Opinion ID: 1846461
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: award to patti stroo for loss of consortium.

Text: ¶ 59. A married woman shall have a cause of action for loss of consortium through negligent injury of her husband. Miss.Code Ann. § 93-3-1 (1994). This Court has interpreted this statute as follows: The interest sought to be protected is personal to the wife and arises out of the marriage relation. She is entitled to society, companionship, love, affection, aid, services, support, sexual relations and the comfort of her husband as special rights and duties growing out of the marriage covenant. To these may be added the right to live together in the same house, to eat at the same table, and to participate together in the activities, duties and responsibilities necessary to make a home. All of these are included in the broad term, conjugal rights. The loss of consortium is the loss of any or all of these rights, but damages recoverable by a wife in an action for loss of consortium under the statute must be limited to avoid double recovery for the same damages by both husband and wife.... Consortium does not consist alone of intangible mental and emotional elements, but may include services performed by the husband for the wife which have a monetary value. Tribble v. Gregory, 288 So.2d 13, 16-17 (Miss.1974)(internal citations omitted). ¶ 60. Coho and Cockrell argue that none of the elements of recovery for any type of loss of consortium were proven at trial, and to allow Patti Stroo to recover $10,000 for same would allow for double recovery. Further, they argue that Patti Stroo never testified at trial concerning her personal losses. The Stroos respond that Bobby Stroo adequately testified concerning the loss of his ability to aid and provide services and to participate in activities and duties related to making a home. The Stroos also claim that this Court has never required that a plaintiff testify in her own behalf regarding loss of consortium, if the case is properly proven by other witnesses. Coho and Cockrell agree that Patti was not required to testify in her behalf, but argue that there was no evidence from any witness as to loss of consortium. (emphasis in original). ¶ 61. In fact, that argument is supported by Dr. Alan Freeland, Bobby Stroo's treating physician, who testified as follows: Q. It wouldokay. To come back to my question, in view of the fact he can take his own time, would you expect him to be able to do routine household things that men usually do around the house when they are at home helping their wife? A. I think so. There might be some specific things that he couldn't do or have more trouble with, but I think he would be doing most things probably at his own pace. . . . Q. Is there any reason he can't have a normal sex life? A. None that I know of. ¶ 62. We recognize the difficulty of proving loss of consortium and placing a value on elements of a consortium claim. Patti Stroo's claim was based upon the loss of aid and services and the loss of participation with activities and duties related to making a home. Bobby Stroo testified as to what he has not been able to do physically at work or home as a result of his broken wrist and the surgery for his injury. His entire testimony regarding matters which might be construed to fall within the scope of the conjugal rights enumerated in Tribble, is found in the direct examination of Bobby Stroo regarding the broken bones in his wrist, as follows: Q. Does the pain cause you any problems sleeping at night? A. I wake up constantly. I mean, if I turnif I turn wrong or if I roll over on it, it will wake me up. . . . Q. Has the injury that you received caused any limitation on the activities that you could do before you had this injury? A. Yes, sir. I'm an avid hunter or I was. I used to go all the time fishing. Mowing. I got two boys growing up. I played football. Before I had the surgery from Dr. Freeland, I couldn't do none of it. Now, I do have a little bit I can do with the boys. I may go out and throw a football five, six times and that's it, and it goes to hurting and back in the house I go. Q. With reference to your household working chores, are there any limitations on what you can do after the injury as opposed to what you could do before the injury? A. Yes, sir. I'mI'm a yard fanatic. I like to cut yard. I do all the lawn mowing or did until the accident, and I always told my wife she wouldn't never have to do no yard work. Well, I lied. She had to get out there. My boys and my daughter had to get out there and do the work. And right now I can do some, but mostly the boys take care of the yard, the flower beds, anything else that's got to be done, garden. They don't like it, but they do it. The direct examination then returned to limitations on Bobby Stroo's ability to work in the oil field. Nowhere else in the record is there further evidence which could even arguably be construed as pertaining to Patti Stroo's loss of consortium claim. ¶ 63. Bobby Stroo's testimony regarding his own physical limitations for which he recovered an award cannot prove his wife's damages for the same physical limitations in a loss of consortium claim. ¶ 64. Justice Diaz's separate opinion cites Alldread v. Bailey, 626 So.2d 99 (Miss.1993), for his contention that there was sufficient evidence to support Patti's loss of consortium