Francesco Mongelli v. Rocco v. Mazza ( 2024 )

NOT FOR PUBLICATION WITHOUT THE
APPROVAL OF THE APPELLATE DIVISION
This opinion shall not "constitute precedent or be binding upon any court ." Although it is posted on the
internet, this opinion is binding only on the parties in the case and its use in other cases is limited. R. 1:36-3.
SUPERIOR COURT OF NEW JERSEY
APPELLATE DIVISION
DOCKET NO. A-0759-22
FRANCESCO MONGELLI,
Plaintiff-Appellant,
v.
ROCCO V. MAZZA,
ANTOINETTE MAZZA,
EMANUEL SOTO, SOLANGE
PENA, BELLA N. DOMINGUEZ,
CHARMAINE BURTON, and
YAHAIRA GUTIERREZ,1
Defendants-Respondents.
_____________________________
Argued March 6, 2024 – Decided April 2, 2024
Before Judges Susswein and Vanek.
On appeal from the Superior Court of New Jersey, Law
Division, Middlesex County, Docket No. L-0146-18.
Michele Labrada argued the cause for appellant (Law
Offices of Karim Arzadi, attorneys; Michele Labrada,
on the briefs).
1
Yahaira Gutierrez was improperly pled as Yahaira Guiterrez.
Scott Barry Lipowitz argued the cause for respondent
Yahaira Gutierrez (Goetz Schenker Blee &
Wiederhorn, attorneys; Scott Barry Lipowitz, of
counsel and on the brief).
Mario C. Colitti argued the cause for respondents
Rocco V. Mazza and Antoinette Mazza (Law Office of
Frank A. Viscomi, attorneys; Nicole Lynn
Hollingsworth, of counsel and on the brief).
Stephen A. Rudolph argued the cause for respondents
Solange Pena and Bella N. Dominguez (Rudolph Kayal
& Almeida Counselors at Law, PA, attorneys; Stephen
A. Rudolph, on the brief).
Nathan C. Orr argued the cause for respondent
Charmaine Burton (Dyer & Peterson, PC, attorneys;
Nathan C. Orr, on the brief).
PER CURIAM
This appeal follows a six-day civil trial after which the jury reached a
verdict finding defendants Rocco V. Mazza and Solange Pena liable for damages
and determining plaintiff Francesco Mongelli did not prove by a preponderance
of the evidence he sustained a permanent injury as a result of any of the three
automobile accidents that were litigated. Plaintiff appeals from the October 7,
2022 final judgment in favor of defendants Mazza, Antionette Mazza,2 Emanuel
2
Because defendants Rocco V. Mazza and Antoinette Mazza, share a surname,
we refer to Antoinette Mazza by her first name for ease of reference. We intend
no disrespect in doing so.
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Soto, Pena, and Bella N. Dominguez, arguing the trial court erred in: requiring
plaintiff to establish causation; barring the testimony of Dr. Wael Elkholy and
Dr. Konstantine Fotiou on the issue of causation through apportionment of his
injuries to the three accidents at issue; barring evidence of plaintiff's medical
bills from being presented to the jury; and granting summary judgment in favor
of defendants Charmaine Burton and Yahaira Gutierrez. Because we discern no
abuse of discretion in the trial court's evidential rulings on causation proofs, we
affirm the October 7, 2022 final judgment based on the jury verdict. Our
affirmance of the final judgment moots plaintiff's appeal of the two February
14, 2020 orders granting summary judgment to defendants Burton and Gutierrez.
I.
Plaintiff was involved in three motor vehicle accidents that occurred as
follows: March 8, 2017 (the first accident), October 14, 2017 (the second
accident), and April 27, 2018 (the third accident). We derive the following
material facts relevant to disposition of this appeal from the trial record.
A. The First Accident – March 8, 2017
At the time of the first accident, plaintiff, who was twenty-two years old,
was driving in a work-issued van to a warehouse during the course of his
employment. While plaintiff was driving in the right-most lane, his vehicle was
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struck by a car owned by Antionette and driven by Mazza. Plaintiff asserts the
collision occurred because Mazza was attempting to make a left turn but failed
to obey a stop sign and struck plaintiff's vehicle, which was continuing straight.
After the impact, plaintiff immediately "felt lots of throbbing pain and
tingl[i]ness" radiating throughout his back, neck, shoulders, arms, fingers, legs,
ankles, and feet. Plaintiff called emergency services, the police arrived on the
scene, and an ambulance transported plaintiff to the hospital. In the emergency
room, doctors took several x-rays and told plaintiff he had a fractured rib.
Plaintiff was prescribed pain relief medication and released the same day.
Plaintiff began a course of chiropractic treatment with Dr. Fotiou
beginning in September of 2017. Dr. Fotiou told plaintiff he was showing
"positive signs of severe spasm" following the first accident.
