Opinion ID: 1714041
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: whether the chancery court's award of damages to will francis, judy francis draper, emily draper and the estate of doris francis was excessive and against the overwhelming weight and sufficiency of the evidence.

Text: ¶ 24. USF & G contends that the damages awarded to Francis/Draper at trial were excessive and against the overwhelming weight of the evidence. Where the chancellor is the trier of facts, his findings of fact cannot be disturbed by this Court on appeal unless it is determined with reasonable certainty that these findings were manifestly wrong and against the overwhelming weight of the evidence. Richardson v. Riley, 355 So.2d 667, 668 (Miss.1978). With regard to the reasonableness of damages, this Court has specifically said: Each suit for personal injury must be decided by the facts shown in that particular case. The amount of physical injury, mental and physical pain, present and future, temporary and permanent disability, medical expenses, loss of wages and wage-earning capacity, sex, age and health of the injured plaintiff, are all variables to be considered by the jury in determining the amount of damages to be awarded. Kinnard v. Martin, 223 So.2d 300, 303 (Miss.1969)(citing Mobile & Ohio R.R. v. Carpenter, 104 Miss. 706, 61 So. 693 (1913); Southern R.R. v. Kendrick, 40 Miss. 374, 1866 WL 1887 (1866); 22 Am. Jur.2d Damages § 85 (1965)). Further, as to excessive verdicts, this Court has noted: The damages, therefore, must be so excessive as to strike mankind, at first blush, as being, beyond all measure, unreasonable, and outrageous, and such as manifestly show the jury to have been actuated by passion, partiality, prejudice, or corruption. In short, the damages must be flagrantly outrageous and extravagant, or the court cannot undertake to draw the line; for they have no standard by which to ascertain the excess. Biloxi Elec. Co. v. Thorn, 264 So.2d 404, 405 (Miss.1972)(citing 22 Am.Jur.2d Damages § 366, at 473 (1965)).
¶ 25. The trial court found that Judy Draper had medical bills and expenses totaling approximately $25,000. The trial court further found that Judy Draper experienced pain and suffering, will continue to experience pain and suffering in the future and awarded her $520,000 in damages. ¶ 26. Draper testified that she suffered from severe bruising on her thighs, hips, left shoulder and back, as well as knots and muscle spasms in her back. She was afflicted with intense headaches that lasted up to three days along with pain radiating in her neck and back. Draper testified that the repercussions of these injuries affected her daily enjoyment of life as she can no longer walk for long periods of time, nor can she stand, stoop, kneel, bend, raise her arms without some amount of pain. She testified that this limitation on her movement interferes with her job as a teacher. Draper also developed a fear of driving and sustained a strained relationship with her daughter, Emily, for a short time after the accident due to Emily's belief that Judy was responsible for Doris's death.
¶ 27. Emily Draper was six years old at the time of the accident. She was riding in the back seat with her grandmother, Doris Francis. Upon impact, her grandmother fell over on top of her, and due to the damage to the vehicles, Doris remained slumped over on top of Emily for approximately thirty minutes. The trial court found that although not badly injured in this wreck, [Emily] had trouble coping with the fact that her grandmother was killed next to her and, in fact, was laying over her ... and awarded Emily $35,000 in damages. The trial court found that Emily had actual medical bills totaling approximately $1,100.
¶ 28. The chancellor found that Will Francis had medical expenses totaling approximately $8,000 and has medical problems that will continue to bother him. He awarded Will Francis $100,000 in damages. ¶ 29. Will Francis's testimony at trial was that he had a nauseated feeling and pain after the accident. He testified his legs were still bothering him and giving him problems two years after the accident, stinging and burning the entire time he is awake. He also testified that he has trouble standing for any length of time and walking beyond short distances.
