Opinion ID: 654624
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Post Trial Motion:

Text: 12 A motion to set aside the verdict is made pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 50(b). We review a Rule 50(b) motion de novo, considering the evidence in the light most favorable to the prevailing party and drawing all reasonable inferences in favor of the prevailing party. If the evidence overwhelmingly favors the moving party, then the verdict cannot stand. Ross v. Black & Decker, Inc., 977 F.2d 1178, 1182 (7th Cir.1992). A motion for a new trial is made pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 59(a). When reviewing a Rule 59(a) motion, we defer to the district court and reverse only if it has abused its discretion. In doing so, we determine whether the clear weight of the evidence is against the jury verdict, the damages are excessive, or for some other reason the trial was not fair to the moving party. Walden v. Illinois Central Gulf R.R., 975 F.2d 361, 365 (7th Cir.1992). 13 With its verdict in favor of Conrail, the jury demonstrated that it found either that Scaggs was the sole cause of his injury or that Scaggs did not suffer an injury. To set aside their decision, Scaggs must show that Conrail is wholly or partly responsible for the circumstances leading up to the collision and that he suffered an injury as a result of the collision. To achieve success on appeal, Scaggs' evidence must overwhelmingly support this proposition. Id. at 365. 14 Scaggs argues that as a matter of law, Conrail negligently caused the collision because a Conrail employee, Ollier, broke a safety rule. Causation is a jury question. Walden, 975 F.2d at 365 (the 1939 FELA amendments required causation be determined by the jury). We acknowledged in Walden that in some situations causation might be a matter of law rather than a matter of fact. Id. This is not one of those situations. 15 The evidence showed that Scaggs was seated in the engineer's chair on the consist. His duty was to watch for other railroad cars that were moving in his direction. The testimony established that the consist Ollier was driving traveled 75-100 yards moving only 3-5 miles per hour. The consist was very large and was equipped with blazing lights and a ringing bell. Despite these characteristics, Scaggs testified without explanation that he did not see or hear the consist approaching. Conrail, however, posed an explanation. On cross-examination, Conrail's attorney asked Scaggs if he was sleeping during the moments preceding the collision when he should have been watching for oncoming consists. Scaggs denied the suggestion. (Tr. II/188). The evidence showed that Scaggs seemed to ignore the safety rule of the day that warned employees to always be prepared for sudden movement when in a locomotive or a caboose. 16 Perhaps most significantly, Scaggs testimony at trial was impeached numerous times. For instance, Scaggs contradicted himself in his depositions and trial when he inconsistently testified about 1) whether he told other employees immediately following the accident that he felt okay (Tr. II/137); 2) whether his lantern broke when he fell out of the chair (Tr. II/178-79); 3) how he landed when he fell out of the chair (Tr. II/134-35); 4) how fast the moving consist was traveling (Tr. II/130-32); and 5) how frequently he performed back exercises recommended by Dr. Schaffer (Tr. II/291-292). The jury heard further evidence impugning Scaggs' truthfulness. Scaggs testified that during his recuperation he was primarily sitting and watching television between six and eight hours a day. He testified that he had not been out in his pedal boat or ridden his motorcycle since the accident. (Tr. II/314). Conrail responded by producing Scaggs' neighbor, Gregory Tierney, to testify that he saw Scaggs using a pedal boat in the nearby lake and riding a motorcycle. (Tr. VI/1121-22). Moreover, Scaggs could recall virtually no job applications or advertisements he answered. (Tr. II/209-12). The district court found that Scaggs' credibility was decimated by the defense case. (R. 501). The defense also produced considerable evidence that Scaggs was lying about the injuries he claimed to have received in the collision. 17 Scaggs testified that he told Dr. Kirtley that he was experiencing neck pain, muscle spasms, and numbness in his hand and arm when he was brought to the emergency room following the collision. (Tr. II/304). Dr. Kirtley's emergency room report reflects no such complaints. (Kirtley Dep. 25-29). The doctors who testified on Scaggs behalf were impeached or were tainted with the possibility of bias. Dr. Mandel, Scaggs' general practitioner, was impeached by records generated by his office that offered a different diagnosis and prognosis than the one he testified to at trial. Dr. Schaffer's testimony was weakened by his earlier observations that Scaggs was babying himself and not participating in exercises and therapy that would hasten any alleged recovery. Also, Dr. Schaffer testified that the pain Scaggs complained of when Dr. Suelzer tested him would surprise Dr. Schaffer in light of Scaggs condition as he knew it to be. (Tr. III/398). Dr. Schaffer testified that he never has seen discoloration or bruising attributed to muscle spasms, a condition that Scaggs claimed he suffered. (Tr. III/392-93). Finally, Dr. Schaffer testified that the neck pain Scaggs testified about at trial (which he claims to have experienced since the accident) was not related to the consist accident. (Tr. III/400-405). 18 It goes almost without saying that Dr. Suelzer's and Dr. Hall's testimony crushed Scaggs' claims. Their opinions clearly indicated that Scaggs was malingering. Moreover, the only injuries they diagnosed were based on Scaggs' subjective complaints of pain and stiffness. If the jury did not find Scaggs credible, it had no reason to believe he was injured at all. Dr. Kirtley's was the least serious diagnosis, and the jury could reject it completely if it believed Scaggs was lying. Also, Dr. Suelzer's testimony indicated that any disk injury that Scaggs possessed when he was operated on probably occurred after the collision. 19 When considering the evidence in the light most favorable to Conrail and drawing all reasonable inferences in Conrail's favor, we do not believe that overwhelming evidence supports Scaggs case. Therefore, the district court did not err by denying the Rule 50(b) motion. Moreover, the clear weight of the evidence is not contrary to the jury verdict, and the district court did not abuse its discretion when it denied Scaggs' Rule 59(a) motion for a new trial.