Opinion ID: 323192
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: weight of law and evidence

Text: 13 Plaintiff contends that the verdict of the jury was based upon an erroneous view of the law and was contrary to the overwhelming weight of the evidence.
14 The trial judge's refusal to grant plaintiff's requested Instruction No. 16 18 is asserted as the crux of the trial court's legal error. The refusal of this instruction is said to have erroneously caused the jury to believe that they initially had to find that the defendants knew or should have known that Yates was likely to commit suicide before they could cast the defendants in damages. The instruction which the court did give, adequately and more clearly placed this concept before the jury. 19 Any error in refusing requested Instruction No. 16 did not affect appellant's substantial rights and thus was harmless. E.g., Almendarez v. Atchison, Topeka & Sante Fe Ry. Co., 426 F.2d 1095 (5th Cir. 1960); Martinez v. Rodriques, 394 F.2d 156 (5th Cir. 1968); Atlantic Coast Line R. Co. v. Burkett, 192 F.2d 941 (5th Cir. 1951); see Fed.R.Civ.P. 61.
15 The administratrix contends that the verdict was contrary to the weight of the evidence. She asserts that the proof required a finding of the use of excessive force and failure to take decedent before a magistrate in violation of federal and state laws. In order for appellant to recover, however, she had to prove not only a violation of decedent's rights but also that such violation proximately caused Yates to commit suicide. 16 Under the circumstances established by the testimony in this case, the issue of whether the defendant officers used excessive force or only that amount of force necessary to subdue and search an uncooperative arrestee was properly submitted for jury determination under instructions which met the applicable legal standard. As stated in 6 C.J.S. Arrest 13a, at p. 613: 'The reasonableness of the force used in making an arrest under all the circumstances is a question for the jury, and the standard is the conduct of ordinary, prudent men under the existing circumstances.' See Morgan v. Labiak, 368 F.2d 338, 340 (10th Cir. 1966); Conklin v. Barfield, 334 F.Supp. 475 (W.D.Mo.1971). The jury was also correctly instructed that the defendants' duty to provide medical attention must be predicated upon the exercise of reasonable care in deciding whether a person under their control needs medical attention. Mississippi ex rel. Derrow v. Durham, 444 F.2d 152 (5th Cir. 1971). Similarly, concerning defendants' incarceration of decedent without first taking him before a magistrate, the jury was correctly instructed that the test of liability for his subsequent demise involved a determination of whether the ultimate injury was probably foreseeable at the time of wrongful detention. Johnson v. Greer, 477 F.2d 101 (5th Cir. 1973). 17 The plaintiff further raises the issue of defendants' failure to comply with the Mississippi Youth Court Act 20 which requires a Youth Court directive before a person of Yates' age may be placed in jail. Defendants' failure to act in accordance with the strictures of the Youth Court Act was not submitted to the jury, and the issue is raised for the first time on appeal. Nevertheless, the effect of a violation of the Act was at least implicitly contained in the jury's determination of the consequence of defendants' failure to take Yates before a magistrate. The contradictory evidence adduced at trial conclusively shows that the causal relationship between the omissions of the defendants and Yates' death was clearly a jury issue. 21 18 Whether Carey Yates committed suicide because of an uncontrollable impulse created by defendants' negligent or intentional acts in depriving him of one or all of the rights secured to an arrestee by federal and state law, or whether the youth's death was proximately caused by an unknown phobia or his inebriated condition which superseded any effect that the defendants' wrongful acts may have had upon the decedent was resolved by the jury's verdict on accurate instructions and will not be disturbed on appeal.