¶ 30. The trial court found that Doris Francis had medical bills totaling approximately $30,000 prior to her death. Holding that although there were discrepancies as to the amount of suffering she experienced during her hospitalization, the chancellor found that she did in fact experience pain and suffering to some extent and awarded her heirs at law $400,000. ¶ 31. USF & G argues that the amount given to the heirs of Doris Francis was clearly against the overwhelming weight of the evidence. USF & G points out that the plaintiff bears the burden to prove, by substantial evidence, that a decedent who is the subject of a wrongful death action survived and was conscious after the accident which resulted in the decedent's demise in order to recover damages for pain and suffering. M & M Pipe & Pressure Vessel Fabricators, Inc. v. Roberts, 531 So.2d 615, 621 (Miss.1988). USF & G specifically believes that the chancellor's finding that he was satisfied that [Doris Francis] at least on the day of the accident had sufficient brain functions to have suffered from injuries that [led] to her death was clearly against the direct medical testimony presented at trial. ¶ 32. Dr. Philip Azordegan testified that Doris Francis was deeply comatose after the accident and exhibited little brainstem function until her death on July 8, 1997, seven days later. Dr. Azordegan also noted that those who are deeply comatose are not aware of nor conscious of pain. ¶ 33. Francis/Draper respond that direct testimony was presented at trial that proved Doris Francis did respond to stimuli and, therefore, consciously suffered from her injuries. Judy Draper testified that at the accident scene, while trying to extract her mother from the vehicle, she heard Doris moan. Janice Brien, a family friend, testified that while she was talking to Doris during a hospital visit, Doris wiggled her foot, shrugged her right shoulder, opened her eyes for a moment and shed a tear. Melissa Ann Francis, Doris' other daughter, testified that while she talked to her mother during a hospital visit, Doris wrinkled her eye brows, moaned as if she wanted to talk and shed tears. Testimony was presented that she had a respirator tube in her mouth that inhibited her ability to speak. Francis/Draper note that Dr. Azordegan admitted there was no definite way of knowing whether or not she suffered any pain.
¶ 34. USF & G withdrew its post-trial motion for a new trial or in the alternative, to alter or amend the judgment pursuant to M.R.C.P. 52(b) which states in part: When findings of fact are made in actions tried by the court without a jury, the question of the sufficiency of the evidence to support the findings may thereafter be raised regardless of whether the party raising the question has made in court an objection to such findings or has filed a motion to amend them or a motion for judgment or a motion for a new trial. Therefore, Mississippi's basic rule of law that a trial court will not be reversed for failing to grant relief that was not requested does not apply in this particular case. See Chase v. State, 645 So.2d 829, 846 (Miss.1994); Jones v. State, 606 So.2d 1051, 1058 (Miss.1992); Crenshaw v. State, 520 So.2d 131, 134-35 (Miss.1988). ¶ 35. Even if this Court disagrees with the lower court on the findings of fact and might have arrived at a different conclusion, this Court is still bound by the chancellor's findings unless it is determined these findings are manifestly wrong. Richardson, 355 So.2d at 668. After reviewing the facts presented in this case concerning the amount of physical injury, mental and physical pain, present and future, temporary and permanent disability and other variables that must be considered, we cannot say that the amount of damages awarded by the chancellor to Judy Francis Draper, Emily Draper, Will Francis and the legal heirs of Doris Francis are so excessive that they are unreasonable, outrageous or exhibit passion, partiality, prejudice or corruption.
¶ 36. USF & G argues as its final assignment of error that the trial court erred by granting Francis/Draper prejudgment and post-judgment interest. This Court has commented on the award of prejudgment interest, saying: Mississippi recognizes judicial authority to award prejudgment interest to a prevailing party in a breach of contract suit. Prejudgment interest may be allowed in cases where the amount due is liquidated when the claim is originally made or when the denial of a claim is frivolous or in bad faith. No award of prejudgment interest is allowed where the principal amount has not been fixed prior to judgment. Prejudgment interest is not imposed as a penalty for wrong doing; it is allowed as compensation for the detention of money overdue. For prejudgment interest to be awarded, the party must make a proper demand for the interest in the pleadings, including the date that it was allegedly due. [T]o be entitled to prejudgment interest, they must meet several requirements. First, the claim for damages must be liquidated or the denial of the claim ... must have been frivolous or in bad faith. Second, the pleadings must reflect ... a request for prejudgment interest. Preferred Risk Mut. Ins. Co. v. Johnson, 730 So.2d 574, 577 (Miss.1998) (citations omitted). USF & G argues that Francis/Draper failed to meet the necessary requirements listed above to qualify for prejudgment interest. We agree with USF & G. ¶ 37. The damages suffered by Francis/Draper were in dispute and unliquidated. Had they been liquidated, there would have been no need for a finding from the trial court on that matter. Bad faith on USF & G's part was never alleged nor proven. It was error for the trial court to award prejudgment interest. Because we reverse the award of prejudgment interest based upon Francis/Draper's failure to meet the required standard of proof outlined in Johnson, we need not address USF & G's M.R.C.P. 59 argument. ¶ 38. We also hold the chancellor was within the bounds of his discretionary authority in awarding post-judgment interest. Because the right to post-judgment interest is a statutory right according to Miss.Code Ann. § 75-17-7 (1991), this Court does not conclude that the motion for interest was a motion to amend or alter the judgment. Therefore, we need not address the timeliness of filing the motion in accordance with M.R.C.P. 59. Miss. Code Ann. § 75-17-7 (1991) has been amended to allow interest at a per annum rate set by the judge. We hold that the chancellor's awarding of interest at the rate of one percent above the prime rate of eight percent was within his discretion under the revised statute.