Opinion ID: 373838
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Standard of Review on Appeal from Directed Verdict

Text: 16 As a general rule, the district court has the power to direct a verdict if the evidence permits only one reasonable conclusion as to the verdict. Fountila v. Carter, 571 F.2d 487, 489-90 (9th Cir. 1978), Quoting Kay v. Cessna Aircraft Co., 548 F.2d 1370, 1372 (9th Cir. 1977); See Syufy Enterprises v. National General Theatres, 575 F.2d 233, 235 (9th Cir. 1978). 2 The district court must consider all the evidence both favorable and unfavorable. But in order to avoid passing on the credibility of witnesses and weighing contradictory evidence, the court must resolve all inferences in favor of the party with the burden of persuasion, because 17 (i)t is the jury, not the judge, which weighs the contradictory evidence and inferences, judges the credibility of witnesses, . . . and draws the ultimate conclusion as to the facts . . . . 18 Fount-Wip, Inc. v. Reddi-Wip, Inc., 568 F.2d 1296, 1301 (9th Cir. 1978), Quoting Cockrum v. Whitney, 479 F.2d 84, 86 (9th Cir. 1973) and Tennant v. Peoria & Pekin Union Ry., 321 U.S. 29, 35, 64 S.Ct. 409, 88 L.Ed. 520 (1944); See Marquis v. Chrysler Corp., 577 F.2d 624, 639 (9th Cir. 1978); Kay v. Cessna Aircraft Co., 548 F.2d at 1372. 3 19 Thus, this court in Maheu v. Hughes Tool Co., 569 F.2d 459, 464 (9th Cir. 1977), upholding the denial of a directed verdict against the party with the burden of persuasion, made it clear that application of the general standard of Fountila and Kay, supra, required it to view the evidence in the light most favorable to the party opposing the motion, and that it must examine All the evidence (emphasis added). See also id. at 481 (concurring and dissenting opinion); Wescott v. Impresas Armadoras, S.A., 564 F.2d 875, 882 (9th Cir. 1977); Santa Clara Valley Distributing Co. v. Pabst Brewing Co., 556 F.2d 942, 944 (9th Cir. 1977); Kay v. Cessna Aircraft Co., 548 F.2d at 1372; Chisholm Brothers Farm Equipment Co. v. International Harvester Co., 498 F.2d 1137, 1140 (9th Cir.), Cert. denied, 419 U.S. 1023, 95 S.Ct. 500, 42 L.Ed.2d 298 (1974). 20 In order to benefit from the favorable inferences available under this standard, the party against whom the motion is made must present substantial evidence. As stated in Rutledge v. Electric Hose & Rubber Co., 511 F.2d 668 (9th Cir. 1975): 21 In considering a motion for a directed verdict, the court must give the party against whom the motion is made the benefit of all reasonable evidentiary inferences. (Cited authority omitted.) This is no less true in an antitrust case. However, if there is no substantial evidence to support the claim, the court must direct a verdict. 22 Id. at 677 (emphasis added), Quoting Cleary v. National Distillers & Chemical Corp., 505 F.2d 695, 696 (9th Cir. 1974). The sole issue in an appeal from a directed verdict against the party with the burden of persuasion is thus the sufficiency of the evidence of the appellant's claim. Cleary v. National Distillers & Chemical Corp., 505 F.2d at 696. As stated in Chisholm Brothers Farm Equipment Co. v. International Harvester Co., 498 F.2d at 1140, the correct standard is whether or not, viewing the evidence as a whole, there is substantial evidence present that could support a finding . . . for the nonmoving party. Accord, Janich Bros., Inc. v. American Distilling Co., 570 F.2d 848, 853 & n.2 (9th Cir. 1977) (substantial evidence is more than a mere scintilla and consists of such relevant evidence as a reasonable mind might accept as adequate to support a conclusion), Cert. denied, 439 U.S. 829, 99 S.Ct. 103, 58 L.Ed.2d 122 (1978). 23 The standard for determining the propriety of a directed verdict identical to that for determining the propriety of a judgment n. o. v., Fountila v. Carter, 571 F.2d at 489; Cockrum v. Whitney, 479 F.2d at 85 is the same for district and appellate judges. Maheu v. Hughes Tool Co., 569 F.2d at 481 (concurring and dissenting opinion). 24 In its Amicus brief the Department of Justice argues that: 25 Because of the generally complex nature of antitrust litigation and the important role which motive and intent often play therein, the Supreme Court has generally disapproved of the use of summary procedures, such as motions for directed verdicts, in antitrust cases. Poller v. Columbia Broadcasting, 368 U.S. 464, 473 (, 82 S.Ct. 486, 7 L.Ed.2d 458) (1962); Hospital Bldg. Co. v. Rex Hospital Trustees, 425 U.S. 738, 746 (, 96 S.Ct. 1848, 48 L.Ed.2d 338) (1976); See also Chisholm Bros. Farm Equip. Co. v. International Harvester Co., supra, 498 F.2d at 1139. Complex Section 2 cases, such as this case, involve numerous factual issues such as market definition, whether the defendant possesses monopoly power in a relevant market and whether the defendant had the purpose or intent to exercise that monopoly power. These issues must be resolved by the jury after receiving appropriate instructions from the court. 26 However, in Santa Clara Valley Distributing Co. v. Pabst Brewing Co., 556 F.2d at 944-45 n.1, this court dealt extensively and definitively with the meaning of Poller and Hospital Building Co. in the context of a directed antitrust verdict. That case, emphasizing that the Supreme Court's disapproval of summary proceedings dealt with Pre trial motions (emphasis original), concluded that the same circumspection is not required in the case of directed verdicts. Rather, the usual standard described above applies: 27 a directed verdict is proper, even in an antitrust case, when there is no substantial evidence to support the claim. 28 Id., quoting Rutledge v. Electric Hose & Rubber Co., 511 F.2d at 677, and Cleary v. National Distillers & Chemical Corp., 505 F.2d at 696. See Marquis v. Chrysler Corp., 577 F.2d at 639 & n.25. 4