Opinion ID: 1395057
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Sumner Simpson Papers

Text: Raymark argues that the trial court erred in admitting documents from the Sumner Simpson papers because they were not properly authenticated, were not relevant, and were unduly prejudicial. The Sumner Simpson papers consist of almost 6,000 documents in all. Most of them were found in a box in a storage area at Raybestos-Manhattan in the early 1970's, and some additional papers were found in an old safe at a Raybestos-Manhattan plant in 1979. See Lohrmann v. Pittsburgh Corning Corp., 782 F.2d 1156, 1159 (4th Cir.1986). The three documents from the Sumner Simpson papers that were introduced at trial are letters. The first letter, dated September 25, 1935, was written by A.F. Rossiter, the editor of Asbestos Magazine, to Sumner Simpson. The letter includes the following statement to Simpson: You may recall that we have written you on several occasions concerning the publishing of information, or discussion of, asbestosis and the work which has been, and is being done, to eliminate or at least reduce it. Always you have requested that for certain obvious reasons we publish nothing, and, naturally your wishes have been respected. Possibly by this time, however, the reasons for your objection to publicity on this subject have been eliminated, and if so, we would like very much to review the whole matter in Asbestos. The next letter, dated October 1, 1935, is from Simpson to Vandiver Brown, an attorney at Johns-Manville Corp. Simpson enclosed a copy of Rossiter's letter and stated, I think the less said about asbestos, the better off we are ... Simpson also observed that there had been a number of articles on asbestos dust control and asbestosis in British trade magazines and that Asbestos Magazine had been very decent about not re-printing the English articles. Simpson asked for Brown's opinion on the matter. The third letter, dated October 3, 1935, is a reply from Brown to Simpson. Brown stated, I quite agree with you that our interests are best served by having asbestosis receive the minimum of publicity. Brown further stated that even if they eventually decided not to object to the publication of an article on asbestosis in the magazine, they should warn editors to use American data because the clinical picture in North American localities where there was an asbestos dust hazard was considerably milder than that reported in England and South Africa. Raymark argues that the papers were not properly authenticated, contending that there are serious doubts about how they were assembled, their custodial history, and their genuineness. ER 901(a) provides that the requirement of authentication is satisfied by evidences sufficient to support a finding that the matter in question is what its proponent claims. A document conforms with this requirement if it meets the following criteria for ancient documents in ER 901(b)(8): Evidence that a document or data compilation, in any form, (i) is in such condition as to create no suspicion concerning its authenticity, (ii) was in a place where it, if authentic, would likely be, and (iii) has been in existence 20 years or more at the time it is offered. In this case, the motions court specifically found that the Sumner Simpson papers met each of these criteria. In making these findings, the court relied on the information on the face of the documents and in a deposition of William Simpson, an officer of Raymark and the son of the deceased Sumner Simpson. We conclude that William Simpson's deposition provides sufficient evidence to support the motions court's finding that the papers are authentic under ER 901(b)(8). See also Cathey v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp., 776 F.2d 1565, 1573 (6th Cir.1985), cert. denied, 106 S.Ct. 3335 (1986) (trial court did not abuse its discretion in deciding there was sufficient evidence that Sumner Simpson papers were authentic). Raymark further contends that the Sumner Simpson papers were not relevant to Lockwood's claims of negligence and product liability. The motions court denied Raymark's motion to exclude the documents on these grounds, finding that the objection as to relevance goes to the weight of the evidence to be accorded to the documents rather than to their admissibility. [4] The essence of Lockwood's negligence claim was that Raymark was negligent in failing to warn foreseeable product users of the dangers of asbestos. The focus of the inquiry into alleged negligence is on the reasonableness of the manufacturer's conduct. Davis v. Globe Mach. Mfg. Co., 102 Wn.2d 68, 72, 684 P.2d 692 (1984). A manufacturer can be found negligent for failing to give an adequate warning of the hazards involved in using its product which are known, or in the exercise of reasonable care should have been known, to the manufacturer. Callahan v. Keystone Fireworks Mfg. Co., 72 Wn.2d 823, 827, 435 P.2d 626 (1967); Novak v. Piggly Wiggly Puget Sound Co., 22 Wn. App. 407, 412, 591 P.2d 791 (1979). Hence, the manufacturer's knowledge of the product, its dangerousness, and the hazards involved in reasonably foreseeable uses of the product, is pertinent in determining the reasonableness of the manufacturer's conduct in failing to warn users. Evidence is relevant if it tends to make the existence of any fact that is material to the determination of an action more or less probable than it would be without the evidence. ER 401. Lockwood introduced the Sumner Simpson papers to show that Raymark knew or should have known of the hazards posed by asbestos products to shipyard workers. The letters at issue indicate that in the 1930's, Raymark knew that health hazards were associated with asbestos. Raymark contends, however, that the papers are too remote in subject