Opinion ID: 2994234
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Jury Instruction Under Sutton

Text: At trial, the district court instructed the jury that it should assess Gile’s disability without regard to mitigating measures, namely the medications that Gile took to treat her depression and anxiety. A few months after the trial’s close, the Supreme Court decided Sutton v. United Airlines, Inc., 527 U.S. 471, 119 S.Ct. 2139, 2143 (1999), and held that the determination of whether an individual is disabled should be made with reference to measures that mitigate the individual’s impairment. Gile admits that the jury instruction in this case was therefore improper under the Supreme Court’s subsequent holding in Sutton, but explains that United could present scant evidence that this error prejudiced United. Indeed, to win a new trial based on an incorrect jury instruction, United must show both that (1) the instruction inadequately states Seventh Circuit law; and (2) the error likely confused or misled the jury causing prejudice to the appellant. See Doe v. Burnham, 6 F.3d 476, 479 (7th Cir. 1993). This is another onerous burden for United because, even if the jury instruction was patently incorrect, United still must establish that it was prejudiced by the improper instruction. See EEOC v. AIC Security Investigations, Ltd., 55 F.3d 1276, 1283 (7th Cir. 1995). United is correct that the jury instruction was improper under Sutton, but United is wrong to say that it made any difference here. United went so far to declare in its reply brief that evidence which Gile proffered to disprove prejudice is irrelevant. It is both relevant and the reason that United loses this claim on appeal. United alleges only that Gile’s condition improved under medication, and that the jury was not given the chance to conclude that Gile was not disabled when medicated. United does not demonstrate that substantial harm flowed from the improper jury instruction, and its speculation that the jury might have decided the case differently if given the proper instruction is insufficient to establish prejudice. In fact, we doubt that the improper jury instruction resulted in substantial harm because Gile suffered significant impairment despite the medication. Gile began taking medication in September 1992, and nearly all the relevant events of the case occurred while Gile was taking regular medication but still suffering serious depression and anxiety. The jury instruction was harmless error.