Opinion ID: 690481
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Effect of admission

Text: 21 Cyanamid's final assertion of error is that the district court's jury instructions failed to give proper effect to admissions in Mylan's pleadings. In its reply to Cyanamid's counterclaims, Mylan admitted that it owed the following duties to Cyanamid: (1) to defend its Maxzide patents against challenges, (2) to defend the protection from competition afforded by its patents, and (3) to defend its FDA approval for Maxzide and the protection afforded by that approval. The court ultimately instructed the jury only that Cyanamid claim[ed] that Mylan made these promises. It continued that if the jury found that Mylan failed to perform one of the alleged promises, then its verdict may be for Cyanamid. If it did not find that Mylan had violated a promise, then its verdict may be for Mylan. Cyanamid alleges that this instruction failed to give the proper conclusive effect to Mylan's admissions. 22 When reviewing a jury instruction we must examine the instructions as a whole and in the context of the entire case. Hunnicutt v. Wright, 986 F.2d 119, 122 (5th Cir.1993); see also Hogg's Oyster Co. v. United States, 676 F.2d 1015, 1019 (4th Cir.1982) (must view instructions as a whole). Viewing the instructions in context, we are satisfied that Cyanamid was not substantially prejudiced. While the district court described the above duties as alleged, Mylan officials and other witnesses freely admitted at trial that Mylan owed Cyanamid these duties. No serious factual dispute existed in this regard. The court properly instructed the jury to rule in favor of Cyanamid if it found a breach or in favor of Mylan if no breach occurred. Therefore, we find that any error in the court's instructions was harmless.