Opinion ID: 666595
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: The Motions for a New Trial

Text: 19 Mr. Thomas and Officer Heath each filed a motion for a new trial. Officer Heath requested a new trial; he did not specifically ask that it be limited to the issue of liability. Mr. Thomas requested that a new trial be limited to the issue of damages. The district court denied Mr. Thomas' motion but conditionally granted Officer Heath's motion. 20 In granting Officer Heath's motion, the court stated: 21 If the appellate court hereafter vacates or reverses this court's final judgment, a new trial will be granted to Heath on grounds that the verdict is contrary to the weight of the evidence and contains inconsistencies as discussed in this order. 22 Mem. Op. at 7. Given our decision in Part II.A, supra, this conditional aspect of the district court's order will become operative on remand unless we order otherwise. Fed.R.Civ.P. 50(c). 23 As one of the reasons for granting Officer Heath a new trial, the district court referred to inconsistencies as discussed in this order. Our examination of the entire opinion of the district court makes it clear that the court was referring to that part of its order where it stated: 24 The jury must have found as a fact that Heath struck Thomas during the struggle to obtain the blood sample. But the jury's further finding of zero damages is inconsistent with its additional finding of unnecessary and excessive force. If Heath punched Thomas and that punch was delivered not in good faith to maintain order but maliciously with the intent to cause pain, then the jury should have awarded damages. Thomas lost four teeth and even if his advanced periodontal disease made him particularly vulnerable to injury, nonetheless the punch would have been a proximate cause of the loss of the teeth. 25 Mem.Op. at 3. We agree that the jury's finding of liability is in irreconcilable conflict with its award of zero damages. One of the court's instructions specifically required the jury to find damages before it could find liability. 4 Given this instruction, the jury's finding of liability implies that it also found that Heath proximately caused injury to Mr. Thomas. Nevertheless, the jury awarded Mr. Thomas no money damages. When the jury's verdict is in contravention of the court's instructions, an appellate court will reverse for legal error. Rosario v. Livaditis, 963 F.2d 1013, 1021 (7th Cir.1992), cert. denied, --- U.S. ----, 113 S.Ct. 972, 122 L.Ed.2d 127 (1993). This contradiction between the jury's verdict and the court's instructions requires a new trial on both liability and damages. Cf. id. at 1021-22 (ordering new trial on damages where jury found liability but no damages despite instruction requiring jury to find injury before finding liability). 5 26 Mr. Thomas argues that we should order a new trial on damages but not liability because the jury's finding of liability was based on unreviewable credibility determinations, whereas the finding of zero damages was based on the jury's failure to accept objective documentary evidence and/or unrebutted testimony. We cannot accept this argument. Aside from the inconsistency inherent in the verdict, the district court also grounded its grant of a new trial on the determination that the verdict was against the weight of the evidence. Crucial to the jury's finding of liability was the testimony of Mr. Thomas that Officer Heath punched him in the mouth. Whether Officer Heath hit Mr. Thomas in this manner was a credibility call that the jury had to make: Mr. Thomas claimed Officer Heath struck the blow; Officer Heath denied striking Mr. Thomas. No one else present testified that such a blow was struck. 27 The district court heard the same testimony as the jury; it observed the witnesses' demeanor just as the jury did. In deciding whether to order a new trial, it was entitled to weigh the evidence for itself. 11 Charles A. Wright & Arthur R. Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure Sec. 2806, at 44-45 (1973). In weighing the evidence, the court may assess the witnesses' credibility. See Whalen v. Roanoke County Bd. of Supervisors, 769 F.2d 221, 226 (4th Cir.1985), overruled on reh'g on other grounds by 797 F.2d 170, 171 (4th Cir.1986) (per curiam) (en banc). We cannot say that Heath's denial of striking Mr. Thomas was incredible as a matter of law. The district court did not abuse its discretion in concluding that the jury's finding of liability was against the weight of the evidence. 28 In sum, we hold that the district court did not err by conditionally awarding a new trial. On remand, the district court shall hold a new trial as to both liability and damages. 6