B. The Second Accident – October 14, 2017
The second accident occurred when plaintiff's vehicle was stationary at a
stop sign. As plaintiff signaled to make a right turn, Soto began making a left
turn onto the street where plaintiff was stopped. Plaintiff asserts the collision
occurred because Soto was not in the lane designated for left-hand turns and
instead crossed into the lane in which his car was stopped. Police were called
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to the scene, but there was no ambulance summoned and plaintiff was not taken
to the hospital.
The day prior to the second accident, plaintiff saw Dr. Fotiou. However,
because of the timing of the second accident, plaintiff had to wait several days
until he received further treatment. By the time of his appointment, plaintiff
was having "shooting" pain in his arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet, and back. Dr.
Fotiou told plaintiff the range of motion in his cervical and lumbar areas was
significantly reduced following the second accident.
Plaintiff underwent an MRI of the cervical and lumbar spine and
commenced electrical stimulation therapy. Dr. Fotiou told plaintiff his MRI
results were consistent with the pain he was experiencing.
In March of 2018, plaintiff began treatment with Dr. Elkholy, who was
board-certified in pain management. Dr. Elkholy reviewed some of plaintiff's
previous MRI studies and medical reports before determining plaintiff had
herniations and bulging in several places throughout his lumbar and cervical
spine. Plaintiff underwent a discectomy in the lumbar spine.
C. The Third Accident – April 27, 2018
Approximately three weeks after plaintiff's discectomy, plaintiff was a
passenger in a car owned by Dominguez and driven by Pena. When the vehicle
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was approximately halfway through an intersection, it was struck by two cars,
one driven by Burton, and the other by Gutierrez.
Plaintiff testified the severity of the third accident was such that he
thought he was going to die. An ambulance arrived on the scene and transported
plaintiff to the hospital. At the hospital, plaintiff was "on [his] knees" in pain,
unable to lay down or turn over, and "crying with [his] father." Plaintiff was
discharged from the hospital the same day.
Plaintiff felt his neck "snap" during the collision and he was not able to
turn his head for the next several weeks. Due to the extreme pain, he began
taking pain relief medication with greater frequency. Plaintiff continued
receiving treatment from Dr. Fotiou until September 2018, when the doctor told
plaintiff he had received the maximum benefit chiropractic care could provide
and discharged him. Plaintiff continued to receive treatment from Dr. Elkholy.
D. Pre-Trial Motions
On January 8, 2018, plaintiff filed a two-count complaint in the Law
Division seeking damages from the first two accidents. On June 6, 2018,
plaintiff amended his complaint to add a count seeking damages resulting from
the third accident.
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The discovery period concluded on January 29, 2020. On February 14,
2020, the trial court granted both Gutierrez and Burton's motion and cross-
motion for partial summary judgment on liability, and dismissed plaintiff's
claims against them with prejudice.
On February 24, 2022, over two years after the close of discovery, plaintiff
served the remaining defendants with a January 2, 2018 Raritan Bay Medical
Imaging report as to a lumbar spine MRI. On March 16, 2022, plaintiff served
defendants with a February 10, 2020 report from the Precision Pain & Spine
Institute.
Pena and Dominguez jointly filed a motion to bar plaintiff from using any
medical records served after the January 29, 2020 discovery end date at the trial.
Plaintiff opposed the motion and cross-moved to extend discovery.
On April 21, 2022, the trial court denied plaintiff's motions for
reconsideration of the orders granting summary judgment to Burton and
Gutierrez and denied plaintiff's cross-motion seeking a discovery extension.
The trial court partially granted the motion to bar late discovery as to the
February 10, 2020 Precision Pain & Spine Institute report served on March 16,
2022, after the discovery end date. Plaintiff's subsequent motion for
reconsideration was denied.
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E. Trial
The jury trial commenced on September 19, 2022.3 Defense counsel
moved in limine to exclude any medical bills that were not submitted for
payment to the worker's compensation carrier for plaintiff's employer, through
plaintiff's personal injury protection (PIP) coverage, or provided to defendants
during discovery. When neither plaintiff's counsel nor defense counsel could
identify what medical bills they had served or received, respectively, during the
discovery period, the trial court instructed counsel for defendants to "come up
with a draft order . . . as to what bills" they each received during discovery so
the trial court could address admissibility.
Counsel for Mazza certified that plaintiff had not served any bills that
were not already paid by plaintiff's worker's compensation carrier; counsel for
Soto certified plaintiff served eight bills totaling $130,598.31; counsel for Pena
certified plaintiff served one bill but it had been paid by plaintiff's PIP carrier.
3
The parties all stipulated to the dismissal of Dominguez from the matter.
Therefore, trial proceeded only as to plaintiff's claims against Soto, Pena and
both Mazza defendants.
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Plaintiff's counsel could not identify which bills were served on all
defense counsel during discovery. Among other dialogue between the trial court
and counsel, the court said to plaintiff's counsel:
[I]f you have an objection [to the entry of orders
submitted by defense counsel], I need to hear that on
the record. Okay? So I don't believe that you're in a
position now where you can provide an objection, so
I'm going to grant those orders, subject to – I guess it
would be an in limine motion to reconsider.
