Opinion ID: 471621
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Proposed Special Verdict.

Text: 50 Maddox sought an instruction in her proposed special verdict directing the jury to find the defendants liable even if the defendants only aggravated a pre-existing physical condition that resulted in injury or death. The district court need not give every instruction proposed by counsel so long as the instructions adequately cover each element of the case. Hatrock v. Edward D. Jones & Co., 750 F.2d 767, 774 (9th Cir.1984). Examination of the court's special verdict form reveals that it adequately addressed all the issues in the case. 51 The court instructed the jury that, 52 Thus the plaintiff is entitled to findings in this case if you find in accordance with my instruction that a defendant was negligent; and, (2) that such negligence was a proximate cause of injury or death to Donald Wilson. 53 Negligence is the doing of something which a reasonably prudent person would not do or the failure to do something which a reasonably prudent person would do under circumstances similar to those shown by the evidence. It is the failure to use ordinary or reasonable care. 54 In addition, the special verdict form asked the jury to determine whether any of the defendants were negligent and, if so, whether this negligence was a proximate cause of the decedent's death. The jury instructions coupled with the special verdict adequately set forth the principles of negligence and proximate cause. 55 Even assuming Maddox was entitled to the requested thin-skulled plaintiff instruction or some variation thereof, the failure to give this instruction is not reversible error in this case. The jury found that none of the defendants were negligent. It specifically found the defendants' conduct was reasonable. The jury therefore was never required to decide the issue of proximate cause of death. Any alleged error in failing to instruct the jury about pre-existing conditions and the proximate cause of death cannot be a basis for reversal since the jury found the defendants' conduct to be reasonable under all circumstances. See Haddad v. Lockheed California Corp., 720 F.2d 1454, 1459 (9th Cir.1983) (error in civil trial must more probably than not taint the jury's verdict to constitute reversible error). 56 AFFIRMED.