Opinion ID: 154579
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Motion for Judgment as a Matter of Law and for a New Trial

Text: 21 The district court's decision on a motion for judgment as a matter of law is reviewed de novo. Sheets v. Salt Lake County, 45 F.3d 1383, 1387 (10th Cir.), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 116 S.Ct. 74, 133 L.Ed.2d 34 (1995). The court's refusal to grant a new trial is reviewed for abuse of discretion. Mid-West Underground Storage, Inc. v. Porter, 717 F.2d 493, 502 (10th Cir.1983). 22 The district court was correct in refusing to grant Unit's motion for judgment as a matter of law, as the evidence did not point solely in the direction of Unit's recovery. See FDIC v. United Pac. Ins. Co., 20 F.3d 1070, 1079 (10th Cir.1994) (appellate court may find error in refusal to grant judgment as a matter of law only if evidence supports only one side). However, the court abused its discretion in denying the motion for a new trial because it was error to give judgment on an ambiguous verdict. See Hartnett v. Brown & Bigelow, 394 F.2d 438, 441 n. 2 (10th Cir.1968) (A verdict finding matters uncertainly and ambiguously is insufficient to support a judgment.) (citation omitted); W.J. Dunn, Annotation, Verdict for Money Judgment Which Finds for Party for Ambiguous or No Amount, 49 A.L.R.2d 1328, § 2 (1956) (citing cases). 23 Enron argues that this case is governed by Mid-West Underground Storage, Inc. v. Porter, 717 F.2d 493 (10th Cir.1983). In Mid-West, the district court refused to order a new trial when the defendant claimed an error in the jury's award of $3,911,637 for the plaintiff. Although we conceded the possibility that the jury had made a mistake, we held that the sanctity of jury verdicts and the district court's discretion in the area of granting new trials precluded reversal. Id. at 501-02. However, Mid-West is distinguishable. In Mid-West, the jury clearly intended to award the plaintiff $3,911,637. The question before the district court was only whether the jury reached that amount improperly. We held that inquiry into the manner in which a verdict is reached is improper. Id. Here, in contrast, the jury's very intention is unclear. Thus, we do not intrude on the sanctity of the jury's verdict by ordering a new trial. 24 When a jury returns an ambiguous general verdict, the party requesting clarification must call the ambiguity to the district court's attention before the jury is discharged unless the error is plain. See Resolution Trust, 998 F.2d at 1545 (failure to object to inconsistent general verdicts before jury is discharged constitutes waiver unless error is plain). A court should then ordinarily question the jury to clarify the meaning of the verdict. Failure to do so necessitates the granting of a new trial. In this case, the district court abused its discretion in refusing to clarify the verdict and in giving judgment on an ambiguous verdict. Consequently, we reverse and remand for a new trial.