Opinion ID: 1955771
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: constitutional challenges to sdcl 21-3-11.

Text: We have previously determined SDCL 21-3-11 is not available to Clinical Lab so we need not address the parties' questions regarding the propriety of the trial court's consideration of the constitutional challenges raised by Sander. Further, because we have decided this case on other than constitutional grounds, we are not warranted in addressing the constitutional questions raised regarding SDCL 21-3-11. Torigian v. Saunders, 77 S.D. 610, 616, 97 N.W.2d 586, 589-90 (1959); State v. Devericks, 77 S.D. 509, 514, 94 N.W.2d 348, 351 (1959). We are not unmindful of the importance of the constitutional questions to the parties. Nor are we unmindful of their great interest and concern to the people and public policy of this State. It is foreseeable that we shall be faced with these same questions again in the future. The parties' briefing to this Court on the many constitutional issues is excellent, as has been their presentation to this Court on all the issues. Under some circumstances, these considerations may form a sufficient reason to address the constitutional issues. See Physician's Health Group, 447 N.W.2d at 515; Rapid City Journal, 283 N.W.2d at 565. But we have a factual uncertainty: The jury awarded damages as a lump sum. Consequently, we do not know how the jury actually apportioned the damages, either between the common law cause of action and the statutorily created cause of action, or between the several plaintiffs themselves. [15] We will not assume as fact that one of these plaintiffs has been adversely affected by SDCL 21-3-11. It is true that Sander's counsel argued the following damages in closing arguments to the jury: that the monetary value of Kim's pain and suffering was $1,000,000, that her economic damages amounted to $439,000, that the monetary loss to each child was $480,000, and that the loss to her husband was $890,000. Nevertheless, we are not warranted in assuming the jury awarded damages to Kim's estate and to her survivors as argued by Sander's counsel, particularly in view of the fact that the total damages awarded by the jury was $69,000 less than the damages argued by counsel. It is an unsound practice to reach constitutional challenges upon assumed facts not in the record, particularly where we have already disposed of the case on other grounds. In sum, we conclude the trial court made no reversible errors in its conduct of the trial. The trial court's determination that SDCL 21-3-11 is not an affirmative defense is also affirmed. However, we reverse the trial court's determination that SDCL 21-3-11 does not apply separately to each cause of action. We reverse the trial court's determination that Clinical Lab could avail itself of the limitation on award of damages found at SDCL 21-3-11 and we reverse its judgment reflecting a reduced award of damages of $1 million. The trial court is instructed to enter judgment for Sander in the amount of $3.7 million. WUEST, HENDERSON and AMUNDSON, JJ., concur. SABERS, J., concurs in result.