Opinion ID: 1116081
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: damages excessive

Text: The defendants' final assignment of error is the excessiveness of the jury verdict. Penley was 67 years of age, and retired at the time of his experience, with a life expectancy of 11.3 years. He saw an ear specialist three times in two years, was never hospitalized, and had a total medical expense of $300.50. He had a one-eighth additional impairment of hearing in his left ear, and some residual ringing in his ears when the room was quiet. His condition is not rare in persons of his age, in any event, but the doctor felt that because of the gunshot this probably caused his condition. No one claimed his condition was disabling. His experience in Howard Brothers department store lasting approximately thirty to forty minutes was no doubt terrifying, and he understandably is cautious upon entering stores these days. Beyond this he claims no injury. The ad damnum clause of the complaint is for $100,000 damages, actual and punitive. Miss. Code Ann. (1985 Supp.) § 11-1-55 states: § 11-1-55. Authority to impose condition of additur or remittitur. The supreme court or any other court of record in a case in which money damages were awarded may overrule a motion for new trial or affirm on direct or cross appeal, upon condition of an additur or remittitur, if the court finds that the damages are excessive or inadequate for the reason that the injury or trier of the facts was influenced by bias, prejudice, or passion, or that the damages awarded were contrary to the overwhelming weight of credible evidence. If such additur or remittitur be not accepted then the court may direct a new trial on damages only. [1] In interpreting whether a verdict should be set aside because it was either grossly inadequate or grossly excessive, this Court has generally done so because it evinced bias, passion or prejudice. We are particularly reluctant on appellate review to set aside a jury's verdict, and will not do so simply because we think it is too high or too low. Indeed, we have said it must be so high as to evince bias, passion or prejudice, or so as to shock the enlightened conscience of this court. For example, see: City of Jackson v. Locklar, 431 So.2d 475, 481 (Miss. 1983); Wood v. Nichols, 416 So.2d 659, 672 (Miss. 1982) Anderson v. Jaeger, 317 So.2d 902, 907 (Miss. 1975). It is pertinent to note, however, that the statute authorizes a remittitur when the damages award were contrary to the overwhelming weight of the evidence. We recognized this factor as well in Lewis Grocer Co. v. Williamson, 436 So.2d 1378, 1381 (Miss. 1983), and in Walton v. Scott, 365 So.2d 630, 632 (Miss. 1978). To us the jury verdict in this case appears an expression of outrage at Howard Brothers conduct as much as an endeavor to compensate Penley for his injuries. It clearly is against the overwhelming weight of the evidence. We accordingly will direct a new trial on damages unless the plaintiff accepts a remittitur of $35,000.