Opinion ID: 154579
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Questioning of Jurors

Text: 11 Unit next claims that the trial court erred in refusing to ask the jury to clarify its damage awards when an ambiguity developed and Unit specifically requested clarification before the jury was discharged. We agree. In Resolution Trust Corp. v. Stone, 998 F.2d 1534 (10th Cir.1993), we approved the practice of asking the jury to clarify its meaning when the court is faced with an ambiguous verdict. As we explained, 12 permitting questioning of jurors ... promotes the value of judicial economy; otherwise, in the event of an ambiguity the court would be left with no other remedies than to order a new trial, even though a simple inquiry could clear up questions about how to read the damages verdict. 13 Id. at 1548. See also W.J. Dunn, Annotation, Verdict for Money Judgment Which Finds for Party for Ambiguous or No Amount, 49 A.L.R.2d 1328, § 10 (1956) (citing cases holding that it is proper to resubmit an ambiguous or incomplete verdict to a jury prior to jury discharge). 14 During the trial, Enron did not dispute that Unit performed the work reflected in the unpaid invoices. Thus, Unit argued that the jury itself had subtracted the set-off awarded to Enron, $86,494.30, from the balance on the unpaid invoices of $157,262.36 to reach its award to Unit of $70,768.02. Whether the jury intended Unit to receive a judgment of $70,768.02, or, as the trial court found, nothing, was at the very least ambiguous. 15 When a party objects to a trial court's interpretation of a verdict before the jury is discharged, as Unit did here, the district court should make a fair appraisal of the whole record to discern whether the verdict is, in fact, ambiguous. 6 In this case, potentially misleading jury instructions and forms 7 and the susceptibility of the verdict to an interpretation other than the one arrived at by the district court, given the facts of the case, point to an ambiguity in the verdict. Only by asking the jury to clarify its verdict could the court have determined the jury's true decision. Resolution Trust, 998 F.2d at 1548. Parties who entrust the resolution of their disputes to the legal system are entitled to no less. 16 When a court is faced with an ambiguous general verdict, and a request for clarification is made before the jury is discharged, the court's options are to explain the ambiguity to the jury and send the jury back into deliberations with instructions to clarify the ambiguity or to order a new trial. See Resolution Trust, 998 F.2d at 1547 (questioning jury to clarify the verdict); see also Hartnett v. Brown & Bigelow, 394 F.2d 438, 441-443 & fn. 2 (10th Cir.1968) (ordering new trial where damage awards were ambiguous and incomplete). 8 Cf. Fed.R.Civ.P. 49(b) (When the answers [to interrogatories accompanying a general verdict] are inconsistent with each other and one or more is likewise inconsistent with the general verdict, judgment shall not be entered, but the court shall return the jury for further consideration of its answers and verdict or shall order a new trial.). See also E.F. Hutton & Co. v. Arnebergh, 775 F.2d 1061, 1063 (9th Cir.1985) (analogizing ambiguous verdicts to inconsistent special verdicts). As we explained in Resolution Trust, clarifying the verdict is preferable because it promotes judicial economy. 998 F.2d at 1548. The alternative, ordering a new trial, takes the case away from the jury that heard the case and that could decide it if given a chance to cure the ambiguity. See Hafner v. Brown, 983 F.2d 570, 575 (4th Cir.1992) (finding district court has duty in certain cases to resubmit case to the jury when jury returns inconsistent verdict); Continental Cas. Co. v. Howard, 775 F.2d 876, 886 (7th Cir.1985) ([P]roper procedure is for the attorney to request the verdict to be clarified before the jury was discharged.). See also David J. Marchitelli, Annotation, Propriety of Reassembling Jury To Amend, Correct, Clarify, or Otherwise Change Verdict After Discharge or Separation at Conclusion of Civil Case, 19 A.L.R.5th 622, 647 (1994) (In civil cases, it is generally agreed that a trial judge has the authority, even the duty, to direct or permit a jury to correct or reconsider a defective verdict at any time before the jury has been discharged....). 17 In the present case, the damage awards rendered by the jury were ambiguous and could have been clarified by simply asking the jury a few questions. Unit properly requested clarification of the verdict before the jury was discharged. We hold that under these circumstances it was an abuse of discretion for the trial court to refuse to ask the jury to clarify its verdict. 18 Enron argues that questioning of jurors is disfavored by courts. However, cases cited by Enron involve questioning aimed at the content of deliberations rather than clarification of the verdict. See, e.g., Fortenberry v. New York Life Ins. Co., 459 F.2d 114, 116 (6th Cir.1972) (per curiam) (court conducted examination of each of the jurors concerning their reason in reaching a verdict); Wilkerson v. Johnson, 699 F.2d 325, 330 (6th Cir.1983) (inquiry as to reasons for jury verdict held improper); Farmers Coop. Elevator Ass'n Non-Stock v. Strand, 382 F.2d 224, 230 (8th Cir.1967) (questions regarding content of jury deliberations held improper). In Resolution Trust, we distinguished questioning that is aimed at discovering what occurred during deliberations, which is prohibited by Fed.R.Evid. 606(b) 9 , from questioning aimed at clarifying the verdict, of which we approved. 998 F.2d at 1548 n. 15. 19 Enron correctly notes that in Chicago, Rock Island & Pac. R.R. Co. v. Speth, 404 F.2d 291, 295 (8th Cir.1968), the Eighth Circuit found that questioning a jury to clarify a verdict was improper. As we pointed out in Resolution Trust, however, the Speth court disapproved the questioning of a jury when a judge believes a verdict is too large or too small. 998 F.2d at 1548 n. 15. Speth did not involve a verdict that was ambiguous. Because the verdict in this case, like the verdict in Resolution Trust, was ambiguous, we are guided here by our prior holding in Resolution Trust. 20