Case Name: John H. HART and Sandra W. Hart, his wife, Appellees, v. W.H. STEWART, INC., a New York Corporation, Appellant
Court: Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
Jurisdiction: Pennsylvania
Decision Date: 1989-10-18
Citations: 523 Pa. 13
Docket Number: No. 51 W.D. Appeal Dkt. 1988
Parties: John H. HART and Sandra W. Hart, his wife, Appellees, v. W.H. STEWART, INC., a New York Corporation, Appellant.
Judges: Before NIX, C.J., and LARSON, FLAHERTY, McDermott, zappala and papadakos, jj.
Reporter: Pennsylvania State Reports
Volume: 523
Pages: 13–20

Head Matter:
564 A.2d 1250
John H. HART and Sandra W. Hart, his wife, Appellees, v. W.H. STEWART, INC., a New York Corporation, Appellant.
Supreme Court of Pennsylvania.
Argued March 8, 1989.
Decided Oct. 18, 1989.
Frederick N. Egler, Jr. Egler, Anstandig & Garrett, Pittsburgh, for appellant.
Michael R. Ford, Gallagher & Ford, Pittsburgh, for appellees.
Before NIX, C.J., and LARSON, FLAHERTY, McDermott, zappala and papadakos, jj.

Opinion:
OPINION ANNOUNCING THE JUDGMENT OF THE COURT
NIX, Chief Justice.
This products liability action presents the question whether the trial court violated the collateral source rule by allowing evidence of workmen's compensation payments received by the plaintiff during the period of his incapacity. The pertinent facts are as follows.
Appellee, John Hart, was injured while operating a pipe-cleaning machine manufactured by appellant, W.H. Stewart ("Stewart"). Appellee filed suit against Stewart, alleging that the machine was defectively designed and that Stewart had negligently failed to provide proper warnings and instructions. At trial, appellee called as a witness a representative of appellee's employer to testify in support of appellee's claim for lost wages. Before calling this witness, appellee's counsel indicated that he intended to file a motion in limine to prevent appellant from cross-examining the witness about appellee's receipt of workmen's compensation benefits because such questions would violate the collateral source rule. Appellant's counsel argued that he did not want to elicit testimony about workmen's compensation benefits, but instead intended to show that appellee had received his full salary for the three years from the time of his injury to the time of his removal from the company's payroll. The trial court ruled that appellant's objectives were not barred by the collateral source rule and that the desired cross-examination was permissible. The jury subsequently returned a verdict in favor of appellant on the issue of liability and never reached the issue of damages. Post trial motions were denied.
On appeal, the Superior Court reversed, finding in an unpublished opinion that the trial court erred in permitting appellant to cross-examine appellee's witness on the matter of appellee's salary for the three years after the accident. 373 Pa.Super. 643, 536 A.2d 831. The Superior Court ruled that even though the record did not indicate whether the witness had actually been called and/or cross-examined, it was reasonable to infer from the attorney's comments at sidebar that the objectionable testimony had been allowed, and that this evidence was of the type barred by the collateral source rule. Concluding that the introduction of this evidence may have substantially prejudiced the jury with respect to the issue of liability, the Superior Court reversed the trial court and granted a new trial on both the liability and damages issues.
Appellant Stewart now contends that the Superior Court's conclusion was erroneous. Appellant argues that even if the collateral source rule was violated by admission of this evidence, the resulting error was harmless because the rule relates only to damages, and the jury, which found for appellant on the issue of liability, never reached the issue of damages. We agree with this contention, and for this reason we now reverse the order of the Superior Court.
Appellee makes no assertion of legal error by the trial court regarding any issue of liability. He does not claim that at trial he presented sufficient facts to justify a finding of liability in his favor. Instead, appellee relies on the claim that the cross-examination of his witness should not have been permitted, maintaining that this error was the crucial factor in the jury's verdict against him. Appellee seems convinced that the preclusion of the instant testimony would have, persuaded the jury to reach a different conclusion.
Appellee overlooks the obvious fact that because he is not challenging the jury's finding that no liability existed, the assertion of prejudice by the introduction of the challenged evidence is irrelevant. To constitute reversible error, a ruling on evidence must be shown not only to have been erroneous but harmful to the party complaining. Nebel v. Mauk, 434 Pa. 315, 253 A.2d 249 (1969); Kitchen v. Borough of Grampian 421 Pa. 464, 219 A.2d 685 (1966); Anderson v. Hughes, 417 Pa. 87, 208 A.2d 789 (1965); Richmond v. Otter, 364 Pa. 191, 70 A.2d 314 (1950); Farmers National Bank & Trust of New Holland v. New Holland National Bank, 333 Pa. 428, 5 A.2d 198 (1939). An evidentiary ruling which did not affect the verdict will not provide a basis for disturbing the jury's judgment. See e.g. Anderson v. Hughes, supra. See also Miller v. Montgomery, 397 Pa. 94, 152 A.2d 757 (1959); Richter v. Mozenter, 356 Pa. 650, 53 A.2d 76 (1947). Thus, an erroneous evidentiary ruling on damages, in a case where the jury has found for the defendant on the liability issue, is harmless and does not entitle the plaintiff to a new trial. Downey v. Weston, 451 Pa. 259, 301 A.2d 635 (1973); Middleton v. Glenn, 393 Pa. 360, 143 A.2d 14 (1958).
The evidence sought to be excluded in the instant matter related solely to the amount of remuneration to which appellee would have been entitled if the jury had decided in his favor. The speciousness of this argument is readily apparent. Before the issue of damages is relevant, the jury must first determine the question of liability. Appellees are implicitly urging that, if the jury had not been aware of this source of income following the injury, the jury may have been persuaded to overlook appellees' inability to establish liability. Such a verdict had it been entered could not have been sustained. The magnitude of the injury sustained may never be permitted to overcome a plaintiff's failure to establish a defendant's liability. Sympathy for the plight of the injured party cannot relieve that party of the obligation to demonstrate the responsibility of the person from whom redress is sought. We therefore conclude that if indeed this testimony was introduced it would be, at best, harmless error.
Accordingly, the order of the Superior Court is reversed, and the order of the Court of Common Pleas is reinstated and affirmed.
LARSEN, J., files a concurring opinion in which McDERMOTT and PAPADAKOS, JJ., join.
ZAPPALA, J., concurs in the result.
LARSEN, Justice,
. As previously stated, the record is devoid of any indication that the defense was actually permitted to cross-examine the plaintiffs witness on these matters. It is thus uncertain whether or not the evidence in question actually was heard by the jury and, therefore, whether there is any real foundation for appellee's allegation of error.