Opinion ID: 77657
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: District Court's Failure to Decide Officer Cute's Motion For a New Trial

Text: 27 The district court also failed to rule on Officer Cute's motion for a new trial. Officer Cute's motion sought a new trial on the basis of qualified immunity, as well as on the grounds that the verdict was inconsistent and the punitive damages award was excessive. 28 Rule 50, which permits a party to alternatively request a new trial in connection with a motion for judgment as a matter of law, Fed.R.Civ.P. 50(b), makes clear that [i]f the renewed motion for judgment as a matter of law is granted, the court shall also rule on the motion for a new trial, if any, by determining whether it should be granted if the judgment is thereafter vacated or reversed, and shall specify the grounds for granting or denying the motion for the new trial. 29 Fed. R. Civ. P. 50(c)(1) (emphasis added). By its plain language, the Rule obligates the court to rule on a motion for a new trial when issuing its ruling on a renewed motion for judgment as a matter of law. Here, the district court failed to do so. Thus we also remand this case to permit the district court to properly consider not only Officer Cute's renewed motion for judgment as a matter of law but also Officer Cute's separate motion for a new trial.