matter and time to be relevant to the foreseeability of the harm of asbestos to shipyard workers. Regarding the subject matter of the documents, Raymark emphasizes that the Sumner Simpson papers focus on asbestos factory workers and the hazards associated with exposure in asbestos factories, and do not mention shipyard workers. Raymark argues that exposure in factories differed significantly from exposure in shipyards, noting that factory workers handled raw forms of asbestos, while workers in shipyards were exposed to asbestos end products. Raymark contends that because of this difference, evidence of knowledge of hazards to workers in asbestos factories is not relevant in cases involving shipyard workers. Other courts have held, however, that the evidence in these papers is relevant in a negligence claim by shipyard workers where the manufacturer's actual or constructive knowledge of the dangers of its product is an element of proof. In Jackson v. Johns-Manville Sales Corp., 750 F.2d 1314, 1318 (5th Cir.1985), cert. denied, 106 S.Ct. 3339 (1986), the court held that the three letters at issue here were relevant to the foreseeability of harm to shipyard workers. It noted that the letters appeared to pertain to the problems of asbestos dust control in general. Furthermore, the court observed that even if the letters implicitly referred only to factory workers, any distinction between exposure to different types of workers went more to the weight than the admissibility of the evidence. It reasoned that a study indicating that exposure to asbestos is likely to harm one group of workers is at least suggestive of the fact that other groups of workers who are also exposed to asbestos fibers face similar dangers. Jackson, at 1318. See also Hendrix v. Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc., 776 F.2d 1492, 1500 (11th Cir.1985) (the three letters strengthen the inference that defendants knew or should have known that users of their asbestos insulation ran a risk of contracting asbestosis). We agree with these courts that the subject matter of the letters is not so remote as to render them irrelevant to a negligence claim by a shipyard worker. Furthermore, we concur with the motions court in this case that Raymark's argument relates more to the weight to be accorded to the evidence in these documents than to their admissibility. Raymark had ample opportunity to inform the jury of the documents' significance. Regarding the date of the documents, the court in Jackson concluded that they were not too remote in time to be relevant where the plaintiff's claims concerned alleged exposure to asbestos products during a period beginning some 20 years after the letters were written. It reasoned that evidence that there was knowledge of the hazards of asbestos products in 1935 made the plaintiff's allegation that such hazards were foreseeable in 1953 more likely than it would have been without such evidence. Jackson, at 1318-19. Likewise, we believe that the evidence that Raymark knew of the dangers of asbestos in the 1930's is relevant to the foreseeability of such dangers during the period when Lockwood alleged he was exposed to Raymark's product. In short, the evidence in the letters tends to make Lockwood's allegation that Raymark knew or should have known of the dangers of asbestos to shipyard workers when he was exposed to asbestos products more probable than it would be without such evidence. Therefore, the letters were relevant to Lockwood's negligence claim. Raymark also argues that the evidence in the letters of Raymark's knowledge of the dangers of asbestos was not relevant to Lockwood's product liability claim. The negligence theory of recovery focuses on the reasonableness of the manufacturer's conduct, but a strict product liability claim centers on the product itself and the consumer's expectations. Davis, at 72. Thus, in Lenhardt v. Ford Motor Co., 102 Wn.2d 208, 212-13, 683 P.2d 1097, 47 A.L.R.4th 609 (1984), we held that, because the reasonableness of the defendant's conduct was irrelevant in a strict liability case, the defendant could not introduce evidence of its compliance with industry customs and standards, unless the issue was first raised by the plaintiff. The introduction of such evidence wrongly incorporated negligence concepts into the strict liability context, by shifting the jury's attention from whether the product was dangerous beyond the reasonable expectations of the ordinary consumer to the reasonableness of the defendant's conduct. [7] In Kisor v. Johns-Manville Corp., 783 F.2d 1337 (9th Cir.1986), the plaintiff brought a tort action against asbestos manufacturers, relying solely on a strict liability theory. Drawing upon our decision in Lenhardt, the federal court held that evidence of industry knowledge of the danger of asbestos exposure was inadmissible because it put negligence concepts before the jury, which are irrelevant in a strict product liability action under Washington law. Kisor, at 1341. The court also held that, because evidence of the manufacturer's lack of knowledge had been admitted and only a strict liability theory was presented to the jury, the trial court should have instructed the jury that a manufacturer's lack of knowledge of the danger of its products was not a defense to a strict liability claim. Kisor, at 1342. The court in Kisor contrasted that case with Gammon v. Clark Equip. Co., 104 Wn.2d 613, 707 P.2d 685 (1985), a case tried on theories of both negligence and strict liability. In Gammon, the trial court had refused to instruct the jury that a seller or supplier of a product that is not reasonably safe is liable for resulting harm even though it used reasonable care. Plaintiffs argued that the instruction was necessary to clarify the distinction between negligence