sic] up."

    Mrs. Lareau argues that she acted reasonably after

    receiving Dr. Fischer's letter but still failed to discover

    her claims. Accordingly, she contends, the statutes of

    limitations should not have begun to run in 1984. After

    reviewing the record, however, we cannot say that Mrs. Lareau

    acted reasonably. Though she did seek additional opinions

    from Drs. Scott and Cornell, at no point did she ever make

    the most basic inquiry about what Thorotrast was or how it

    might have been harming her. For this reason, her argument

    that her causes of action did not accrue in July 1984 because

    she was not told then what Thorotrast was must fail.

    Mrs. Lareau next contends that her causes of action

    did not accrue in 1984 because she was not told then that she

    had a calcified mass, or granuloma, in her brain.2 While

    ____________________

    2. Because we must construe all of the facts in the light
    most favorable to Mrs. Lareau, we assume that Thorotrast
    caused Mrs. Lareau's granuloma and that it was not the

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    Mrs. Lareau was not told in 1984 that she had a calcified

    mass in her brain, Mrs. Lareau's doctors noted it on her

    medical charts at that time. Had Mrs. Lareau inquired as to

    whether Thorotrast had caused any damage, her physicians

    might have told her that it could have been the cause of the

    calcification. Additionally, had Mrs. Lareau asked to see

    her medical charts, she herself would have seen the notation

    regarding the calcification.

    Mrs. Lareau argues, relying on McGuinness v. __________

    Cotter, 591 N.E.2d 659, 666 (Mass. 1992), that because she ______

    did not actually see her medical charts, the fact that her

    doctors noted her calcification on them does not matter. We

    do not agree. In McGuinness, the Massachusetts Supreme __________

    Judicial Court ("SJC") held that where a mother had no notice

    that her son's cerebral palsy might have been caused by

    medical malpractice, the fact that such cause was

    contemplated in a doctor's report that she never saw did not

    trigger the statute of limitations. Id. Unlike Mrs. ___

    McGuinness, Mrs. Lareau had notice that there was a problem;

    she had been advised that she had a chemical in her brain

    that could cause cancer, that its removal required brain

    surgery, and that removal was recommended. Therefore, unlike

    Mrs. McGuinness, who did not suspect and who had no reason to

    suspect a problem, and who therefore had no reason to ask the

    ____________________

    natural consequence of her brain abscess.

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    doctor to see his report, Mrs. Lareau was on notice and

    therefore had reason to investigate further.

    As for her negligent-infliction-of-emotional-

    distress claims, Mrs. Lareau states that she did not suffer

    distress until she watched 20/20 in 1989 and therefore that, _____

    regardless of when her other claims accrued, her emotional-

    distress claims did not accrue until then. We do not agree.

    In Massachusetts,

    [w]here plaintiffs have suffered directly
    inflicted personal injuries as a result
    of a defendant's negligence, courts have
    not been reluctant to allow recovery for
    emotional distress, occurring _________
    contemporaneously with those personal _________________________________________
    injuries, as an additional element of ________
    damages. In these cases, recovery for
    emotional distress [is] allowed as a
    claim ``parasitic' to the ``host' claim of
    damages for negligently inflicted
    physical injuries.

    Payton v. Abbott Labs, 437 N.E.2d 171, 176 (Mass. 1982) ______ ____________

    (citations omitted) (emphasis added). We think that the SJC

    would apply the discovery rule to "parasitic" claims such

    that they may be brought when they occur contemporaneously

    with the discovery of the "host" claim. In this case,

    however, we have held as a matter of law that Mrs. Lareau

    should have discovered her "host" claims in July 1984. We

    think that Massachusetts would not allow "parasitic" claims

    to defeat the purposes of the discovery rule such that

    plaintiffs who fail to discover their "host" claims in time

    may nonetheless sue for later-discovered "parasitic" claims.


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    Therefore, we hold that Mrs. Lareau's "parasitic" claim for

    negligent infliction of emotional distress is barred.

