Opinion ID: 1822476
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Jury View of Johnson's Addition

Text: The defendant argues that the trial court abused its discretion in refusing to allow the jury to visit the Johnson addition and to view for itself the condition of the new construction. We note that the defendant concedes that a trial court may grant a jury view of the premises and that the trial court will not be reversed unless there has been an abuse of that discretion. C. Gamble, McElroy's Alabama Evidence § 208.01 (3d ed. 1977). See, also, Moody v. Stanfield, 292 Ala. 185, 291 So.2d 301 (1974). Gamble notes that one factor the court may consider is that the thing to be seen by the jury may just as well be photographed. Id. In this case, the plaintiff produced numerous photographs of the premises depicting the condition of the structure. The defendant contends, on the other hand, that the photographs were misleading because the defects that they portrayed could be easily remedied. The trial judge could well have concluded that a jury view might not have been useful in light of the plaintiff's evidence. Therefore, we find that there was no abuse of discretion in this case.