and strict liability. We held that, read as a whole, the instructions given did not interject negligence principles into the strict liability cause of action and adequately differentiated between the two theories of liability. Therefore, it was not necessary to instruct the jury further. Gammon, at 617-18. [5] In the present case, the motions court ruled that the Sumner Simpson papers could be used with respect to Lockwood's strict liability claim at the discretion of the trial court ... in the event Raymark denies dangerousness or feasibility. The record does not indicate if the trial court ever ruled on this matter. During trial, Raymark denied that its products were dangerous. However, it never requested an instruction from the trial court limiting use of the letters to Lockwood's negligence claim as opposed to his strict liability claim. Absent a request for a limiting instruction, evidence which is admitted as relevant for one purpose is deemed relevant for others. Any error for failure to instruct is waived by the party against whom the evidence is admitted. ER 105. See also 5 K. Tegland, Wash. Prac., Evidence § 24, at 65 (2d ed. 1982). Hence, Raymark failed to preserve for appeal any error in admitting the Sumner Simpson papers for purposes of proving Lockwood's product liability claim. Raymark also did not request an instruction indicating that the manufacturer's knowledge of the danger of its product is not relevant to a strict liability claim, nor did it assign error to the trial court's instructions on appeal. It is noteworthy, however, that the trial court thoroughly and accurately instructed the jury on the negligence and strict liability theories and clearly distinguished between them. Taken together, these instructions allowed counsel to argue their theories of the case, properly informed the jury of the applicable law, and were not misleading. Therefore, the instructions were sufficient. See Gammon v. Clark Equip. Co., supra . In summary, while the evidence in the Sumner Simpson papers of Raymark's knowledge of the dangerousness of its product was not relevant in the context of the trial of Lockwood's strict liability claim, we find no reversible error in the trial court's handling of this evidence. Not only did Raymark fail to preserve any error for appeal with regard to this evidence, but the trial court's instructions to the jury clearly delineated the separate elements of Lockwood's negligence and strict liability claims, thus enabling the jury to consider the evidence in its proper legal context. Next, Raymark argues that even if the evidence in the Sumner Simpson papers was relevant, it should have been excluded because it was unfairly prejudicial and was likely to confuse and mislead the jury. Raymark argues that because the letters that were admitted were culled from over 5,600 pages that comprise the entire Sumner Simpson papers, they were presented out of context and therefore were highly prejudicial. Raymark also contends that Lockwood sought to introduce the papers to raise a conspiracy argument or to urge the jury sub rosa to award punitive damages, and because those theories were not available, the introduction of the papers could only have confused or misled the jury. Relevant evidence may be excluded if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading the jury. ER 403. The trial court has broad discretion in balancing the probative value of evidence against the potentially harmful consequences that might result from its admission. State v. Coe, 101 Wn.2d 772, 782, 684 P.2d 668 (1984); State v. Gatalski, 40 Wn. App. 601, 610, 699 P.2d 804, review denied, 104 Wn.2d 1019 (1985). [6] The term unfair prejudice as it is used in rule 403 usually refers to prejudice that results from evidence that is more likely to cause an emotional response than a rational decision by the jury. 5 K. Tegland § 106, at 249-50. According to the advisory committee's notes on Fed. R. Evid. 403, which is identical to ER 403, `unfair prejudice' means an `undue tendency to suggest decision on an improper basis, commonly, though not necessarily, an emotional one.' 1 J. Weinstein & M. Berger, Evidence ¶ 403[03], at 403-33 (1985). We do not believe that the evidence admitted from the Sumner Simpson papers presented a danger of unfair prejudice which substantially outweighed its probative value. The letters were probative of Lockwood's negligence claims. There is nothing unduly inflammatory in the letters themselves that would prevent the jury from making a rational decision. Two federal courts have reached similar conclusions regarding the same evidence. In Jackson v. Johns-Manville Corp., 750 F.2d 1314 (5th Cir.1985), cert. denied, 106 S.Ct. 3339 (1986), the Fifth Circuit stated, Nothing in the letters is of such an inherent nature as to inflame the passions of the jury or invoke its sympathies. Jackson, at 1319. See also Hendrix v. Raybestos-Manhattan, Inc., 776 F.2d 1492, 1502 (11th Cir.1985) (evidence in Sumner Simpson letters not inflammatory). We also conclude that there was little danger that the introduction of this evidence would confuse the issues or mislead the jury. Raymark made use of an opportunity to place the letters in their proper context for the jury. Furthermore, the trial court's clear instructions reduced any likelihood that this evidence would be confusing or misleading. See Hendrix, at 1502. In short, after applying ER 403, we find no manifest abuse of discretion in the trial court's admission of the Sumner Simpson letters. To summarize our holding with regard to the Sumner Simpson papers, we conclude that the trial court did not err in admitting them. They were adequately authenticated and relevant to Lockwood's negligence claim. Furthermore, it was not necessary to exclude them pursuant to ER 403.