Plaintiff's counsel replied: "Sure." The trial court granted the motions in
limine on this issue and ruled only the medical bills that had been provided to
all defendants during discovery could be utilized at trial. However, the trial
court stated if plaintiff could show the outstanding bills had been timely served
on all defense counsel, it would reconsider the decision.
The trial court held a hearing pursuant to N.J.R.E. 1044 to determine if Dr.
Elkholy's opinion as to the apportionment of plaintiff's damages to each of the
three accidents was admissible. Dr. Elkholy testified he was plaintiff's treating
pain management doctor since March 5, 2018, following the first and second
4
A hearing pursuant to N.J.R.E. 104 (Rule 104 hearing) allows the court to
determine the admissibility of evidence. See Kemp v. State, 174 N.J. 412, 427
(2002).
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accidents. During the hearing, Dr. Elkholy testified he had "been practicing for
[twenty-seven] years" and explained:
I always believe that the first accident, it is very, very
important because I consider it as a first insult.
Our body is a very complex system of computers.
When you get injured in the beginning, subsequently,
it's very easy to get injured after this. So I always – the
first accident, it is very important to me to put it around
50 [%], especially if the patient has no pain, no problem
prior to this. . . .
....
Now, the second accident came. All right. So I always
believe the first accident – I always give it 50[%], or a
little bit even more. But I understand if somebody
argues with me it's not 50[%], it's 55, it's 60. It's okay,
because it is very – it's like the pain scale, [zero to ten].
I think it's the most ridiculous thing, but we have to
work with it.
....
He had surgery after the second accident, and he had
70[%] pain relief. And he was going for recovery, and
then got hit with the third accident. I cannot take from
the first accident because the first accident is the . . .
initial problem which happened and insult for his body.
I have to take from the second accident. Yes, I can
lower the first accident to 60, I can lower it a little bit
to 50, but I cannot lower it below 50[%].
....
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So the third accident, I think, I blame it for the stopped
recover[y] and going beyond what he had, beyond
including the pain he has.
So I put 50[%] for the first because I think it is very,
very important and it's the initial insult, and then the
third accident caused a lot of problem, so I divided
10[%] and 40[%]. I understand if somebody argues
with me okay, the second accident, we can do [20% and
30%], it is – I'm not going to disagree with it because
again, that is the most difficult thing I always do when
I have a patient who has multiple accidents. If it's one
accident, it's easier, but he had three accidents. But I
believe the first accident, 50[%] because it is initial
insult and then after that, divided between second and
third accident.
Dr. Elkholy did not testify to any particularized training or experience
allocating causation to injuries sustained in multiple accidents involving a single
individual. He also testified there is no consensus in the medical community as
to this apportionment.
At the conclusion of the Rule 104 hearing, the trial court ruled plaintiff
did not establish Dr. Elkholy had the expertise to opine as to apportionment and
did not establish the methodology relied upon "regarding the percentage
allocation related–or the–the percentage causal relationship to each accident and
the injuries suffered by [plaintiff]." The trial court also found that Dr. Elkholy's
testimony regarding causation as to damages from the first accident was barred
because he did not review any records regarding the injuries plaintiff sustained.
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During the trial, the jury heard testimony from plaintiff, Dr. Elkholy and
Dr. Fotiou, as well as Mazza, Soto, and several other expert witnesses.5 Plaintiff
proffered Dr. Fotiou, plaintiff's treating chiropractor from September 2017 to
September 2018, as a fact witness. Plaintiff did not attempt to qualify Dr. Fotiou
as an expert, and told the trial court outside the presence of the jury that plaintiff
"would like to bring in Dr. Fotiou just to testify that he did treat [plaintiff] . . .
obviously, he has not rendered a report according to the case law, but he won't
testify as to causation or anything else, just that he did treat [plaintiff]."
Dr. Fotiou testified that plaintiff "presented maybe with – with 30 to
40[%] reduced ranges of motions in the neck and back," which was "something
that you . . . wouldn't expect on a [twenty-two-year-old man]." He continued to
explain plaintiff "was positive on the right side [for] severe muscle spasms"
which was "consistent with tearing the muscles and ligaments" along plaintiff's
spine. Dr. Fotiou detailed the electrical stimulation therapy plaintiff received.
Dr. Fotiou testified he had seen plaintiff the day before the second
accident. Plaintiff's counsel asked Dr. Fotiou if plaintiff had shown signs of
improvement prior to the second accident. Dr. Fotiou replied:
Yes. So now if we do a comparison from his – his
reexamination that occurred [after the second accident],
5
The other expert witnesses's opinions are not relevant to the issues on appeal.
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his ranges of motion significantly reduced in the
cervical and lumbar spine. . . . [S]o he still had the
symptoms of neck and back from the first accident.
And now it's exacerbated from the second one.
So, the second accident, my differential diagnosis is an
exacerbation where . . . aggravated an injury, plus the
injury mostly got worse.
