Ima C. Bass Plaintiff-Appellee v. Esther

This medical malpractice action was commenced by Ima C. Bass in the Circuit Court for Davidson County, Tennessee, on June 23, 1980, against the Metropolitan Government of Nashville and Davidson County, Tennessee ("Metropolitan Government"), a governmental entity operating a public health department, and Esther Barksdale, a nurse employed by that department. In the original complaint, Mrs. Bass alleged that she had lost her vision as a result of the negligent administration of ethambutol, an anti-tuberculosis drug, to her by those defendants, and she sought $750,000 in damages. Mrs. Bass claimed that these defendants (1) failed to warn her of the risks attendant to the drugs administered, (2) failed to perform proper tests before prescribing the drugs to her, and (3) failed to provide a program for continued testing and supervision of her while receiving the drugs.