award. In Alldread, the wife was injured in an automobile accident and received a judgment on her negligence claim. Id. However, the jury found against her husband on his derivative loss of consortium claim, even though the following evidence was introduced: Mrs. Alldread testified her family was just a normal family prior to the accident. She stated that they would go to the park together or go fishing, and she and her husband played racquetball and walked. She testified she did the majority of the household duties. After the accident, she was able to do housework, but normally did not do anything that required a lot of stooping and bending. She stated that after the accident her husband and children did most of the housework. In discussing her sexual relations, Mrs. Alldread stated that prior to the accident, she and her husband had relations two or three times a week; however, since the accident, they had sexual relations once a month or less. She stated she no longer plays racquetball. Id. at 100. The jury concluded that the husband had suffered no loss, and this Court unanimously affirmed. ¶ 65. Justice Diaz cites the following evidence, elicited from Bobby Stroo's testimony, as proof of Patti's loss of consortium: (1) because of pain, Bobby wakes up constantly at night; (2) Bobby cannot play with his children as he used to; and (3) Bobby can no longer do the yard work. With all due respect, Bobby waking up at night, not being able to play with his children, and not being able to do the yard work, without more, is not sufficient to draw inferences of damages personal to Patti. Further, Bobby has already been awarded $1,500,000 (reduced to $840,000 by the judge) for his injuries. One can only assume that an award of that size included his loss for not being able to do the these previously mentioned activities. To award Patti damages for the same loss would result in impermissible double payment for the same injury. See Tribble, 288 So.2d at 16-17 (damages recoverable by a wife in an action for loss of consortium under the statute must be limited to avoid double recovery for the same damages by both husband and wife). ¶ 66. As we stated in Alldread: A cause of action accruing to a party for loss of consortium is separate and distinct from that party's spouse suffering personal injury. The spouse seeking compensation for loss of consortium must show that he or she suffered damages arising out of the other's injuries Alldread, 626 So.2d at 102 (emphasis added). ¶ 67. In Purdon v. Locke, 807 So.2d 373 (Miss.2001), this Court recently affirmed an award of loss of consortium. However, there was substantially more testimonial evidence presented as to the wife's loss, from both the husband and the wife, as follows: testimony and evidence were properly introduced and evince a serious decline in the Lockes' relationship subsequent to the injury. Larry Locke testified that he was very sore and had to sleep a few nights in a recliner. When he was discharged, the doctor told him not to lift anything and to take it easy; he continues to have problems with lifting anything heavy. He testified that he has bad nightmares and could not control his emotions. Because of his mood swings, he had to take nerve pills and sleeping pills. Mr. Locke testified that he suffers emotional instability and this has affected his relationship with his wife. From this testimony, it is reasonable for the jury to infer loss of spousal assistance and affection. Rita Locke testified that before his surgery, her husband was outgoing, friendly, caring, and enjoyable to be around. After the surgery, she testified that for a long period of time he would get upset with her and the kids and frustrated because he could not do the things he could before. According to Mrs. Locke, her husband complained about pain and had trouble sleeping. He would sleep in the chair a lot and he did not care to be around her as much. This emotional and physical change in behavior, she testified, adversely affected her relationship with her husband. From the testimony given by Mrs. Locke, it was reasonable for the jury to infer that her relationship with her husband was adversely affected. Id. at 379 (emphasis added). In contrast, in the case sub judice, there is no testimony from either Bobby or Patti, as to how Bobby's injury has adversely affected his relationship with Patti. In Alldread, in which the injured spouse testified to her limitations and how they affected her husband and children, we affirmed the finding of no loss of consortium and said that the spouse seeking compensation for loss of consortium must show that he or she suffered damages arising out of the other's injuries. 626 So.2d at 102 (emphasis added). Subsequently, in Purdon, where both the injured husband and his wife testified, we said that it was reasonable for the jury to infer loss of spousal assistance and affection. 807 So.2d at 379. It is speculative and contrary to precedent to allow the jury to infer that Bobby's limitations, as shown generally by the evidence before the jury, affected his relationship with Patti such that she has suffered a compensable injury. ¶ 68. Because the evidence offered was insufficient to even draw inferences to support Patti Stroo's personal claim for loss of consortium, the trial court's judgment of $10,000 for loss of consortium is reversed and rendered.