Opinion ID: 586965
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: bifurcation of the trial

Text: 3 Appellants first argue that the court erred in bifurcating the trial. A district court's decision to bifurcate a trial should only be reversed on a finding of a clear abuse of discretion. O'Dell v. Hercules, Inc., 904 F.2d 1194, 1202 (8th Cir.1990). Westergren maintains that the jury should have had the benefit of the evidence of his injuries when it decided the issue of liability. BN responds that evidence was submitted to the jury that Westergren underwent at least one surgery on his back following the incident in question and that the bifurcation issue was not preserved for appeal. We need not determine whether the issue was preserved for appeal because we find no abuse of discretion by the district court's separation of the issue of Westergren's damages from the other issues on account of Westergren's unstable medical condition.