Opinion ID: 2014819
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 7

Heading: proposed jury instruction on herbicide applicator's duties

Text: The Cobbs proposed an instruction which read: You are instructed that Nebraska law requires the commercial applicator of herbicides to, among other things, specify the type of weed to be controlled, the location of the application, and the trade name and registration number of the herbicide to be applied. Sure Crop's counsel objected, on the ground that the duties stated in the instruction are regarding the use of restricted-use herbicides and pesticides, yet Treflan E.C. is not a restricted-use herbicide. The court refused to give this instruction. The court's refusal to give this proposed instruction was proper. The language from the Cobbs' proposed instruction comes from 25 Neb. Admin. Code, ch. 2, § 006.02 (1997), which requires specific recordkeeping procedures for commercial and noncommercial applicators of restricted-use pesticides and herbicides. However, Nelson testified at trial that Treflan E.C. is not a restricted-use herbicide. His testimony was undisputed. No evidence was presented on whether Eptam is a restricted-use herbicide. Thus, while the tendered instruction is a correct statement of the law as to restricted-use herbicides, the tendered instruction is not warranted by the evidence. See, Tapp v. Blackmore Ranch, supra ; Walkenhorst v. State, supra . Instructing the jury as to statutory duties when applying restricted-use herbicides where they appear to have no application to this case would have a tendency to confuse and mislead the jury regarding the issues properly raised in the case.