Shea v. City of Spokane

Defendant appeals from a judgment entered upon a verdict for plaintiff in the amount of $275,000.

The assignments of error raise two basic questions: (1) What is the liability of a city for the negligence of a jail physician? and (2) Was the jury properly instructed as to the standard of care required of a physician in an action for malpractice? These questions must be considered in light of the facts that a jury could have found to exist based on the evidence presented.

In December 1968, plaintiff, age 20, was serving a sentence in the Spokane City jail on a conviction for driving while under…