Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-ca10-90-07032/USCOURTS-ca10-90-07032-0/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
Empire Gas Corporation
Appellee
Edith Lavada Persson
Appellant
Harry Persson
Appellant

Document Text:

UNITED STATES COURT OF 

TENTH CIRCUIT 

APPEALS 

i:4' .I. .LJ ..,..J p ___ ,~ 

United Stat~ ('.o~rt~: At:.•--""1 ' 

Tc-·.,:, (1r.!u1 , 

EDITH LAVADA PERSSON AND HARRY 

PERSSON, Wife and Husband, 

Plaintiffs-Appellants, 

v. 

EMPIRE GAS CORPORATION, 

a Missouri corporation, and 

EMPIREGAS OF STIGLER, INC., an 

Oklahoma corporation, 

Defendants-Appellees. 

l,1AY 1 9 1992 

) 

) 

) 

) 

) 

ROBER.T L. HOECY.E?.. 

Clerl: 

) 

) No. 90-7032 

) (D.C. No. 89-323-C) 

) (Eastern District of Oklahoma) 

) 

) 

) 

) 

ORDER AND JUDGMENT* 

Before EBEL, MCWILLIAMS, Circuit Judges, and JENKINs,**District 

Judge. 

Appellants' air conditioning unit was serviced on April 12, 

1989. This servicing created a gas leak which lead to an explosion 

and fire on April 23, 1989. The accident resulted in personal 

injuries to appellant Edith Lavada Persson and the death of her 

mother, Edith Blaylock. 

Appellants brought an action against Rick Beal, d/b/a/ Rick 

Beal Electric Heating and Air Conditioning ("Beal"), the air 

conditioning serviceman who serviced the air conditioning unit, and 

* This order and judgment has no precedential value and 

shall not be cited, or used by any court within the Tenth Circuit, 

except for purposes of establishing the doctrines of the law of the 

case, res judicata, or collateral estoppel. 10th Cir. R. 36. 3 . 

** The Honorable Bruce S. Jenkins, Chief Judge of the Unite d 

states District court for the District of Utah, sitting by 

designation. 

Appellate Case: 90-7032 Document: 010110249179 Date Filed: 05/19/1992 Page: 1
several "John Does" alleged to be the principals or agents of Beal, 

for personal injury and loss of consortium. Appellants 

subsequently amended their complaint to join Empire Gas Corporation 

and Ernpiregas of Stigler, Inc. ( "the Empiregas defendants") . Beal 

settled with appellants on the eve of trial. After a five-day jury 

trial, the jury returned a verdict in favor of the Ernpiregas 

defendants and against appellants. Appellants thereafter appealed, 

alleging the following: (1) the District Court's jury instructions 

incorrectly recited applicable law; (2) the verdict was not 

supported by the evidence; (3) the District Court erred in denying 

appellants' request for a second amendment of their complaint; and 

(4) the defense counsel improperly referred to previously excluded 

evidence during closing arguments. 

After a thorough review of the record and pleadings in this 

case, the court concludes that the District Court's jury 

instructions, when considered as a whole, correctly recited the 

applicable law. The court also holds that the jury verdict was 

supported by substantial evidence. The court holds that the 

District Court did not abuse its discretion in denying appellants' 

motion to amend their complaint. Furthermore, the court holds that 

defense counsel's comments during closing argument were proper and 

that no prejudice occurred to appellants. The judgment of the 

District Court is AFFIRMED. 

2 

Entered for the Court 

Per curiam 

Appellate Case: 90-7032 Document: 010110249179 Date Filed: 05/19/1992 Page: 2