Case Title: Collins v. Black

Citation: 380 So. 2d 241

Docket Number: 

State: mississippi

Court: Mississippi Supreme Court

Date: 1980-02-20T00:00:00Z

Document:
380 So. 2d 241 (1980) Helen A. COLLINS v. Lynda Sue BLACK. No. 51651. Supreme Court of Mississippi. February 20, 1980. *242 Warner, Ray & Cobb, Harvey B. Ray, Meridian, for appellant. Eppes & Shannon, Walter W. Eppes, Jr., Meridian, for appellee. Before ROBERTSON, WALKER and LEE, JJ. WALKER, Justice, for the Court: Helen A. Collins filed suit in the Circuit Court of Lauderdale County, Mississippi, against Lynda Sue Black for personal injuries sustained in an automobile collision. The trial court directed a verdict in favor of Collins on the issue of liability and submitted to the jury the issue of damages. The jury returned a verdict in favor of the plaintiff for $1,138.60 in actual damages and $5,000.00 punitive damages. Following the entry of final judgment on the jury verdict, a series of post-judgment events transpired: *243 Thus, in summary, the total amount of the original jury verdict of $6,138.60 (as to which $1,138.60 had been for actual damages and $5,000 was for punitive damages) was amended to make a judgment in the aggregate amount of $6,138.60 for actual damages only. In the first assignment of error, appellant alleges that error was committed by the trial court in refusing to permit Dr. Donald E. Cook (in the presence of the jury) to give testimony with regard to problems the plaintiff experienced in her right leg which the evidence showed was broken six months after the automobile collision between plaintiff and defendant. This assignment of error is wholly without merit. The appellant argues in her second assignment of error that the trial court erred in granting an insufficient additur of $5,000 to the special damages of $1,138.60 and in remitting the entire amount of punitive damages ($5,000) rendered by the jury verdict. The jury returned its verdict for actual damages in the amount stipulated to as special damages ($1,138.60) for medical bills, loss of wages and property damages, and found punitive damages in the amount of $5,000.00. Numerous post-trial motions were filed concerning the verdict rendered and the trial judge found inter alia that: (1) Punitive damages were excessive and contrary to the overwhelming weight of the credible evidence. (2) There was no evidence to support defendant's ability to pay $5,000.00 punitive damages. (3) That all or a substantial part of the verdict for punitive damages was intended to be for additional actual damages over and beyond the court's instruction as to the amount it must award the plaintiff. It was against this background that the trial judge elected to remit the entire amount of punitive damages of $5,000.00 concurrently with entering an additur to the actual damages by the same amount. The acceptance of the additur by the defendant in the amount of $5,000.00 increased the appellant's actual damages to $6,138.60. The proof revealed that Mrs. Collins was never hospitalized as a result of the accident of April 5, 1977. While Mrs. Collins was taken to a Meridian Hospital for first aid, she was discharged within a few hours. The attending physician, Dr. William Anderson, caused her to be x-rayed and he testified that all x-rays were negative for any fracture. She had no lacerations which required suturing although she had glass particles about her face and eyes. Mrs. Collins conceded that she was completely recovered from the eye problem in a short period of time. Mrs. Collins was bruised about the arms and body but she admitted a full recovery therefrom. The accident occurred on April 5, 1977, and she returned to her work at Lockhead Aircraft Company by April 26, 1977. The stipulation that the parties had reached prior to trial included all monetary losses for medical bills, loss of wages and property damage related to the automobile accident. The only statement of damages omitted from the stipulation was for any pain and suffering that Mrs. Collins may have experienced as a result of the accident. As to actual damages, i.e., specials and pain and suffering, the judgment of the trial court allowed the plaintiff to recover all of her specials of $1,138.60, plus the court's additur of $5,000 for pain and suffering. After a careful review of the record, we are of the opinion that the learned trial judge was imminently correct in allowing the additur and the same is reasonable and commensurate with the proof. As to the issue of the remittitur of punitive damages by the trial judge, the appellee-defendant concedes that the trial court erred in remitting the entire award of punitive damages of $5,000. *244 The facts were undisputed that the appellee voluntarily consumed a sufficient amount of intoxicating beverages which affected her ability to safely operate a motor vehicle, that she ran into plaintiff's vehicle, that when she did so, she was driving at an unreasonable rate of speed, on the wrong side of the highway, and did not stop after the collision. Under the above circumstances, we are of the opinion that the trial court improperly disallowed the jury verdict of $5,000 in punitive damages. It is the long settled and uniformly adhered to rule in our jurisprudence that the amount of punitory or exemplary damages is solely within the discretion of the jury, and, no matter what the sum of their finding might be, interference therewith, unless for exceptional causes, is discouraged. Standard Life Insurance Co. of Indiana v. Veal, 354 So. 2d 239 (Miss. 1978); Yazoo and Mississippi Valley Railroad Co. v. May, 104 Miss. 422, 61 So. 449 (1913); New Orleans, Jackson, and Great Northern Railroad Co. v. Hurst, 36 Miss. 660 (1859). Also, the pecuniary ability to respond to a verdict for punitive damages may be considered by a jury, but it is not the sole factor to be considered by them. Allen v. Ritter, 235 So. 2d 253 (Miss. 1970). Therefore, the jury verdict as to punitive damages in the amount of $5,000.00 is reinstated. For the above and foregoing reasons, the judgment of the trial court for actual damages in the amount of $6,138.60 is affirmed; the judgment of the trial court remitting the jury verdict of $5,000.00 for punitive damages is reversed and the punitive damages' award of $5,000.00 is reinstated. AFFIRMED IN PART, REVERSED IN PART AND RENDERED. PATTERSON, C.J., SMITH and ROBERTSON, P. JJ., and SUGG, BROOM, LEE, BOWLING and COFER, JJ., concur.