Taylor v. Phillips

In Taylor v. Phillips, 304 Ark. 285, 801 S.W.2d 303 (1990), the plaintiff broke his jaw, for which the doctor performed surgery on September 8, 1987, and placed the jaw in a brace that was screwed into the bone parts. The plaintiff continued to see the doctor for follow-up visits and to address complaints associated with his jaw until December 8, 1987, when the doctor's partner observed that the bones in the plaintiff's jaw were not healing properly. The next day, the doctors consulted with each other and agreed that further surgery was indicated. The plaintiff sued his doctor on October 16, 1989. The court stated: "In this case, Taylor was clearly under a continuing course of treatment by Phillips, and so the statute did not begin to run until Taylor's treatment terminated on December 9, 1987, Taylor still had the brace screwed into his jaw bones on December 9 when Phillips and his partner agreed that Taylor needed further surgery on his jaw. Taylor's complaint was filed on October 16, 1989, well within the statute of limitations." (304 Ark. at 289, 801 S.W.2d at 305.)