Opinion ID: 1900442
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: sufficiency of the evidence

Text: The appellants also contend the verdict is contrary to the great weight and clear preponderance of the evidence. This contention is based upon their conclusion that the jury determined their negligence was the sole cause of the fire. [7] As the trial court correctly stated in its decision, the appellants draw the wrong conclusion from the verdict. The jury did not find the conduct of the appellants was the sole cause of the fire, rather it found the negligence of the appellants was a cause of the fire damage. The appellants had the burden of proving that the products of the defendants caused the fire. Obviously, they were unable to prove this to the satisfaction of the jury. [8-10] The standard of view of a jury verdict is that it will not be upset if there is any credible evidence to support it. The evidence will be viewed in the light most favorable to the verdict. May v. Skelley Oil Co., 83 Wis.2d 30, 35, 264 N.W.2d 574 (1978); Nelson v. Travelers Ins. Co., 80 Wis.2d 272, 282, 283, 259 N.W.2d 48 (1977). This is especially true where, as here, the verdict has the approval of the trial court. Upton v. Tatro, 68 Wis.2d 562, 570, 229 N.W.2d 691 (1975). The credibility of witnesses and the weight given to their testimony are left to the judgment of the jury, and where more than one reasonable inference can be drawn from the evidence, this court must accept the inference drawn by the jury. Roach v. Keane, 73 Wis.2d 524, 536, 243 N.W. 2d 508 (1976). On appeal the obligation of this court is to search for credible evidence that will sustain the  verdict, not for evidence to sustain a verdict the jury could have but did not reach. Coryell v. Conn., 88 Wis.2d 310, 317, 276 N.W.2d 723 (1979). One of the two employees who testified stated that she first noticed a brightness in the cooking area when she was working at a nearby counter. At this time the fire was in the fryer, on the wall and in the exhaust hood. She called it to the attention of the other employee. There was no fire extinguisher on the premises and neither of the employees had received any instructions as to what to do in case of a fire. All of the expert witnesses testified that overheated cooking oil emitted a pungent or acrid odor before it ignited. Some of them testified that ignition was also preceded by a dark smoke  neither of the employees smelled any odor or saw any black smoke, before the actual flames were first observed by Rosina Stefan. As the appellants indicate in their brief, all experts rendered opinions against all other parties. The principal expert witness for the appellants was John P. Tendick, a consulting engineer. The trial court stated, in its decision on motions after verdict, the methods he used in conducting tests on the component parts could well have affected his credibility. Many of his tests were conducted in his garage using camping equipment, and we agree with the observation of the trial court. The jury found the ITT valve was not in a defective condition and unreasonably dangerous. There was evidence that some ITT valves used in Annetsberger deep fryers were defective and were replaced by the company. There was also testimony that the valve in this particular unit was in a later series than the defective valves. It tested satisfactorily at the ITT laboratory. The unsatisfactory tests at Ranco occurred after a valve electrical connection had been broken and repaired. Although there was sufficient evidence so that the jury could have found this valve defective, the assessment and weight of  the credibility was within the province of the judgment of the jury. The jury also found that the Ranco high-limit control was not defective or unreasonably dangerous. This control was tested and found satisfactory at Ranco. There was also testimony by Alfred E. Meyer, research and development engineer for Annetsberger, that these controls had proven to be highly dependable. Only appellants' expert, Tendick, testified that his tests of this high-limit control demonstrated problems with this component. As the trial court stated, his method of testing could well have affected his credibility in the judgment of the jury. The jury also found the fryer itself was not in a defective condition and unreasonably dangerous. Since the jury concluded the components were not defective, there is little or no evidence upon which the jury could find the fryer itself was defective and unreasonably dangerous. The high-limit control was placed according to an accepted industry practice and the gas shut-off valves were accessible to employees. [11] Finally the jury found the plaintiffs' causally negligent as to the fire damage. There was testimony that the plaintiffs had not instructed the employees what to do in case of fire and had not provided fire extinguishers or other fire protection equipment. However, even if the jury concluded that the fire was accidental or that its origin had not been satisfactorily explained, there is still sufficient credible evidence to support a finding that the appellants were contributarily negligent. The verdict is supported by credible evidence.