Opinion ID: 735363
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Jury Instructions Regarding Drug Test Results.

Text: 41 Defendants next appeal jury instructions. 4 The contested instructions stem from the driver's testimony at a deposition, later recanted, that after the accident he took a drug test. Plaintiff desired the jury to infer that, because defendants did not produce the results of this drug test, the results were adverse to the defense. The instruction, a missing-evidence instruction, reads as follows: 42 The plaintiff contends that, at one time, Schneider National Carriers, Inc. possessed the results of a drug test that had been administered to Henry L. Howard within a few days after the collision in this case. The defendants, however, contend that no such drug test was ever administered to Henry L. Howard in the days immediately following the collision. 43 The unexplained failure of a party to produce evidence within its control may give rise to an inference that, had the evidence been produced, the evidence would have been unfavorable to that party's cause. 44 However, you may not infer that such evidence would have been unfavorable unless you find by a preponderance of the evidence that:(1) the party willfully destroyed the evidence; and 45 (2) the evidence was destroyed in bad faith. 5 46 Defendants do not argue this instruction misstates the law, but that it is unsupported by the evidence and is thus improper. Defendants denied the existence of any drug tests and claim there was no evidence of drug use. They argue that plaintiff's complaint never alleged the driver was under the influence, thus, even if such drug tests existed, there was no reason for defendant to introduce them into evidence. In other words, according to defendants, because there was nothing to rebut, the missing-evidence instruction was improper. 47 Federal law governs the question of whether to grant or deny a missing-evidence instruction. Niehus v. Liberio, 973 F.2d 526, 530 (7th Cir.1992) (addressing propriety of missing-evidence instruction); see also Vodusek v. Bayliner Marine Corp., 71 F.3d 148, 155-56 (4th Cir.1995) (applying federal law in case based on diversity and maritime jurisdiction); Gilbert v. Cosco Inc., 989 F.2d 399, 405 (10th Cir.1993) (holding that decision whether to grant or deny instruction is governed by federal law). In reviewing missing-evidence instructions based on Illinois state law, we have suggested that it should be enough that there is evidence that a party would surely have introduced had it been helpful, permitting an inference that the evidence would instead have helped his opponent. Niehus, 973 F.2d at 531; see also Doe v. Johnson, 52 F.3d 1448, 1460-61 (7th Cir.1995); Berry v. Deloney, 28 F.3d 604, 609 (7th Cir.1994). Here, the driver testified that the day after the accident he took a drug test. He later recanted this testimony, but the jury was free to credit the first version: that the driver took the test. Defendants presented testimony to support their claim that the driver did not take a drug test; and to support their alternative argument that even had he taken the test, they would not still have a record of it in the ordinary course. Given that defendants introduced evidence to rebut the adverse inference, we find incredible defendants' argument that because there was nothing to rebut they would not have produced the test results had they been available. 48 Defendants correctly point out that in Spesco, Inc. v. General Elec. Co., 719 F.2d 233, 239 (7th Cir.1983), we stated that [t]his circuit requires a showing of an intentional act by the party in possession of the allegedly lost or destroyed evidence to support the [missing-evidence] instruction. The Spesco court held the instruction properly refused because the proffering party did not allege any intentional destruction or concealment of evidence, and thus the instruction would have been unduly argumentative. Id. However, in contrast to the instruction at issue in Spesco, the instruction in the instant case required the jury to find that defendants willfully and in bad faith destroyed the evidence before it could make an adverse inference. We presume jurors follow the court's instructions. Doe, 52 F.3d at 1459. Thus, in conformity with Spesco, the district court required that plaintiff prove defendants intentionally destroyed the test results before the jury could draw an adverse inference. The instant instruction also differs from that in Spesco because it includes the reminder that defendants disputed the existence of any drug test. Thus, unlike the instruction in Spesco, it was not unduly argumentative. See Spesco, 719 F.2d at 239. We will only reverse based on an improper jury instruction if the jury's comprehension of the case was influenced so heavily ... that the litigant is prejudiced. Knox v. State of Indiana, 93 F.3d 1327, 1337 (7th Cir.1996) (refusing to grant new trial despite mid-trial jury instruction that did not correctly state the law). Because the jury was properly instructed that it could not draw an adverse inference unless it found willful destruction of evidence, we do not find the prejudice necessary to warrant granting a new trial.D. Attorney Misconduct. 49 Defendants next argue that we should grant a new trial based on plaintiff's attorney's improper comments during closing arguments. When discussing damages, the plaintiff's attorney recited a list of celebrities' salaries and speculated as to the salaries of the defense attorneys. [T]his court has repeatedly explained that improper comments during closing argument rarely rise to the level of reversible error. Doe, 52 F.3d at 1465 (quotation marks and citation omitted); see also Sheldon v. Munford, Inc., 950 F.2d 403, 410 (7th Cir.1991). Defendants have not shown that this is one of those rare cases that justify reversal. The district court recognized the attorney's comments as misconduct, but held that they were not so prejudicial as to require a new trial. In so holding, it noted that the defense counsel later argued that plaintiff's requested damages were designed to compensate [his] three lawyers. Moreover, the only objection made by defendants--to a comment which began: What do you think Schneider is spending to have four lawyers sit here--was sustained. Because defendants did not object to any other comments, they did not preserve them for appellate review. Sheldon, 950 F.2d at 411; Gonzalez v. Volvo of America Corp., 752 F.2d 295, 298 (7th Cir.1985). The district court's refusal to grant a new trial based on plaintiff's attorney's closing argument was not an abuse of discretion. 50