Sharpe v. St. Luke’s Hosp.,

Sharpe v. St. Luke’s Hosp.,
No. 36 MAP 2001 (Pa. Apr. 25, 2003)

The
Pennsylvania Supreme Court ruled that a hospital had a duty to use due care
in collecting and handling specimens for employment-related drug testing. In
the case, a Federal Express employee reported to the hospital for a mandatory,
routine drug test, which the hospital performed pursuant to a contractual arrangement
with Federal Express. When the results of the drug test came back positive,
the employee sued the hospital, alleging that its negligence had led to inaccurate
test results. The lower court held that a hospital did not owe a duty to individuals
when it performed employment-related drug tests. The Pennsylvania Supreme Court
reversed, finding that a sufficient relationship existed between the Federal
Express employee and the hospital to impose a duty on the hospital.