Opinion ID: 1986013
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: The Lougheeds' Counsel's Closing Remarks

Text: The Medical Center also contends that statements made by Lougheeds' counsel in his closing argument were sufficiently improper as to render the trial unfair. During closing argument Counsel asserted that Nurses Kaiser and Shields had testified that there had been a breach of the community standard of care by the personnel of the Medical Center. The trial judge had sustained objections to such testimony by the nurses because they had not been qualified as expert witnesses. There was, however, no objection from the Medical Center as to the summation comments. In refusing to grant a new trial, the Superior Court held that the Medical Center's failure to object to the statements made during the summation constituted a waiver of the objection and that it was not clear that Lougheed's counsel had misstated the record. The granting of a motion for a new trial is in the discretion of the trial court and our standard of review is abuse of discretion. Eustice v. Rupert, Del.Supr., 460 A.2d 507 (1983). A party must timely object to improper statements made during closing argument in order to give the trial court the opportunity to correct any error. We recognize that, for strategy reasons, counsel may choose not to object to a misstatement made in an opponent's closing remarks, but the failure to object generally constitutes waiver of the right subsequently to raise the issue. Id. See Laurence J. Smith, Art of Advocacy: Summation, § 2.23, Matthew Bender (1987). An exception arises, however, if plain error exists. Mason v. State, Del.Supr., 658 A.2d 994, 996, Veasey, C.J. (1995); [W]here substantial rights are jeopardized and the fairness of the trial imperiled, this Court will apply a plain error standard of review. Robertson v. State, Del.Supr., 596 A.2d 1345, 1356 (1991) (quoting Stansbury v. State, Del. Supr., 591 A.2d 188, 191 (1991)); Ray v. State, Del.Supr., 587 A.2d 439 (1991); Weber v. State, Del.Supr., 547 A.2d 948, 960 (1988). In order for this Court to find plain error, the error complained of must be so clearly prejudicial to substantial rights as to jeopardize the fairness and integrity of the trial process. Robertson, 596 A.2d at 1356 (quoting Wainwright v. State, Del.Supr., 504 A.2d 1096, 1100, cert. denied, 479 U.S. 869, 107 S.Ct. 236, 93 L.Ed.2d 161 (1986) (internal citations omitted)). Although Lougheed's counsel should not have referred to inadmissible expert opinion evidence during his closing argument, the reference was not so clearly prejudicial to the Medical Center's substantial rights as to jeopardize the fairness and integrity of the trial. We note, as did the Superior Court, that the issue of standard of care was a focal point of the trial and the jury presumably took counsel's closing argument as nothing more than that  argument. Lougheed, slip op. at 9. In addition, the evidence in question was merely cumulative of Nurse Bachmann's expert testimony. Therefore, we find that the disputed remarks at closing argument did not rise to the level of plain error.