Opinion ID: 1277718
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: Severity of Emotional Distress

Text: [6] Roth had the burden to prove that Wiese's conduct subjected her to mental distress 'so severe that no reasonable person should be expected to endure it.' See Nichols v. Busse, 243 Neb. 811, 817-18, 503 N.W.2d 173, 179 (1993). The endurability of the distress is a factual question for the jury; absent a complete lack of evidence on the issue we will not disturb the jury's finding. Id. Although outrageous conduct and severe emotional distress are separate elements of the tort of intentional infliction of emotional distress, the two are related in that the extreme and outrageous character of the conduct is itself important evidence that severe emotional distress existed on account of the conduct. See Brandon, supra . In other factual circumstances, we have held that embarrassment, humiliation, anger, and nervousness did not amount to severe emotional distress caused by outrageous conduct. See, Dale v. Thomas Funeral Home, 237 Neb. 528, 466 N.W.2d 805 (1991); Hassing v. Wortman, 214 Neb. 154, 333 N.W.2d 765 (1983). However, in Nichols, we held that the plaintiff's adjustment disorder/stress syndrome which resulted in hypersomnia, insomnia, recurring nightmares, anxiety attacks, depression, and headaches requiring prescription medication and counseling was sufficient to support a finding of severe emotional distress. Here, the record discloses that after receiving the initial telephone call from Wiese, Roth had trouble sleeping, had nightmares, became fearful of her children going out, bought a gun, and relocated to a new home. There was evidence that she began using alcohol on a daily basis, that she began sleeping after work and failing to interact with her family, and that her income suffered due to an inability to concentrate. Expert testimony established that she suffered from posttraumatic stress disorder and chronic depression. Some evidence in the record attributes Roth's emotional problems to the actual sexual abuse and/or to stress experienced by Roth as a result of the lawsuit against Wiese, rather than to Wiese's 2002 contacts. Lazere testified that Roth's symptoms were caused at least in part by the original sexual abuse and her failure to get treatment for that abuse. Lazere also testified, however, that Roth's symptoms were a result of Wiese's harassment in 2002 and that her emotional response to Wiese's renewed contacts was not atypical of a sexual abuse victim, because the contacts essentially caused her to go back in time and relive the assaults. Although Roth had some trouble sleeping and some depression before Wiese contacted her in 2002, the record reflects that these symptoms intensified after those contacts. It further reflects that her fear for the safety of her children, her inability to concentrate at work, her desire to own a handgun, and her decision to relocate to a new home all developed after the contacts. We conclude that the evidence is sufficient to support a finding that Roth sustained severe emotional distress primarily caused by Wiese's extreme and outrageous conduct as discussed above. See Nichols, supra (upholding jury verdict for plaintiff where evidence established severe emotional distress was primarily caused by extreme and outrageous intentional or reckless conduct of defendant).