Opinion ID: 2567208
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Under an Abuse of Discretion Standard, the Court of Appeals Improperly Remitted Bunch's Damages

Text: ¶ 23 An appellate court will not disturb an award of damages made by a jury unless it is outside the range of substantial evidence in the record, or shocks the conscience of the court, or appears to have been arrived at as the result of passion or prejudice. Bingaman, 103 Wash.2d at 835, 699 P.2d 1230. The requirement of substantial evidence necessitates that the evidence be such that it would convince `an unprejudiced, thinking mind.' Indus. Indem. Co. of N.W., Inc. v. Kallevig, 114 Wash.2d 907, 916, 792 P.2d 520 (1990) (quoting Hojem v. Kelly, 93 Wash.2d 143, 145, 606 P.2d 275 (1980)). The shocks the conscience test asks if the award is flagrantly outrageous and extravagant. Bingaman, 103 Wash.2d at 836-37, 699 P.2d 1230. Passion and prejudice must be unmistakable before they affect the jury's award. RCW 4.76.030; Bingaman, 103 Wash.2d at 836, 699 P.2d 1230. We once stated the rule this way: The damages, therefore, must be so excessive as to strike mankind, at first blush, as being, beyond all measure, unreasonable and outrageous, and such as manifestly show the jury to have been actuated by passion, partiality, prejudice, or corruption. In short, the damages must be flagrantly outrageous and extravagant, or the court cannot undertake to draw the line; for they have no standard by which to ascertain the excess. Kramer v. Portland-Seattle Auto Freight, Inc., 43 Wash.2d 386, 395, 261 P.2d 692 (1953) (quoting Coleman v. Southwick, 9 Johns. 45, 6 Am. Dec. 253 (N.Y.Sup.1812) (Kent, Ch. J.)). ¶ 24 The jury is given the constitutional role to determine questions of fact, and the amount of damages is a question of fact. Robeck, 79 Wash.2d at 869, 490 P.2d 878. We strongly presume the jury's verdict is correct. Sofie v. Fibreboard Corp., 112 Wash.2d 636, 654, 771 P.2d 711, 780 P.2d 260 (1989). The jury's role in determining noneconomic damages is perhaps even more essential. Id. at 646, 771 P.2d 711. A trial court's denial of a remittitur strengthens the verdict, Fisons Corp., 122 Wash.2d at 330, 858 P.2d 1054, and, as determined above, we review for abuse of discretion. ¶ 25 Bunch argues the range of substantial evidence standard is meaningless in the context of noneconomic damages. While noneconomic damages especially are within a properly instructed jury's discretion, Bingaman, 103 Wash.2d at 835, 699 P.2d 1230, [8] there must be evidence upon which the award is based: The plaintiff, once having proved discrimination, is only required to offer proof of actual anguish or emotional distress in order to have those damages included in recoverable costs pursuant to RCW 49.60. Dean v. Municipality of Metro. Seattle-Metro, 104 Wash.2d 627, 641, 708 P.2d 393 (1985). The distress need not be severe. Nord v. Shoreline Sav. Ass'n, 116 Wash.2d 477, 485, 805 P.2d 800 (1991). The Court of Appeals has applied this standard in the context of employment discrimination. See Herring v. Dep't of Soc. & Health Servs., 81 Wash.App. 1, 25, 914 P.2d 67 (1996). ¶ 26 The evidence of emotional distress is limited, but it is sufficient to support an award of noneconomic damages. Bunch testified that he was overwhelmed by the discrimination, and that he was depressed and angry. The county discriminated against him over a six year period, which is substantial. The record contains the numerous instances in which he was disciplined for petty offenses that others committed with impunity. He now works for significantly less pay with minimal benefits. He had to explain to his family why he was fired. All of these facts provide a basis from which the jury could infer emotional distress. ¶ 27 The county argues that Bunch never consulted a healthcare professional, and no one close to him testified about his anxiety. That is true, but such evidence is not strictly required; our cases require evidence of anguish and distress, and this can be provided by the plaintiff's own testimony. See Nord, 116 Wash.2d at 487, 805 P.2d 800 (each plaintiff testified about his anger and shock at the defendant's actions, and this testimony in conjunction with the other facts of the case supported an award for emotional distress). Corroborative evidence is certainly helpful, but it is for the jury to weigh the credibility of the witness and determine if he in fact suffered mental anguish. Bunch presented sufficient evidence to convince an unprejudiced, thinking mind of his anguish, and that is enough to support an award for emotional distress. ¶ 28 The Court of Appeals found the award of $260,000 in noneconomic damages shocked its conscience. The court cited Hill v. GTE Directories Sales Corp., 71 Wash.App. 132, 856 P.2d 746 (1993). In Hill, the plaintiff sued for sex discrimination, testifying that she consulted a doctor, who prescribed Xanax to calm her, and a psychologist. The jury awarded her $198 in stipulated medical expenses, $40,000 in lost income, and $410,000 in noneconomic damages for emotional distress. 