The trial court sustained the objection to Dr. Fotiou's testimony on
exacerbation and aggravation relating to causation of the injuries and ruled:
Counsel, this is specifically what he was not going to
testify to because he’s not an expert. He–he's a fact
witness. . . . You're going into actual testimony of
causation. So I'm going to ask them to disregard his
testimony.
When the sidebar ended, the court addressed the jury:
Okay. I'm going to sustain the objection. Members of
the jury, you may have heard this witness testify about
an aggravation or an exacerbation . . . of an injury. This
– you've heard from witnesses. There are two general
categories of witnesses, fact witnesses and expert
witnesses. You've heard from expert witnesses, you've
heard from fact witnesses. The doctor is here today as
a fact witness. . . . [H]e's not qualified as an expert and
can testify as to facts, for instance, the treatment of the
patient. . . . [T]he jury will disregard any testimony he
may have given as to causation or as to exacerbation or
aggravation of injuries. . . . [H]e's been proffered to
provide testimony as to the . . . course of treatment that
"he provided to . . . plaintiff. Okay."
Is that satisfactory to . . . the parties?
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In response to the trial court's question, plaintiff's counsel did not object
and continued questioning Dr. Fotiou as to plaintiff's treatment following the
second accident. Dr. Fotiou said plaintiff "presented in the office with severe
neck and back pain, pain radiating into both shoulders, both legs which are
similar to the findings from his first accident." Additionally, Dr. Fotiou said
plaintiff "presented worse than his examination that happened" before the
second accident.
Reviewing his notes in response to a question about the third accident, Dr.
Fotiou testified that "also in his history, [plaintiff] had a discectomy in his lower
back from the prior accident." Defense counsel objected. The trial court
sustained the objection and instructed the jury as follows:
Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, the witness has
testified that there was surgery that was performed.
The witness can certainly testify about the surgery, it
occurred, but the jury will disregard any testimony as
to why that surgery was performed which is sometimes
called a causation. Okay.
Counsel, is that satisfactory to all parties?
Plaintiff's counsel again did not object and continued questioning Dr.
Fotiou as to plaintiff's treatment following the third accident. Dr. Fotiou
testified plaintiff's "ranges of motion . . . decreased over 60[%] in the cervical
lumbar spine" after the third accident. He provided plaintiff with a neck brace.
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Prior to resting, plaintiff's counsel requested permission to recall Dr.
Elkholy solely to testify as to medical bills. The trial court denied the
application since plaintiff's counsel still had not provided defendants and the
trial court with a proffer as to what bills had been served during the discovery
period.
After plaintiff rested, counsel for Mazza moved for a directed verdict,
based in part on the lack of evidence of permanency and causation. Counsel's
argument proceeded as follows:
THE COURT: Okay. So let's address the other
issues. . . .
[MAZZA'S COUNSEL]: Causation and permanency.
[PLAINTIFF'S COUNSEL]: Your Honor, we know
that [Dr. Fotiou] that just got off the stand . . . because
he didn't provide his report, he couldn't testify as to
causation and permanency, we know that. . . . [Dr.]
Elkholy, through his own mouth, testified that he didn't
see the records for the first accident . . . . And we were
prohibited from having him indicate there was
causation and permanency.
THE COURT: Well, [what I'd] like to hear, though, is
not what you couldn't present or what you'd like to have
presented, but what you did present. At this stage
there's a motion and I'd like you to address the facts that
were presented.
[PLAINTIFF'S COUNSEL]: Dr. Elkholy did testify
that he . . . was not involved at the time of the first
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accident. . . . He took into consideration, not the records
because he didn't see them, but . . . the patient and what
he told him as to his prior treatment. And, honestly,
[j]udge, that's all we were able to obtain . . . .
The court considered counsels' arguments before denying the motion,
explaining it was required to view the facts in the light most favorable to
plaintiff.
[T]here was an accident. I . . . don't know that there is
enough on the record [to establish liability], but it's not
for me to decide. I will take the evidence in the light
most favorable to the plaintiff. And the plaintiff has
testified that he was not at fault and that this other
vehicle struck his vehicle. And given the standards that
apply in this case, I think by the thinnest of margins,
I'm going to deny that motion.
As to the issue of causation and the issue of . . .
permanency . . . the same standards would apply and
the same principles would apply. I think this is a razor-
thin margin by which there has been testimony
provided by Dr. Elkholy and . . . Dr. Fotiou, indicating
that there was an accident [and] that he treated [plaintiff
when he] came in was following that first accident. I
think that there's enough of an inference from that at
this stage to permit this to go forward to the jury.
Counsel, I'll be candid with you both as to causation
and as to the permanency[,] I don't know that there's
much beyond just the razor-thin inference at this stage
[but] I'm going to deny the motion . . . .
