Supreme Court allows lawsuit against doctor for patient’s suicide

florida-supreme-court3

The Florida Supreme Court Thursday ruled the husband of a Venice woman who committed suicide can sue her doctor for medical malpractice.

The court sent the case back “with instructions to proceed to trial.”

Robert Granicz had sued Dr. Joseph S. Chirillo Jr. after his wife, Jacqueline Granicz, hung herself in the couple’s garage in October 2008, according to the opinion

A trial judge dismissed the suit, saying Chirillo “did not have a legal duty to prevent Jacqueline’s suicide.” The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal later reversed that decision.

The case involved “a physician’s duty to a patient who commits suicide,” the Supreme Court said, but added that other legal factors in showing negligence also had to come into play.

For instance, it agreed with the 2nd District that whether Chirillo should have foreseen Granicz’s suicide “is a matter of fact for the jury to decide.”

In 2005, Chirillo switched her from Prozac to Effexor, another antidepressant. By 2008, she stopped taking the Effexor because of “gastrointestinal problems,” among other reasons.

The doctor changed her antidepressant to Lexapro and referred her to a gastroenterologist, the opinion explained, but did not see her in the office. She killed herself the next day, leaving no note.

“Granicz pointed out that Dr. Chirillo (1) knew that patients who stopped taking Effexor abruptly had an increased risk of suicide and (2) ultimately opined that stopping Effexor was ‘a contributing factor’ in the decedent’s suicide,” the opinion said.

The opinion was written by Justice Peggy Ann Quince, with Chief Justice Jorge Labarga and Justices Barbara Pariente, R. Fred Lewis, and James E.C. Perry concurring.

Justices Ricky Polston and Charles Canady concurred in result only, meaning they agreed with the decision but not its legal analysis.

Jim Rosica

Jim Rosica is the Tallahassee-based Senior Editor for Florida Politics. He previously was the Tampa Tribune’s statehouse reporter. Before that, he covered three legislative sessions in Florida for The Associated Press. Jim graduated from law school in 2009 after spending nearly a decade covering courts for the Tallahassee Democrat, including reporting on the 2000 presidential recount. He can be reached at [email protected].



#FlaPol

Florida Politics is a statewide, new media platform covering campaigns, elections, government, policy, and lobbying in Florida. This platform and all of its content are owned by Extensive Enterprises Media.

Publisher: Peter Schorsch @PeterSchorschFL

Contributors & reporters: Phil Ammann, Drew Dixon, Roseanne Dunkelberger, A.G. Gancarski, Anne Geggis, Ryan Nicol, Jacob Ogles, Cole Pepper, Gray Rohrer, Jesse Scheckner, Christine Sexton, Drew Wilson, and Mike Wright.

Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @PeterSchorschFL
Phone: (727) 642-3162
Address: 204 37th Avenue North #182
St. Petersburg, Florida 33704




Sign up for Sunburn


Categories