Opinion ID: 1383145
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Whether the jury's verdict was clearly against the preponderance of the evidence.

Text: Appellant Gibson next contends that when Nationwide's proof is compared to the proof put forward by Gibson, a verdict in Nationwide's favor is clearly contrary to the preponderance of the evidence, and that, therefore, the trial court's failure to grant a new trial constitutes an abuse of discretion. We disagree. At trial, both Raymond and Vivian Ross testified that they had not had any problems with the refrigerator prior to the fire and that no maintenance, repairs, alterations, or modifications had been done to the refrigerator by them or anyone else since the date it was purchased. The Rosses also testified that the stove next to the refrigerator was not being used for any purpose whatsoever when the fire occurred. In addition, Nationwide produced the testimony of two expert witnesses, Craig Andres and Lonnie Buie. Andres is a qualified fire investigator and cause-and-origin expert, who testified that the fire originated from, and inside, the refrigerator, based on his investigation and inspection of the fire scene. Buie, a qualified expert in electrical engineering and fire investigations, opined that the fire started inside the refrigerator and was caused by the production of electrical arcing, which in turn resulted from the defective condition of the wiring inside the refrigerator. In rendering his opinions, Craig Andres relied on his personal inspection of the fire scene conducted on March 11, 1993, two days after the fire, which allowed him to follow and trace all of the burn and heat patterns generated by the fire. Even Gibson's purported expert, Richard Keith, agreed that a personal inspection is always the preferred method of conducting an investigation. Interestingly, Keith did not even inspect the fire scene or refrigerator, even though he acknowledged the importance of doing so, and in fact, was not even hired by Gibson until October 20, 1998, approximately five years and some months after the accident. Certainly, when examining the evidence, the weight and value of testimony is a matter within the exclusive province of the jury. See Hall v. Grimmett, 318 Ark. 309, 885 S.W.2d 297 (1994). The crux of Gibson's argument that the trial court should have granted its motion for directed verdict, and presently its motion for judgment notwithstanding the verdict, is Nationwide's alleged failure to prove either the existence of a defect and establish that the defect caused the damage, or that Gibson was negligent. At trial, there was conflicting testimony and opinions as to the cause of the fire and the probability that a defective condition of the refrigerator caused the fire that subsequently damaged the Rosses' residence. Nationwide's theory was that the refrigerator was defective and unreasonably dangerous, and/or negligently manufactured, thus causing the fire, while Gibson's proposed alternative theory was that the fire originated on the Rosses' stove top and spread to the refrigerator. As previously stated, it was within the jury's province to believe Nationwide's theory over Gibson's version. Gibson cannot even argue that Nationwide's experts were not properly qualified because Gibson did not object to the testimony and opinions of either based on their qualifications. As such, we cannot say that the jury's verdict was clearly against the preponderance of the evidence.