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T he H onor a bl e K e vi n T hom a s D uf f y , U ni t e d S t a t e s D i s tr i c tJ udge f or ** the S outhe r n D i s tr i c tof N e w Y or k, s i tt i ng by de s i gna t i on. NOT F OR P UB L I CAT I ON UN I TE D STATE S C OU RT OF APPE ALS F O R T H E N IN T H C IR C U IT TE RR Y G OD DA RD, ATTORNEY GE NE R AL , S T AT E OF AR I Z ON A; C I VI L R I GH T S DI VI S I ON OF T HE A R I Z O N A D E P A R T ME N T O F L A W; AN D J I L L S HU MW AY , P l ai n t i ffs-A p p el l ees,
v. D H L E X P R E S S ( U S A ) , I N C
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A r i z ona F r e de r i c k J
. M a r t one , D i s tr i c tJ udge , P r e s i di ng A r gue d a nd S ubm i tt e d N ove m be r6, 2009 S a n F r a n c is c o , C a lif

o r n ia B e f o r e : NO ON AN a n d W. F L E T C HE R , C i r c u i tJ u d g e s , a n d DU F F Y, D i stri ct ** Judg e. 

# FI LED NO V 23 2009 M OLLY C. DW Y ER, CLERK U
. S. C O U R T OF APPE ALS2

D e f e nda nt - appe l l a ntD H L E xpr e s s ( U S A ) , I nc . ( “ D H L ” ) appe a l s the j udgm e ntof the di s tr i c t c our t de ny i ng i t s m ot i on f or j udgm e nt a s a m a tt e rof l a w , ora l t e r na t i ve l y f

or
a n ew tri al , o n th e g ro u n d th at th e d i stri ct co u rt sh o u l d h av e o rd ered a n ew tri al b ecau se the j ur y ’ s c om pe ns a t or y da m a ge s a w a r d of $350, 000 s t e m m i ng f r om a ve r di c t i n f

a vor of pl ai nt i ff

-app el lan t Ji l l S hu m w ay on her T i t l e V II re t al i at i on cl ai m w as exce ss i ve. D H L ar gu es that : (1) the j ury i m prop er l y a w ar ded S hu m w ay co m pensat ory dam ages ba s e d on pe c uni a r y l os s fo r a t i m e pe r i od s ubs e que ntt o he rvol unt a r y r e s i gna t i on; a nd ( 2 ) th e p o r tio n o f

th e a w a r d r e p r e s e n ti n g e m o tio n a l d is tr e s s d a m a g e s is e x c e s s iv e . W e
a f f i r m. W e r e v ie w a d i s t r i c t c o u r t’s ru lin g o n a m o tio n f o ra n e w tr ia l p u r s u a n t to R u le 59( a ) of th e F ed eral R ul e s of

C i vi l P r oc e dur e f

ora n a bus e of

di s c r e t i on. M c E ui n v. C r ow n E qui p. C orp. , 328 F
. 3d 1028, 1032 ( 9th C i r . 2003)
. T he di s tr i c tc our t ’ s j udgm e nt
w i th r es pect t o w hether a j ury ver di cti s e xces si ve and w arra nt s e i ther r em i tt i tur or a new tr i a l i s r e vi e w e d f

or c l e a r a bus e of di s c r e t i on, a f f or di ng s ubs t a nt i a l de f

e r e nc e t o t he j u ry’ s fi n d i n g s o f th e ap p ro p ri at e am o u n t o f d am ag es. G asp eri n i v . C tr. fo r H u m an i t i es, Inc. , 51 8 U
. S
. 41 7, 43 4– 35 (199 6); D el M on t e D un es at M o n tere y, L t d. v. M on t er ey ( “ D e l M ont e ” ) , 95 F
. 3d 1422, 1434–35 ( 9th C i r . 1996)
. A j ur y ’ s f i ndi ng on the a m ount
o f d a m a g e s w ill b e u p h e ld u n le s s th e a m o u n t is “g r o s s ly e x c e s s iv e o rm o n s tr o u s , c le a r ly
no tsupp ort ed by the evi dence, or base d o nl y on specul at i on or gu es s w ork. ” D el M on t e,3

9 5 F .3 d a t 1 4 3 5
. I n o th e rw o r d s , th e d a m a g e s a w a r d m u s t b e a f f ir m e d u n le s s it is

“ shocki ng t o t he consci ence . ” B ra dy v. G ebbi e, 85 9 F
. 2d 15 43 , 15 57 (9th C i r. 19 88 ). D H L co n ten d s th at th e d istrict co u rt ab u se d it s d is c r e ti o n in d en yin g D H L ’s
m ot i on f ora ne w tr i a l be c a us e the j ur y ’ s ve r di c t l i ke l y unl a w f ul l y i nc l ude d the a m ount of the c ontr ol l e d c r e di tS hum w a y w oul d ha ve r e c e i ve d f orthe f our th qua r t e r o f

