Opinion ID: 1968980
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Perversity Issue.

Text: Plaintiffs contend that the jury's answers to the damage questions of the verdict evince perversity. They particularly stress the award of no damages to Mrs. Willenkamp for loss of society and companionship and to Hardy for personal injuries. Furthermore, they point out that the award of $10,000 for pecuniary loss in the wrongful-death action and $500 for loss of income and $1,500 to Hardy for truck damage are on the low side. This court has frequently been confronted with the problem of the failure of juries to answer damage questions of the verdict, or finding inadequate damages, after first answering the negligence questions so as to find no liability on the part of the defendant. In Sell v. Milwaukee Automobile Ins. Co. (1962), 17 Wis. (2d) 510, 519, 117 N. W. (2d) 719, the court stated: The rule is that where a jury has answered other questions so as to determine that there is no liability on the part of the defendant, which finding is supported by credible evidence, the denial of damages or granting of inadequate damages to the plaintiff does not necessarily show prejudice or render the verdict perverse. Schulze v. Kleeber (1960), 10 Wis. (2d) 540, 103 N. W. (2d) 560; Dickman v. Schaeffer (1960), 10 Wis. (2d) 610, 103 N. W. (2d) 922; and Goelz v. Knoblauch (1943), 242 Wis. 186, 7 N. W. (2d) 420. In this type of situation this court gives great weight to the trial court's opinion with respect to whether the verdict is perverse or fair. Schuster v. Bridgeman (1937), 225 Wis. 547, 551, 275 N. W. 440. The trial judge in the instant cases stated in his memorandum opinion that the jury's answers to the damage questions were not considered by him to be the result of passion and prejudice. [2] The $10,000 awarded in the wrongful-death action for pecuniary loss and the $1,500 allowed Hardy for truck damage are on the low side and it is arguable whether they are inadequate. The jury could well find from the evidence that Hardy's injuries were not severe. They consisted of a severe laceration on the bridge of the nose, extending to and including the left upper eyelid, and smaller lacerations and contusions. Hardy did complain of persistent headaches, but the jury would have been justified in concluding there was no permanent disability of any kind and that any award for his personal injuries must be confined to pain and suffering. We believe this may well have been a case where the members of the jury were aware that, by finding no negligence on Egtvedt's part, there could be no recovery by plaintiffs, and that they, therefore, could avoid the troublesome task of evaluating such intangibles as pain and suffering, and loss of society and companionship, by finding no damages for those items. Plaintiffs cite Mainz v. Lund (1963), 18 Wis. (2d) 633, 119 N. W. (2d) 334. In that case a new trial was granted in the interest of justice because an inadequate award of damage was coupled with a finding of no negligence on the part of the defendant which was against the great weight of the evidence. While plaintiffs assert that the finding of no negligence on the part of Egtvedt was against the great weight of the evidence we are unable to agree with such assertion. It is our conclusion that the instant verdict was not the result of perversity.