The parties do not dispute that Dr. Fotiou did not issue a narrative report
pursuant to Rules 4:17-4(a), (e) and 4:10-2(d)(1), his records do not contain any
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opinion on causation, exacerbation or aggravation of prior injuries or
permanency,6 and no testimony regarding apportionment of plaintiff's injuries
to the three accidents was proffered to the jury.
On September 27, 2022, the jury reached a verdict finding Mazza was
liable for the first accident, Soto was not liable for the second accident, and Pena
was liable for the third accident. The jury found plaintiff had not proven by a
preponderance of the evidence that he sustained a permanent injury resulting
from any of the three accidents and, therefore, did not award plaintiff any non-
economic damages pursuant to the verbal threshold set forth at N.J.S.A.
39:6A-8(a). Plaintiff did not offer any evidence of economic damages at trial.
As a result, on October 7, 2022, the trial court entered final judgment in favor
of defendants based on the jury verdict.
On October 17, 2022, plaintiff filed a motion for a new trial arguing there
was confusion among the parties as to the issue of the admissibility of medical
bills resulting in the jury's verdict being against the weight of the evidence.
6
Dr. Fotiou's records are not contained in the appendices.
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Plaintiff withdrew the motion during oral argument on November 10, 2022. This
appeal follows.
II.
On appeal, plaintiff argues the trial court abused its discretion by
preventing evidence of outstanding medical bills from being presented to the
jury and by barring the testimony of Drs. Elkholy and Fotiou as to the issues of
causation including exacerbation, aggravation and apportionment of injuries to
each of the three accidents. Plaintiff also posits the trial court erred by granting
summary judgment to Gutierrez and Burton because there were outstanding
issues of material fact.
Rulings as to the admissibility of evidence or testimony are governed by
an abuse of discretion standard. Rowe v. Bell & Gossett Co., 239 N.J. 531, 551
(2019). This standard also extends to "[t]he admission or exclusion of expert
testimony" which is entrusted to "the sound discretion of the trial court."
Townsend v. Pierre, 221 N.J. 36, 52 (2015); see In re Accutane Litig., 234 N.J.
340, 391 (2018) (noting we "must apply an abuse of discretion standard to a trial
court's determination, after a full Rule 104 hearing, to exclude expert testimony
on unreliability grounds"). Therefore, we "review a trial court's evidentiary
ruling only for a 'clear error in judgment.'" State v. Medina, 242 N.J. 397, 412
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(2020) (quoting State v. Scott, 229 N.J. 469, 479 (2017)). The de novo standard
of review only governs where the trial court applies the incorrect legal standard.
Hassan v. Williams, 467 N.J. Super. 190, 214 (App. Div. 2021). See Pomerantz
Paper Corp. v. New Cmty. Corp., 207 N.J. 344, 371 (2011).
III.
The remedy plaintiff seeks on appeal is to vacate the final judgment and
grant a new trial. Plaintiff requested the same relief from the trial court but
withdrew the request on the record at oral argument. We need not determine if
plaintiff's prior withdrawal of the request for the same relief is fatal to his appeal.
Instead, the issue is moot because we are unconvinced by plaintiff's substantive
arguments and affirm the October 7, 2022 final judgment.
It is undisputed that for plaintiff to recover non-economic damages, such
as compensation for pain and suffering, he was required to establish he sustained
a permanent injury by a preponderance of the credible evidence pursuant to the
statutory verbal threshold set forth at N.J.S.A.39:6A-8(a), as interpreted in our
well-settled decisional law. The verbal threshold restricts an individual injured
in an automobile accident from recovering non-economic damages unless they
suffer bodily injury that results in death; dismemberment; significant
disfigurement or significant scarring; displaced fractures; loss of a fetus; or a
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permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability, other than
scarring or disfigurement. N.J.S.A. 39:6A-8(a).
Plaintiff asserts the jury verdict against Mazza and Pena on liability for
the first and third accidents, respectively, coupled with the jury finding the
injuries stemming from those accidents were not permanent shows that the jury
was confused as a direct result of the trial court's incorrect evidence rulings.
Plaintiff proffers two central arguments: the trial court improperly placed the
burden on him to establish apportionment of damages to each accident; and the
trial court improperly barred testimony that would have assisted the jury in
making its determination as to apportionment of damages to each accident.
Plaintiff's argument that he improperly bore the burden of establishing
apportionment of damages was not raised before the trial court. We consider
issues raised for the first time on appeal only if plain error is established. R.
2:10-2.
The plain error standard under Rule 2:10-2 requires the appellate court to
"determine whether any error . . . was 'of such a nature as to have been clearly
capable of producing an unjust result.'" Toto v. Ensuar, 196 N.J. 134, 144 (2008)
(quoting Mogull v. CB Com. Real Est. Grp., Inc., 162 N.J. 449, 464 (2000)); see
also T.L. v. Goldberg, 238 N.J. 218, 232 (2019) ("To warrant reversal and
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entitlement to a new trial, the plain error must have been clearly capable of
producing an unjust result."). "If not, the error is deemed harmless and
disregarded." Toto, 196 N.J. at 144. "Relief under the plain error rule, R[ule]
2:10-2, at least in civil cases, is discretionary and 'should be sparingly
employed.'" Baker v. Nat'l State Bank, 161 N.J. 220, 226 (1999) (quoting Ford
v. Reichert, 23 N.J. 429, 435 (1957)).
