David M. v. Beverly Hospital
Opinion
Opinion
Boren, J.
The principal issue in this case is which of two statutes of limitations is applicable where a physician negligently fails to report suspected child abuse.
On the one hand, the general three-year statute of limitations for a statutorily created liability (Code Civ. Proc., § 338, subd. (a)), such as the obligation of physicians and others mandated by statute to report reasonable suspicions of child abuse (Pen. Code, §§ 11165.7, 11166), is tolled until the minor reaches the age of majority. (§ 352, subd. (a).) On the other hand, the Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA) specifically requires that a suit be filed against a physician for professional negligence within either three years from the date of injury or sometime prior to the minor’s eighth birthday, whichever period is longer. (§ 340.5.) We hold that allegations that a physician negligently failed to report suspected child abuse, which should have been discovered during a medical examination while rendering professional services, constitute a claim for professional negligence within the meaning of MICRA’s more restrictive statute of limitations.