Opinion ID: 2087724
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Sole Proximate Cause Instruction

Text: In a related contention, plaintiffs claim that the trial court erred by tendering to the jury an instruction on sole proximate cause. A litigant has the right to have the jury clearly and fairly instructed upon each theory which was supported by the evidence. ( Ervin v. Sears, Roebuck & Co. (1976), 65 Ill.2d 140, 145, 2 Ill.Dec. 333, 357 N.E.2d 500.) However, it is error to give an instruction not based on the evidence. (See Black v. Peoria Marine Construction Co. (1987), 160 Ill.App.3d 357, 365, 112 Ill.Dec. 208, 513 N.E.2d 622; Jensen v. Chicago & Western Indiana R.R. Co. (1981), 94 Ill.App.3d 915, 929, 50 Ill.Dec. 470, 419 N.E.2d 578.) The question of what issues have been raised by the evidence is within the discretion of the trial court. The evidence may be slight; a reviewing court may not reweigh it or determine if it should lead to a particular conclusion. (See Burge v. Morton (1981), 99 Ill. App.3d 266, 269, 54 Ill.Dec. 674, 425 N.E.2d 539.) The test in determining the propriety of tendered instructions is whether the jury was fairly, fully, and comprehensively informed as to the relevant principles, considering the instructions in their entirety. Saunders v. Schultz (1960), 20 Ill.2d 301, 314, 170 N.E.2d 163. The trial court tendered to the jury the long version of Illinois Pattern Jury Instructions, Civil, No. 12.04 (3d ed. 1989) (hereinafter IPI Civil 3d No. 12.04): More than one person may be to blame for causing an injury. If you decide that a [the] defendant[s] was [were] negligent and that his [their] negligence was a proximate cause of injury to the plaintiff, it is not a defense that some third person who is not a party to the suit may also have been to blame. [However, if you decide that the sole proximate cause of injury to the plaintiff was the conduct of some person other than the defendant, then your verdict should be for the defendant.] Plaintiffs contend the trial court erred in tendering the second paragraph of this instruction for two reasons. Plaintiffs first argue that defendants did not plead the sole proximate cause of Dr. Tierney as an affirmative defense. We cannot accept this argument. As we held previously, a defendant need not plead the sole proximate cause of another as an affirmative defense; rather, a general denial of any proximate cause is sufficient for the defendant to raise the defense. A defendant has the right not only to rebut evidence tending to show that defendant's acts are negligent and the proximate cause of claimed injuries, but also has the right to endeavor to establish by competent evidence that the conduct of a third person, or some other causative factor, is the sole proximate cause of plaintiff's injuries. Further, if the evidence is sufficient, the defendant is entitled to an instruction on this theory. See French v. City of Springfield (1972), 5 Ill.App.3d 368, 374, 283 N.E.2d 18. Plaintiffs also argue that the record contained no evidence that supports the second paragraph of IPI Civil 3d No. 12.04. We cannot accept this argument. The notes to the instruction state: The second paragraph should be used only where there is evidence tending to show that the sole proximate cause of the occurrence was the conduct of a third person. (IPI Civil 3d No. 12.04, Notes on Use, at 12-9.) Whether the jury would have been persuaded is not the question. All that is required to justify the giving of an instruction is that there be some evidence in the record to justify the theory of the instruction. Lowe v. Norfolk & Western Ry. Co. (1984), 124 Ill.App.3d 80, 118, 79 Ill.Dec. 238, 463 N.E.2d 792. At the jury instruction conference, the trial court found that the record contained sufficient evidence of Dr. Tierney's involvement to justify giving the second paragraph of the instruction. We cannot say that the court abused its discretion. After carefully reviewing the instructions in their entirety, we conclude that the jury was fairly, fully, and comprehensively informed as to the relevant legal principles.