Opinion ID: 47625
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Inconsistent Jury Findings

Text: “If the jury gives inconsistent answers to special interrogatories, the case must be remanded for a new trial.” Willard v. The John Hayward, 577 F.2d 1009, 1011 (5th Cir. 1978). In determining whether answers are inconsistent, we look to “whether the answers may fairly be said to represent a logical and probable decision on the relevant issues as submitted.” FDIC v. Fid. & Deposit Co., 45 F.3d 969, 977 (5th Cir. 1995) (citation omitted). A jury’s answers “should be considered inconsistent, however, only if there is no way to reconcile them.” Willard, 577 F.2d at 1011. This court makes “a concerted effort to reconcile apparent inconsistencies in answers to special verdicts if at all possible.” Ellis v. Weasler Eng’g Inc., 258 F.3d 326, 343 (5th Cir. 2001). FSI argues that two different jury findings contradict the jury determination that FSI falsely and maliciously accused defendants of being thieves. First, FSI contends that the jury finding that three of the defendants violated 18 U.S.C. 33 § 1030(a)(4) is equivalent to a finding that those defendants were thieves. Second, FSI argues that the jury’s determination that FSI filed the police report of computer theft without malice establishes that FSI’s accusations that defendants stole the intellectual property on those computers were made without malice as well. However, each of these findings can be reconciled. First, the finding that three defendants violated § 1030(a)(4) did not necessarily establish that the defendants were thieves. Section 1030(a)(4) deals with unlawful access of computer systems to further fraud. 18 U.S.C. § 1030(a)(4). Although the jury found that three defendants violated this section, and that their unlawful access caused a loss to FSI totaling $36,000, the determination did not require a finding that the defendants stole trade secrets or anything else. Section 1030(a)(4) does require a finding that the violator obtained something of value by means of the unlawful access, but the value need not be a trade secret or even something that was stolen. The jury could have found that the value obtained by defendants inhered in the temporary use or possession of computer hardware,15 as FSI suggested in its 15 Section 1030(a)(4) provides an exception where there is no liability if “the object of the fraud and the thing obtained consists only of the use of the computer and the value of such use is not more than $5,000 in any 1-year period.” Here, the jury could have found an object of fraud beyond the use of the computer. 34 closing arguments,16 or some other value that was obtained without theft. Additionally, the finding that FSI did not act with actual malice in filing the police report of computer theft does not establish, as FSI claims, that the report of theft was true or that later statements were made without malice as well. As the jury was instructed, “actual malice means that the party making the publication acted with actual knowledge that it was false or with reckless disregard of whether it was false or not.” Accordingly, the jury finding on the police report does not mean that the jury believed that the allegations of theft were actually true, but merely that FSI believed it was true to the extent necessary to avoid liability. Further, the jury could have determined that FSI sincerely believed when the police report was filed that the defendants stole computer equipment, but recklessly disregarded the truth when FSI accused defendants of stealing the company’s intellectual property in statements made two months later. The statements are therefore easily reconcilable.