71 Wash.App. at 134, 856 P.2d 746. The trial judge reduced the economic damages to $19,000 and the noneconomic damages to $125,000. The Court of Appeals affirmed, noting the jury's economic award was not supported by the evidence, and the award for emotional distress was the result of passion and prejudice. ¶ 29 As a Court of Appeals decision, Hill is not binding. Moreover, Hill is distinguishable from this case in several ways. First, the noneconomic damages in Hill were 10 times the amount of the economic damages, which certainly indicates prejudice. Here the noneconomic damages are roughly three quarters of the economic damages ($260,000 compared to $340,000). Second, the jury's excessive award of economic damages in Hill cast suspicion on the award of noneconomic damages. Here the award of economic damages is uncontested. Third, the discrimination in Hill occurred over about 13 months, whereas the county discriminated against Bunch for six years. Finally, in Hill the trial court remitted the damages, and the Court of Appeals noted the lower court's better position to make that determination and accorded it room for the exercise of its sound discretion. Id. at 140, 856 P.2d 746. Here the trial judge denied the remittitur, strengthening the verdict, and the Court of Appeals did not mention the trial court's discretion at all. In short, comparisons of the present case to Hill are misguided. ¶ 30 Additionally, the jury's award of noneconomic damages is not so excessive as to be flagrantly outrageous and extravagant, particularly in light of the strong presumption we accord to jury verdicts. The trial court's refusal to remit the damages likewise confirms the award. We cannot say it was an abuse of discretion to deny the remittitur. Our conscience is apparently more resilient than the Court of Appeals to shocks. ¶ 31 Finally, the Court of Appeals concluded the award indicates passion or prejudice, and a reaction to the litany of negative testimony about discriminatory practices by the County. Bunch v. King County Dep't of Youth Servs., No. 49655-7-I, slip op. at 10, 119 Wash.App. 1034, 2003 WL 22839943 at  (Wash.Ct.App. Dec. 1, 2003). The County argues all of the testimony from other witnesses, while necessary to prove discriminatory intent, tainted the jury's verdict. It notes that Washington's Law Against Discrimination allows recovery only for actual damages, RCW 49.60.030(2), and that punitive damages are forbidden, see Dailey v. N. Coast Life Ins. Co., 129 Wash.2d 572, 575, 919 P.2d 589 (1996). It cites federal cases interpreting federal law, which require emotional distress damages to be based on harm to the plaintiff alone, not to so-called me-too witnesses: [C]ase law reveals that courts scrupulously analyze an award of compensatory damages for a claim of emotional distress predicated exclusively on the plaintiff's testimony. Price v. City of Charlotte, 93 F.3d 1241, 1251 (4th Cir. 1996). [9] This statement is true, but it does not automatically lead to the conclusion that passion and prejudice influenced the jury's award. ¶ 32 Before passion or prejudice can justify reduction of a jury verdict, it must be of such manifest clarity as to make it unmistakable. Bingaman, 103 Wash.2d at 836, 699 P.2d 1230. The verdict of a jury does not carry its own death warrant solely by reason of its size. Id. at 838, 699 P.2d 1230. As to the other factors from which the idea of passion and prejudice may be derived, sometimes there may occur during the trial untoward incidents of such extreme and inflammatory nature that the court's admonitions and instructions could not cure or neutralize them. Robeck, 79 Wash.2d at 871, 490 P.2d 878. As explained above, the size of this verdict is within the bounds of the evidence presented, and there is no indication of anything untoward in the proceedings that justifies setting the verdict aside based on passion and prejudice. ¶ 33 In sum, the Court of Appeals was not justified to reduce the noneconomic damages from $260,000 to $25,000less than a tenth of the original amount. The court failed even to mention the trial court's discretion, and misanalogized to Hill. The jury's award of noneconomic damages is within the range of the evidence presented, is not flagrantly outrageous and extravagant, nor was it motivated by passion and prejudice. The award of the jury should stand unmodified.