2005
e ve n though s he r e s i gne d vol unt a r i l y be f or e the e nd of

the qua r t e ra nd f

a i l e d t o a l l e ge
orpr ove c ons truc t i ve d i sch arg e attr i a l
. T he j ur y ’ s da m a ge s ve r di c tw a s e xpr e s s e d on
a ge n e r a l v e r d i c t f

o r m. I t i s w e l l s e tt l e d th a t c o u r t s o f ap p e a l s “ c a n n o t , by w a y of
s p e c u la tio n , p ie r c e th e g e n e r a l v e r d ic t” to r e a c h c o n c lu s io n s c o n te n d e d f o rb y o n e p a r ty
ora nothe rt o r e ve r s e a di s tri ct cour t ’ s j udgm e ntde ny i ng a m ot i on f ora ne w tr i a l on dam ages . P ort er fi el d v
. B url i ng t on N
. , Inc., 53 4 F
. 2d 14 2, 14 7 (9t h C i r. 19 76 ). T he r e f or e , w e de c l i ne D H L ’ s i nvi t a t i on t o a tt e m pt t o di vi ne the j ur y ’ s appor t i onm e ntof d a m a g e s w ith in its g e n e r a l v e r d ic t. F ur the r , e ve n a s s um i ng tha tthe j ur y a w a r de d S hum w a y $109, 461 f orthe l os s of he rc ontr ol l e d c r e di ta nd $240, 000 i n e m ot i ona l di s tr e s s da m a ge s , w e c a nnots a y tha tthe
em ot i on al di stre ss dam ages aw ar d i s “ shocki ng t o t he consci ence . ” B ra dy, 85 9 F
. 2d at 1 5 5 7 . In Z h an g v . A m er ican G em S ea fo o d s, In c., th is co u rt u p h e ld a d istrict co u rt’s deci si on t o d eny def

endant ’ s m ot i on for rem i tt i tur or a new tri al , perm i tt i ng an em ot i on al di stre ss dam ages aw ar d of up t o $ 22 3, 15 5 t o st and b as ed on al l egat i on s of the pl ai nt i ff ,4

a C hi nese -A m er i ca n w ho had bee n di sc harged i n v i ol at i on of T i t l e V II , thathi s j ob had b ee n “[h is] d re am , w o rk in g in th is co u n try,” a n d th a t h e w as “tro u b led ” a n d “co u ld n ’t b e lie v e it” w h e n h e w a s te r m in a te d . 3 3 9 F .3 d 1 0 2 0 , 1 0 4 0

– 4 1 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 3 )
. S i m i l a r l y , S hum w a y t e s t i f i e d tha tthe e m ot i ona l di s tr e s s s he s uf f e r e d be c a us e of D H L ’ s r e t a l i a t or y c onduc ti n r e voki ng he rc ontr ol l e d c r e di t , l y i ng t o he ra boutthe 51%
rul e , a nd othe r w i s e tr y i ng t o c ove rup the i runl a w f ul c onduc t , “ w a s co n s um i ng. ” S he t es t i fi ed thatthe di stre ss fr om D H L ’ s c on du ct al so “ af fe ct ed [her] pers on al l i fe , ” a nd that it w a s “th e b ig g e s t p r o f e s s io n a l d is ap p o in tm e n t [ s h e h a d ] e v e re x p e r ie n c e d .” S hum w a y ’ s t e s t i m ony w as co rrobor a t e d by one of he rs upe r vi s or s w ho s a i d tha the thoughtthe l os tc om m i s s i on “ ha d r e a l l y be c om e c ons um i ng of he r , ” a nd tha the “ thought i tw as p ro b ab l y st art i n g t o i m p acth er p ro fessi o n al l y an d p o ssi b l y p erso n al l y as w el l , so
w e tri ed t o t al k abo uti t . ” B a s e d o n th is te s tim o n y , a n d c o n s id e r in g th e “s u b s ta n tia l d e f e r e n c e ” a f

f o r d e d to a ju ry ’s d am ag es d eter m in atio n , D el M o n te, 9 5 F .3 d at 1 4 3 5 , w e c o n clu d e th at th e ju ry ’s
aw ar d o f dam ages i s not“ shocki ng t o the consci ence , ” B ra dy, 85 9 F
. 2d at15 57 , and t hat

“ the r e i s e vi de nc e w hi c h, i f be l i e ve d, w oul d s uppor tthe ve r di c t , ” P a s s a nt i no v. J ohns on & J o h n s o n C o n s u m e rP r o d s ., I n c ., 2 1 2 F .3 d 4 9 3 , 5 1 3 ( 9 th C ir . 2 0 0 0 )
. AF F I R ME D.