    In sum, we hold, as a matter of law, that Mrs.

    Lareau had sufficient notice to have discovered her claims in

    1984. Accordingly, with the exception of her consumer-

    protection claim against Dr. Page, which we discuss below,

    all of Mrs. Lareau's causes of action accrued in 1984 and are

    therefore time barred.





































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    2. Chapter 93A ___________

    The Lareaus argue that their chapter 93A claims

    against Dr. Page did not accrue until 1990. The Lareaus base

    their chapter 93A claims against Dr. Page on the fact that in

    1984, when apparently contacted by Dr. Scott (with whom Mrs.

    Lareau consulted), Dr. Page responded, "within the current

    ``ambiosis litigiosus', she [Mrs. Lareau] should be made aware

    of the theoretical possibility that the Thorotrast may induce

    a neoplasm." The Lareaus argue that Dr. Page committed an

    unfair and deceptive act to the extent that he orchestrated a

    plan to give Mrs. Lareau some sort of "notice" to trigger the

    statute of limitations on her other claims, but not enough to

    trigger any actual awareness of his negligence.

    In light of the fact that the risk that Thorotrast

    could induce a brain tumor when left in an abscess cavity was

    merely theoretical until 1988, we hold that, as a matter of

    law, Dr. Page did not violate chapter 93A when he recommended

    that Mrs. Lareau be told of that theoretical possibility.3

    3. Loss of Consortium __________________

    Mr. Lareau, Christopher, and Ashley allege that

    they did not suffer any loss of consortium until June 1989,

    when Mrs. Lareau became an "emotional wreck" after she


    ____________________

    3. Because the Lareaus did not address in their brief when
    their chapter 93A claims against CPI accrued, we consider the
    argument as to CPI waived. See Alan Corp. v. International ___ __________ _____________
    Surplus Lines Ins. Co., 22 F.3d 339, 343-44 (1st Cir. 1994). ______________________

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    watched the 20/20 program on Thorotrast. Thus, Mr. Lareau, _____

    Christopher, and Ashley allege that they did not suffer any

    loss of consortium until after Mrs. Lareau's claims were

    already barred by the applicable statutes of limitations.

    Mr. Lareau, Christopher, and Ashley argue, however, that even

    if Mrs. Lareau's claims are time barred, their claims are

    nevertheless timely filed because they did not accrue until

    1989.

    Massachusetts limits children's loss-of-consortium

    claims to those children who are conceived before the

    parent's injury. Angelini v. OMD Corp., 575 N.E.2d 41, 43 ________ _________

    (Mass. 1991). As Ashley was born in 1986, after her mother's

    causes of action accrued, Ashley is barred from bringing her

    loss-of-consortium claims.4

    Massachusetts courts have not addressed, outside

    the context of after-born children, whether loss-of-

    consortium claims that accrue after the statute of

    limitations has run on the underlying injury may be enforced.

    "Absent controlling state court precedent, a federal court

    ____________________

    4. We agree with the district court that Massachusetts would
    incorporate its discovery rule such that children who are
    conceived before the parent discovers his/her claim -- in
    other words, who are conceived before the parent's cause of
    action accrues -- may recover for loss of parental
    consortium. See Lareau v. Page, 840 F. Supp. 920, 930 (D. ___ ______ ____
    Mass. 1993). Thus, Angelini does not bar children who are ________
    conceived after the parent's injury but before the parent's
    cause of action accrues. Because Christopher was born in
    1983, before his mother's causes of action accrued, his
    claims are not automatically barred under Angelini. ________

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    sitting in diversity may certify a state law issue to the

    state's highest court, or undertake its prediction when the

    course the state courts would take is reasonably clear."

    VanHaaren v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins. Co., 989 F.2d 1, 3 _________ ________________________________

    (1st Cir. 1993) (quotation and citations omitted). We think

    it is reasonably clear that the SJC, if faced with the issue,

    would hold that after-arising loss-of-consortium claims

    accruing after the statute of limitations has run on the

    underlying injury cannot be enforced.