The trial court did not err in requiring plaintiff to establish causation
through apportionment of injuries to each of the three accidents based upon our
well-settled decisional law. "It is generally plaintiff's burden to prove not only
that defendant was negligent, but also that defendant's negligence was a
proximate cause of the injuries and damages suffered." O'Brien (Newark)
Cogeneration, Inc. v. Automatic Sprinkler Corp. of Am., 361 N.J. Super. 264,
274 (App. Div. 2003) (citing Paxton v. Misiuk, 34 N.J. 453, 463 (1961)). As a
corollary, plaintiff must establish apportionment of damages proximately caused
by defendant's wrongful acts as follows:
Thus, plaintiff, generally, must apportion or relate
damages to defendant's wrongful acts. If proofs
establish that plaintiff's injuries, for example, pre-
existed and were unconnected with defendant's
negligence, then defendant is not responsible for the
pre-existing injuries. A defendant should be
responsible only for the value of the interest he [or she]
destroyed.
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. . . [T]he party in the best position to present evidence
of non-aggravation or exacerbation is plaintiff.
Plaintiffs should understand and appreciate whether
and how a defendant's tort may have affected their prior
or post injuries or conditions. The effect on plaintiff of
defendant's tort is uniquely within plaintiff's
knowledge. Thus, in a routine personal injury
aggravation claim, we do not shift the burden to
defendants and to prevail, plaintiffs must separate
those damages caused by a particular defendant's
negligence from any prior or post injuries or
conditions. . . .
It is important to realize that when the burden is on
plaintiff to apportion damages between particular
defendants and prior or subsequent injuries or
conditions, the result of failure to carry the burden may
be dismissal of plaintiff's case.
[Id. at 274-75 (first alteration in original) (citations and
quotations omitted).]
It is undisputed that in this case plaintiff claims aggravation and
exacerbation of injuries sustained in each of the accidents. Under New Jersey
law, "[n]ormally, the burden of proof for apportionment is on the plaintiff
because, '[i]n the normal prior or post-personal injury aggravation claim, the
party in the best position to present evidence of non-aggravation or exacerbation
is plaintiff.'" Boryszewski v. Burke, 380 N.J. Super. 361, 376 (App. Div. 2005)
(alteration in original) (quoting Reichert v. Vegholm, 366 N.J. Super. 209, 214
(App. Div. 2004)).
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Although plaintiff argues generally he should not bear the burden of
establishing the apportionment of injuries to each accident in this case, he
presents no decisional law to support this argument. Plaintiff's reliance on
Campione v. Soden, 150 N.J. 163, 184 (1997), is misplaced. In Campione, the
Court set forth that "where there are collisions in rapid succession and no proofs
permitting allocation of damages among the tortfeasors, both tortfeasors are to
be held jointly and severally liable." Ibid. The plaintiff in Campione was first
struck by another vehicle while driving and then was crushed between two
vehicles immediately after exiting his car to inspect the damage. Id. at 168.
Although plaintiff here was in multiple accidents, the accidents took place
several months apart and he had the opportunity to be seen by medical
professionals to document his injuries between each accident, since he sought
differing medical treatment for the accidents. Accordingly, we find the Court's
ruling in Campione inapplicable to this appeal.
Plaintiff does not dispute the trial court applied language closely tracking
the Model Jury Charge to instruct the jury as to plaintiff's burden of establishing
causation. "It is difficult to find that a charge that follows the Model Charge so
closely constitutes plain error." Mogull, 162 N.J. at 466. We find no plain error
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in the trial court's decision to require plaintiff bear the burden of establishing
causation through apportionment of damages.
Next, we consider plaintiff's argument the trial court improperly barred
expert testimony that would have assisted the jury in apportioning damages to
each accident. Following a Rule 104 hearing, the trial court found Dr. Elkholy's
testimony on injury apportionment to each accident was "essentially, a net
opinion." We agree.
When determining the apportionment of injuries, qualified "expert
testimony is needed [because] the factfinder would not be expected to have
sufficient knowledge or experience and would have to speculate without the aid
of expert testimony." 160 W. Broadway Assocs., LP v. 1 Mem'l Drive, LLC,
466 N.J. Super. 600, 615 (App. Div. 2021) (quoting Torres v. Schripps, Inc., 342
N.J. Super. 419, 430 (App. Div. 2001)). Not only must the expert be
appropriately qualified to render the opinion but the prohibition on net opinions
"forbids the admission into evidence of an expert's conclusions that are not
supported by factual evidence or other data." Townsend, 221 N.J. at 53-54(2015) (internal citations omitted). This principle requires "experts . . . be able
to identify the factual bases for their conclusions, explain their methodology,
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and demonstrate that both the factual bases and the methodology are
scientifically reliable." Landrigan v. Celotex Corp., 127 N.J. 404, 417 (1992).
