Lyons v. Grether

239 S.E.2d 103 (1977)

Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
L
From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

Lyons v. Grether

Virginia Supreme Court
239 S.E.2d 103 (1977)

Play video

Facts

Magnolia Lyons (plaintiff) made an appointment with Dr. Eugene Grether (defendant) to be treated for a vaginal infection. Lyons was blind, so she came to the appointment with her guide dog and four-year-old son as helpers. Grether refused to treat Lyons unless she removed the guide dog. For several reasons, Lyons would not agree to be separated from the dog. Grether then kicked Lyons and her son out of his medical office. Lyons was humiliated in front of the other patients and her son and did not find alternate medical care for two days. During those two days, the infection got worse, causing Lyons pain and suffering. Lyons sued Grether. Lyons claimed that she had a physician-patient relationship with Grether that created a duty for him to treat her and that Grether had breached this duty. Grether moved to dismiss the claim, arguing that the facts presented by Lyons were not enough to create a physician-patient relationship. The trial court agreed and dismissed the case. Lyons appealed.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Poff, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 805,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 805,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 805,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Healthcare Law

Key Terms