Opinion ID: 1195187
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The jury's finding of negligence

Text: The jury's special verdict makes it clear that the erroneous jury instructions on fraud did not prejudice Dr. McCurdy with respect to Ditto's negligence claim. In its special verdict, the jury found, inter alia, that (1) Dr. McCurdy was negligent in his care and treatment of Ditto, and (2) his negligence was a legal cause of injury or damage to Ditto. The jury also answered yes to the following interrogatory: Was the Defendants' fraudulent conduct a legal cause of injury or damage to Plaintiff Janie Ditto separate and apart from any damages caused by negligence? (emphasis in the original). The jury obviously believed the damages caused by Dr. McCurdy's negligence were wholly separate from Ditto's injuries resulting from Dr. McCurdy's fraudulent conduct. Moreover, as previously discussed, the evidence of Dr. McCurdy's gross negligence was so overwhelming that any additional discussion on plain negligence is unnecessary. We therefore affirm, without further comment, the jury's finding of negligence.