Allen Ex Rel. Allen v. South Cty. Hosp.

OPINION

Justice SUTTELL,

for the Court.

The plaintiff in this medical negligence and wrongful death action was left high and dry when her primary expert witness abandoned her litigious ship just seven weeks before the scheduled trial date. Unable to secure a new expert witness before the case was reached for trial, the plaintiff moved to continue the trial date on three occasions. The trial justice rebuffed each of her efforts to forestall the commencement of trial and, further, when the plaintiff represented that she was unable to proceed on the scheduled trial date, the trial justice dismissed…