We discern no abuse of discretion in the trial court's ruling that Dr.
Elkholy was not qualified by training or experience to testify as to the
apportionment of damages to each accident. There was no testimony at the Rule
104 hearing establishing any specific basis for a conclusion the doctor was
qualified to render an apportionment opinion.
The trial court properly barred Dr. Elkholy's testimony on apportionment
of plaintiff's injuries to each accident since it was not grounded in the facts of
this case and was admittedly not supported by any methodology. At the Rule
104 hearing, Dr. Elkholy testified he allocates 50% of the overall damage he
sees in patients with successive injuries to the first incident because " it is very
important to [him]" and he "always believe[s] that the first accident, it is very,
very important because [he] considers it as a first insult." The record supports
the trial court's ruling that Dr. Elkholy could not testify to an apportionment of
injuries to the first accident based on his own admission he reviewed no medical
documents regarding plaintiff's injuries or medical condition prior to the second
accident.
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Dr. Elkholy's testimony as to the apportionment of damages to each
accident was also equivocal and, therefore, speculative. "Damage awards may
not be based on mere speculation." Kelly v. Berlin, 300 N.J. Super. 256, 268
(App. Div. 1997). Dr. Elkholy's testimony was speculative and non-definitive,
first apportioning 60% to the first accident, then 50%, and ranging between a
10% - 40% split for the latter two accidents, a 20% - 30% split and then later
suggesting a general division between the second two accidents.
We give deference to decisions made by the trial court as to the
admissibility of expert testimony after a Rule 104 hearing. In re Accutane Litig.,
234 N.J. at 392. After reviewing the transcript of the Rule 104 hearing and the
subsequent evidential rulings, we conclude the trial court's decision to bar Dr.
Elkholy's testimony as to apportionment of damages was not an abuse of
discretion.
Not only did Dr. Elkholy's testimony fail to establish apportionment of
damages to each accident but the scope of Dr. Elkholy's proffered testimony also
fails to establish the comparative analysis required in cases where, as here,
exacerbation or aggravation based upon prior or subsequent injuries is alleged.
When a claim is predicated on aggravation of pre-existing injuries, "a plaintiff
will have to produce comparative-analysis evidence to establish a prima facie
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[case]." Davidson v. Slater, 189 N.J. 166, 186 (2007). "Such evidence provides
essential support for the pled theory of a plaintiff's cause of action and a
plaintiff's failure to produce such evidence can result in a directed verdict for
defendant." Ibid.We concluded that the required comparative analysis must be proffered
by plaintiff through expert testimony in Polk v. Daconceicao, 268 N.J. Super.
568, 575 (App. Div. 1993). In Polk, we determined that a physician must base
their testimony as to a "diagnosis of aggravation of a pre-existing injury or
condition . . . upon a comparative analysis of the plaintiff's residuals prior to the
accident with the injuries suffered in the automobile accident at issue." Ibid.We determined the foundation for such a diagnosis "must encompass an
evaluation of the medical records of the patient prior to the trauma with the
objective medical evidence existent post trauma." Ibid.In Davidson, 189 N.J. at 185-86, the Court subsequently confirmed that a
comparative analysis is required in cases where the plaintiff pleads aggravation
and exacerbation of injuries in multiple accidents, setting forth as follows:
When aggravation of a pre-existing injury is pled by a
plaintiff, comparative medical evidence is necessary as
part of a plaintiff's prima facie and concomitant verbal
threshold demonstration in order to isolate the
physician's diagnosis of the injury or injuries that are
allegedly "permanent" as a result of the subject
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accident. Causation is germane to the plaintiff's theory
of aggravation of a pre-existing injury or new
independent injury to an already injured body part. In
such matters, a plaintiff generally bears the burden of
production in respect of demonstrating that the accident
was the proximate cause of the injury aggravation or
new permanent injury to the previously injured body
part. . . . Such evidence provides essential support for
the pled theory of a plaintiff's cause of action and a
plaintiff's failure to produce such evidence can result in
a directed verdict for defendant.
[Ibid. (internal citations omitted).]
Plaintiff has proffered no evidence Dr. Elkholy based his opinion as to the
aggravation of plaintiff's injuries on a review of plaintiff's medical records either
before or after the first accident. Without the proper foundation for a
comparative analysis, any expert testimony as to "the conclusion that
[plaintiff's] condition has been aggravated must be deemed insufficient to
overcome the [verbal] threshold" consistent with Polk, 268 N.J. Super. at 575.
Plaintiff also argues Dr. Fotiou's testimony as to the causation,
aggravation and exacerbation of plaintiff's injuries should not have been barred.
