Opinion ID: 403714
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Alternative Order Granting A New Trial

Text: 49 This order was an exercise of the trial court's discretion and our review must be limited accordingly. See, e.g., Cruthirds v. RCI, Inc., 624 F.2d 632, 635 (5th Cir. 1980); Conway v. Chemical Leaman Tank Lines, Inc., 610 F.2d 360, 362 (5th Cir. 1980). The thrust of the order, however, appears to be the trial judge's concern that the jury's verdict did not square with the evidence presented at trial. The danger in such an order is that the trial judge may simply substitute his opinion of the evidence for the judgment of the jury. For that reason, a new trial may not be granted on such grounds unless the trial judge concludes that the jury's verdict is against the great weight, not merely the greater weight, of the evidence. Conway, 610 F.2d at 363; Spurlin v. General Motors Corp., 528 F.2d 612, 620 (5th Cir. 1976). This standard embodies a concern that the jury's verdict should not lightly be disregarded. To further ensure against this danger, a stringent and searching review of the record is undertaken on appeal. Conway, 610 F.2d at 362-63; Spurlin, 528 F.2d at 620. 50 The trial judge in the present case ruled that the jury's verdict regarding all four interrogatories was against the great weight of the evidence. Although the trial judge was aware of the correct standard, our review of the record leaves us convinced that something of the trial judge's own suspicions entered into his analysis of the evidence presented to the jury. 12 The circumstances brought out at trial were undeniably suspicious, but we cannot say that the evidence supporting the plaintiff's case was negligible. In the context of the judgment n. o. v., we discussed exhaustively, and perhaps redundantly, the evidence relating to three of the interrogatories propounded to the jury. Further discussion is not warranted. Suffice it to say, with Jackson's testimony regarding the value of the tops added back into the picture, there was sufficient evidence for the jury to conclude that the actual cash value was greater than $10,000 and that, if misrepresentations were made, they were made under a good faith belief as to value. Although others might have accorded little or no weight to Jackson's testimony under such circumstances, this jury found it to be credible. That is a jury's function. The verdict as to those three issues was not against the weight of the evidence. 51 The remaining interrogatory, question 2, asked whether the plaintiff's representatives had procured the burning of the building in which the tops were stored. 13 A great deal of evidence was presented regarding the cause of the two fires and no one disputes that they were intentionally set. Regarding the procurer of the fires, no direct evidence links the plaintiff corporation or its representatives, Jackson and Harris, to the fires. The defendants' case rested entirely on circumstantial evidence and on the deposition of William Noriega, who testified that Jackson, Harris, and their friend, George Garcia, admitted to setting the fires. 14 It could be inferred from the evidence presented by the defendants that Jackson and Harris, in need of cash, deliberately overvalued the tops in order to collect the insurance proceeds. It could be inferred from the evidence presented by the plaintiff that Jackson and Harris bought the tops at a bargain price from a business in financial distress and insured them for what they believed the tops to be worth. Against Noriega's deposition testimony stood Jackson's, Harris's, and Garcia's categorical denials. 52 There is no question that the defense of arson may be established solely by circumstantial evidence. (W)here sufficient motive and opportunity of the insured to commit arson were combined with proof of an incendiary cause of fire, this court and others have considered the arson defense to be supportable by inference. Cora Pub., Inc. v. Continental Casualty Co., 619 F.2d 482, 485 (5th Cir. 1980) (citations omitted). The key is whether there is sufficient evidence to support such an inference and that is normally a question which the jury must decide. Considering the evidence in the record as a whole, the conflict as to whether the tops were deliberately overvalued, and the significance of the witnesses' credibility to the outcome of this issue, we conclude that the jury's verdict was not against the weight of the evidence. 53 Although the trial judge's main concern appeared to be the weight of the evidence, the trial judge also rested the order on the grounds of improper and prejudicial conduct by plaintiff's counsel. Ordinarily, an order granting a new trial because of prejudicial error is left undisturbed on appeal because the trial judge occupies the best position from which to gauge the gravity of the error and its impact on the jury. Cruthirds, 624 F.2d at 635; O'Neil v. W. R. Grace & Co., 410 F.2d 908, 914 (5th Cir. 1969). In this case, however, we have reviewed the cited instances of improper conduct and can only conclude that they are simply insignificant. 54 Four instances of improper conduct were cited. First, in his opening statement, plaintiff's counsel remarked that evidence would be produced to show that Noriega, a defense witness, took credit for starting the fires. Prior to the opening statements, the trial judge cautioned the jury that lawyers' comments are not evidence. The judge explained that the purpose of opening statements is to give the attorneys an opportunity to outline the evidence they expect to produce at trial. This isolated comment was made at the beginning of a five-day trial. During the trial evidence was produced indicating that a car observed at the scene of the fires was similar to Noriega's. The cross-examination of Noriega revealed that he had pled guilty to 35 counts of arson and related charges. During final arguments both sides talked at great length about Noriega. The plaintiff's position, and properly so, was that, given the fire was the work of an arsonist, it was the defendants' burden to prove that either the plaintiff, Jackson, or Harris was involved; the plaintiff was not required to prove that Noriega, or any one else, started the fires. Taking into consideration the length of the trial, the lack of any evidence besides Noriega's statements directly connecting Jackson and Harris to the fires, and Noriega's character flaws, it is inconceivable that the isolated comment cited by the trial judge prejudicially influenced the jury. 55 The trial judge cited numerous leading and otherwise improper questions as another example of prejudicial conduct. It is impossible to read the record in this case without becoming aware that the trial judge and counsel for plaintiff had a personality conflict. It is unfortunate that this happened, but it is also understandable. District court judges are overworked and they keep long hours. They expect a certain level of proficiency from the lawyers who try cases in our courts. When such is not forthcoming, a judge's difficult job becomes downright unpleasant. This lawyer, in addition to lacking a sharply-honed trial technique, had several irritating personal habits; one of which was a tendency to preface each utterance with, Okay. 15 The trial judge's irritation caused him to repeatedly interrupt the attorney's examination of witnesses. In many instances no objection had been made by the defense counsel and the judge's interpretation of the attorney's question was incorrect. There is nothing in the record to substantiate the conclusion that the interruptions and interjections created sympathy for the plaintiff or bias against the defendants. 56 The last two cited instances of prejudicial conduct occurred during closing arguments. Plaintiff's counsel argued that there was no evidence that the plaintiff or its representatives concealed the purchase price from the defendants. During trial Jackson and Harris testified that they told their insurance broker the purchase price. He was the only person they talked to during the negotiations for insurance. The closing argument was proper comment on the evidence. The other cited instance was that plaintiff's counsel argued that the plaintiff's insurance brokers were agents of the defendants. We find no such allusion in the closing arguments. 57 We conclude that the District Court exceeded the bounds of its discretion in granting a new trial on grounds of improper conduct. 58 This was a difficult, hard-fought trial. We can understand how the trial judge could have concluded in his own mind that Jackson and Harris had the fires set, many of the circumstances point in that direction. But that is precisely what juries are for. In this dispute, two juries heard substantially the same testimony and both juries made credibility choices to the contrary. There is no legal justification for requiring a third trial. The District Court's alternative order granting a new trial is reversed. 59 REVERSED and REMANDED with instructions to reinstate the jury's verdict. 16