Opinion ID: 381381
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Alakazaam: The Jury's Finding Of Negligence

Text: 23 Defendants' final argument as cross appellants accuses the jury of dabbling in hocus pocus and finding negligence where there was none to be found. Defendants-cross appellants argue that there was insufficient evidence for the jury to find that cooking liquor escaped from defendant Georgia Pacific's equipment and sprayed plaintiff, or that Georgia Pacific breached any duty with regard to plaintiff. Assuming, arguendo, that defendants are correct in suggesting that the above factors must be proven as part of plaintiff's negligence case, we nevertheless find that the jury had ample evidence upon which to base its finding of negligence. 13 24 Plaintiff's own testimony together with the eyewitness testimony of a fellow employee support the jury's finding that plaintiff injured his knee while attempting to escape from a spray of caustic chemicals. While we agree with defendants-cross appellants that a good amount of contrary evidence was presented, we note that it is not within our authority to question the weight given various pieces of evidence by the jury. Moreover, the testimony of Georgia Pacific employees that cooking liquor is caustic, that, for the liquor leak to have occurred at all, the liquor must have escaped from a vessel that was supposed to contain it, and that such escapes are the result of a defect either in equipment or in operation of the equipment, amply supports the jury's findings that defendant breached a duty to plaintiff. 14 The jury was thus presented with sufficient evidence of negligence in light of the above testimony and in light of the record as a whole. 15 25