Opinion ID: 167321
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Haberman's Cross-Appeal

Text: 89 On cross-appeal, Haberman contends that the district court erred by denying her motion for a new trial on the issue of the Hartford's bad faith, i.e, whether the Hartford's conduct was reckless, intentional or malicious. She argues that the court did not properly advise the jury as to the specific nature of the insurance company's duties under the circumstances of this case. More specifically, she asserts that even though the jury knew that she claimed certain duties were owed her by the Hartford, the jury was never fully instructed by the court as to what the law defines those duties to be. Because of this error, she claims, the jury did not have a sufficient basis to make a determination as to the degree of the Hartford's culpability. 90 In a diversity case, the substance of a jury instruction is a matter of state law, but the grant or denial of a tendered instruction is governed by federal law. Wolfgang v. Mid-America Motorsports, Inc., 111 F.3d 1515, 1525 (10th Cir.1997). We review de novo the ultimate question of whether the jury was properly instructed on the question of law. Id. at 1526. In so doing, we examine the instructions as a whole to determine if they sufficiently cover the issues in the case and focus on the facts presented by the evidence. Id. at 1526. See also Wheeler v. Koch Gathering Systems, Inc., 131 F.3d 898, 903 (10th Cir.1997); Blanke v. Alexander, 152 F.3d 1224, 1232 (10th Cir.1998); United States v. Lee, 54 F.3d 1534, 1536 (10th Cir.), cert. denied 516 U.S. 895, 116 S.Ct. 247, 133 L.Ed.2d 173 (1995); York v. AT & T, 95 F.3d 948, 953 (10th Cir.1996) (we review de novo the question whether the court's instructions, considered as a whole, properly state the applicable law and focus the jury on the relevant inquiry.). 91 The district court's bad faith and punitive damage jury instructions were adopted from the instructions promulgated by the Oklahoma Supreme Court in the Oklahoma Uniform Jury Instructions. OUJI-Civ Nos. 22.1, 22.2, 22.3, and 22.4. Contrary to Haberman's assertion that the district court failed to inform the jury that the Hartford had a duty to investigate and evaluate her claim and to `assign a dollar value to the claim,' the court's Jury Instruction No. 11 informed the jury that Haberman claimed the Hartford acted in bad faith for failing to properly investigate Haberman's claim, properly evaluate the results of the investigation, promptly evaluate and pay Haberman's claims and offered her an unreasonably low amount to settle her claim. 11 Aplt.App. at 458. The elements of bad faith in Instruction No. 11, practically incorporated every criticism that Haberman's bad faith expert, Susie Sullivan, made during trial concerning the handling of the claim. The elements are as follows: 92 1. Defendant was required under the insurance policy to pay Plaintiffs uninsured motorist and/or medical payment claim; 93 2. That Defendant's actions were unreasonable under the circumstances because (a) it did not perform a proper investigation (b) it did not evaluate the results of the investigation properly (c) it did not promptly evaluate and pay her claims (d) the amount it offered to settle the claim was unreasonably low (e) it unreasonably and erroneously interpreted Oklahoma law; or (f) it did not properly train its employees and have a claims manual or written guidelines regarding Oklahoma law. 94 3. Defendant did not deal fairly and in good faith with Plaintiff; and 95 4. Defendant's violation of its good faith and fair dealing was a direct cause of the injuries sustained by Plaintiff. 96 Aplt.App. at 348-366, 458-463; Aplee. Supp.App. at 747-788. Thus, the jury had numerous guideposts in Instruction No. 11 by which to determine whether the Hartford's activity was reckless or malicious, and intentional. 97 The record also shows that the court modeled the jury instruction spelling out the acts of bad faith by the Hartford after the claim of bad faith asserted by Haberman in the parties' Second Amended Final Pretrial Report. Aplt.App. at 272-274. Moreover, Instruction No. 20 on punitive damages defined reckless disregard and intentional malice. Aplt.App. at 464-466. The instruction gave sufficient descriptions so the jury could determine the damages. Accordingly, the district court's jury instructions contained the substance of the instructions requested by Haberman. 98 When the adequacy of a jury instruction is challenged, we consider all the jury heard, and from the standpoint of the jury, decide not whether the charge was faultless in every particular, but whether the jury was misled in any way and whether it had understanding of the issues and its duties to determine these issues. Mason v. Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, 115 F.3d 1442,1454 (10th Cir.1997). While the instruction as a whole must convey the correct statement of the applicable law, no particular form is essential. We reverse an erroneous jury instruction only when we have substantial doubt whether the instructions, considered as a whole, properly guided the jury in its deliberations. Id. 99 Considering the jury instructions in this case as a whole, we are convinced that the jury had sufficient basis to determine the culpability of the Hartford. Jury Instruction No. 11 on Good Faith and Instruction No. 20 on Punitive Damages together provided the jury an intelligent, meaningful understanding of applicable issues and standards. See United States v. Winchell, 129 F.3d 1093, 1096 (10th Cir.1997) (quoting United States v. Laughlin, 26 F.3d 1523, 1528 (10th Cir.1994)). We, therefore, conclude that the district court properly denied Haberman's motion for a new trial. 100 Accordingly, we AFFIRM the district court's judgment.