However, plaintiff offered his treating chiropractor as a fact witness rather than
an expert and his counsel specified on the record that Dr. Fotiou would not opine
as to causation. Dr. Fotiou was permitted to testify about the symptoms plaintiff
had and the treatment he received, without objection. When Dr. Fotiou began
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to opine on the aggravation of plaintiff's injuries, opposing counsel objected.
After sustaining the objection, the trial court gave the jury a curative instruction
to "disregard any testimony [Dr. Fotiou] may have given as to causation or as to
exacerbation or aggravation of injuries" because as a fact witness Dr. Fotiou's
testimony was "as to facts" including "the course of treatment . . . he provided
to . . . plaintiff."
The trial court then asked if that jury instruction was "satisfactory to . . .
the parties?" Plaintiff's counsel did not object or otherwise ask to expand the
scope of Dr. Fotiou's testimony. Since there was no objection to the trial court,
the instruction is reviewed under the plain error standard. R. 2:10-2.
As to causation, plaintiff must be able to overcome the "important
limitation," Delvecchio v. Twp. of Bridgewater, 224 N.J. 559, 579 (2016), that
circumscribes the testimony of a treating physician, not qualified as an expert,
only to "the determination of the cause of" plaintiff's injuries as "an essential
part of diagnosis and treatment," as set forth under Stigliano by Stigliano v.
Connaught Laboratories, Inc., 140 N.J. 305, 314 (1995). The parties do not
dispute that Dr. Fotiou's notes did not include any causation opinion, including
an opinion on exacerbation or aggravation of injuries in the prior accidents. Nor
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did Dr. Fotiou issue a report pursuant to Rules 4:17-4(a), (e) and 4:10-2(d)(1).7
Accordingly, plaintiff did not "disclose the substance of [Dr. Fotiou's]
anticipated testimony, and the basis for that testimony" in treating notes
produced during discovery, as required. Delvecchio, 224 N.J. at 579. Therefore,
the trial court properly determined that Dr. Fotiou could not testify as to
causation, exacerbation and aggravation "extending beyond the plaintiff's own
diagnosis and treatment." Ibid.Moreover, plaintiff's counsel represented on the record that Dr. Fotiou
would not testify as to causation before the witness testimony proceeded. Based
on our review of the trial transcript and prevailing law, we conclude plaintiff
has not demonstrated the trial court's decision to bar treating physician Dr.
Fotiou from testifying as to causation, including apportionment of injuries to
each of the three accidents, was plain error.
Finally, we briefly address plaintiff's suggestion that the trial court made
incongruous rulings in placing the burden on plaintiff to prove apportionment
of damages while barring Dr. Elkholy and Dr. Fotiou from testifying on
7
"A treating physician's report serves an important function; it provides the
adversary with notice of the facts and opinions to which the physician will
testify, and permits that party to assess the need for additional discovery and for
medical testimony at trial." Delvecchio, 224 N.J. at 582-83.
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causation. Although the complaint could have been dismissed on defendants'
motion for involuntary dismissal at the conclusion of plaintiff's case based upon
the lack of required expert proofs on causation, we see no inconsistency between
the trial court's evidential decisions and the jury verdict. Plaintiff simply did
not proffer a qualified expert witness to opine as to causation through the
apportionment of injuries to each accident. Thus, the jury considered the issue
without that evidence.
We also see no inconsistency in the jury determination of liability as to
Mazza and Pena followed by the finding that plaintiff did not sustain a
permanent injury causally related to the accidents involving those defendants.
The jury found liability but, as to damages, found no permanent injury
proximately caused by the first and third accidents.
IV.
"An issue is 'moot when our decision sought in a matter, when rendered,
can have no practical effect on the existing controversy.'" Redd v. Bowman,
223 N.J. 87, 104 (2015) (quoting Deutsche Bank Nat'l Tr. Co. v. Mitchell, 422
N.J. Super. 214, 221-22 (App. Div. 2011)). Based on our determination that
plaintiff failed to establish causation through apportionment of damages,
plaintiff's appeal of the trial court's ruling barring plaintiff from introducing the
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unpaid medical bills as economic damages is moot. Plaintiff cannot recover any
damages, whether economic or non-economic, if causation through
apportionment was not established. Davidson, 189 N.J. at 185.
Plaintiff's appeal of the two February 14, 2020 summary judgment orders
dismissing the entirety of plaintiff's claims against Gutierrez and Burton with
prejudice is also moot based on our affirmance of the October 7, 2022 final
judgment. Plaintiff only alleges Gutierrez and Burton are liable for payment of
damages as to the third accident. The jury found plaintiff failed to show a
permanent injury resulting from the third accident as required to recover non-
economic damages under the verbal threshold. Plaintiff did not offer any expert
proofs of apportionment of damages. Therefore, plaintiff could not recover a
judgment against Gutierrez and Burton based upon the trial proofs, even if they
had not been dismissed from the case prior to trial on summary judgment.
To the extent we have not addressed any of defendant's remaining
arguments, we conclude they lack sufficient merit to warrant discussion in a
written opinion. R. 2:11-3(e)(1)(E).
Affirmed.
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