Opinion ID: 1230453
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: msha complaint

Text: The second evidentiary issue is whether the trial court erroneously admitted a complaint filed by the Appellee with the MSHA more than two months after his discharge. [17] In the complaint, the Appellee alleged that he had been the victim of discrimination based upon his cooperation with officials in the investigation of the fatal accident in which he was involved. The Appellee withdrew the complaint seven days after it was filed, because he decided he did not want the matter of termination decided administratively. Consequently, MSHA did not act upon the Appellee's complaint. The Appellant asserts that the complaint was totally irrelevant. Moreover, if the complaint had any relevance, the probative value was outweighed by the prejudicial effect. See W. Va. R. Evid. 401 [18] and 403. [19] In contrast, the Appellee argues that this document was introduced to rebut the Appellant's assertion at trial that the Appellee never told anyone about Mr. Higgins' visit prior to filing a lawsuit.  `  `Rulings on the admissibility of evidence are largely within a trial court's sound discretion and should not be disturbed unless there has been an abuse of discretion.' State v. Louk, 171 W.Va. 639, [643,] 301 S.E.2d 596, 599 (1983). Syllabus Point 2, State v. Peyatt, 173 W.Va. 317, 315 S.E.2d 574 (1983).' Syllabus Point 7, State v. Miller, 175 W.Va. 616, 336 S.E.2d 910 (1985). Syl. Pt. 10, Board of Educ. v. Zando, Martin & Milstead, Inc., 182 W.Va. 597, 390 S.E.2d 796 (1990). In the present case, we find that the evidence was relevant to contradict the Appellant's evidence that the Appellee had not told anyone about the conversation he had with Mr. Higgins prior to filing suit. Further, we do not agree with the Appellant's assertion that the admission of this evidence was unduly prejudicial. The jury heard that the complaint was not filed for two months after the Appellee was terminated and that the Appellee withdrew the complaint seven days after it was filed, before any action was taken on it. We find that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by admitting the MSHA complaint in evidence.
The final issue is whether the trial court incorrectly calculated prejudgment interest on the entire back pay award of $175,000. The Appellant argues that the prejudgment interest should have been calculated from the date each payment of salary to the plaintiff became due. In contrast, the Appellee maintains that the trial court correctly awarded the prejudgment interest from the date the cause of action accrued. As we previously stated in Gribben v. Kirk, 195 W.Va. 488, 466 S.E.2d 147 (1995): In reviewing a circuit court's award of prejudgment interest, we usually apply an abuse of discretion standard. See generally Perdue v. Doolittle, 186 W.Va. 681, 414 S.E.2d 442 (1992). Under the abuse of discretion standard, we will not disturb a circuit court's decision unless the circuit court makes clear error of judgment or exceeds the bounds of permissible choices in the circumstances. However, when the award hinges, in part, on an interpretation of our decisional or statutory law, we review de novo that portion of the analysis. 195 W.Va. at 500, 466 S.E.2d at 159. Our prior decision in Grove ex rel. Grove v. Myers, 181 W.Va. 342, 382 S.E.2d 536 (1989) is controlling on this issue. In Grove, this Court held in syllabus point two that [u]nder W.Va.Code, 56-6-31, as amended, prejudgment interest on special or liquidated damages is calculated from the date on which the cause of action accrued, which in a personal injury action is, ordinarily, when the injury is inflicted. Id. at 343, 382 S.E.2d at 537. It is undisputed that an award of back wages is considered special damages, which is subject to prejudgment interest. See Gribben, 195 W.Va. at 501, 466 S.E.2d at 160. Moreover, under precedent, as well as West Virginia Code § 56-6-31 (1997), prejudgment interest is calculated from the date the cause of action accrued. See Grove, 181 W.Va. at 343, 382 S.E.2d at 537. In the instant case, the trial court concluded that the date the action accrued was the date the Appellee was discharged from employment. We do not find the trial court abused its discretion in calculating the prejudgment interest from the date of the Appellee's discharge. See Gribben, 195 W.Va. at 500, 466 S.E.2d at 159.