    Under Massachusetts law, claims for loss of

    consortium are independent, rather than derivative, of the

    claim of the injured person. See Olsen v. Bell Tel. Lab., ___ _____ _______________

    Inc., 445 N.E.2d 609, 612 (Mass. 1983). "Since the causes of ____

    action are independent, the date of accrual of each action

    must be determined separately." Id. at 613. This arguably ___

    implies that a claim for loss of consortium may accrue after

    the cause of action for the underlying injury and therefore

    that the loss-of-consortium plaintiff may be able to bring

    his/her claim after the injured person is barred.

    As noted above, however, Massachusetts recognizes

    that it is important to limit after-arising loss-of-

    consortium claims. In limiting children's loss-of-consortium

    claims to those children who are conceived before the

    parent's injury, the SJC explained:

    If no restriction is placed on the class
    of children who are eligible to recover


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    for loss of parental consortium, a
    defendant may become liable for the loss
    of consortium several years, perhaps even
    decades, after the injury to the parent.
    As a matter of policy, however, it is _________________________________________
    important to limit the duration of the _________________________________________
    liability. __________

    Angelini, 575 N.E.2d at 43 (emphasis added). ________

    We think that the SJC, if faced with the issue,

    would extend this reasoning to limit the duration of

    liability for loss-of-consortium claims generally, such that

    loss-of-consortium claims that do not accrue until after the

    statute of limitations has run on the underlying injury may

    not be enforced.5 If no such rule is imposed, then "a

    defendant may become liable for the loss of consortium

    several years, perhaps even decades, after the injury." Id. ___

    Because Mr. Lareau and Christopher allege that they

    did not suffer any loss of consortium until 1989, their

    claims accrued after Mrs. Lareau's claims were barred.

    Accordingly, we hold that Mr. Lareau and Christopher may not

    enforce their claims under Massachusetts law.

    4. Mr. Lareau's, Christopher's, and Ashley's _______________________________________________

    Negligent-Infliction-of-Emotional-Distress Claims _________________________________________________

    Mr. Lareau, Christopher, and Ashley also bring

    claims for negligent infliction of emotional distress. In

    these claims, Mr. Lareau, Christopher, and Ashley seek to

    ____________________

    5. We note that Massachusetts bars recovery even to children
    who are born during the parent's statutory period. See ___
    Angelini, 575 N.E.2d at 43. ________

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    recover for injuries arising from their concern over harm to

    Mrs. Lareau, specifically her brain surgery and her continued

    uncertain prognosis.

    Massachusetts does not apply the discovery rule to

    claims for negligent infliction of emotional distress brought

    to recover for injuries arising from concern over harm to

    another. See Gore v. Daniel O'Connell's Sons, Inc., 461 ___ ____ _______________________________

    N.E.2d 256, 260 (Mass. App. Ct. 1984) ("the [emotional-

    distress] claims fail because they are tied by the amended

    complaint to the date of claimed awareness of Gore's

    condition, i.e., almost three years after the accident").

    Rather, in addition to the physical injury required for all

    emotional-distress claims, "bystander" plaintiffs must show

    physical proximity to the accident, temporal proximity to the

    negligent act, and familial proximity to the victim.

    Anderson v. W.R. Grace & Co., 628 F. Supp. 1219, 1229 (D. ________ _________________

    Mass. 1986) (summarizing Massachusetts cases).

    Mr. Lareau, Christopher, and Ashley cannot show

    physical or temporal proximity to Mrs. Lareau's 1970

    operation, in which she was allegedly negligently injected

    with Thorotrast. Accordingly, their emotional-distress

    claims fail.

    IV. IV. ___

    Conclusion Conclusion __________





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    We hold that all of the Lareaus' claims, with the

    exception of their chapter 93A claim against Dr. Page, were

    barred by the applicable statutes of limitations and that Dr.

    Page is entitled to judgment as a matter of law on the

    Lareaus' chapter 93A claims against him.

    Affirmed. Affirmed. _________









































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