Opinion ID: 1059585
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: prior proceedings and facts

Text: Johnnie W. and Rita S. Rice (the Rices), co-administrators of the estate of their daughter Leona Lynn Rice (Leona), filed a motion for judgment in the circuit court against Clifford Anthony Charles pursuant to Virginia's Death by Wrongful Act statute, Code §§ 8.01-50 through -56. [1] They alleged that Leona died as a result of injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident in which she was a passenger in a vehicle driven by Charles. At trial, Charles admitted that he was negligent and that his negligence was a proximate cause of the accident and Leona's death. However, Charles proceeded on a defense of contributory negligence. At the close of all the evidence, the Rices moved to strike the defense of contributory negligence on the basis that there was insufficient corroboration of Charles' testimony, as required under Code § 8.01-397 (commonly referred to as the dead man's statute). The circuit court sustained the motion and thereafter submitted the case to the jury on the sole issue of damages. The jury then returned a verdict for the Rices in the amount of $7,283.27 for reasonable funeral expenses. That figure represented the exact amount of Leona's funeral and related burial expenses [2] incurred by the Rices. The jury did not award any damages to the statutory beneficiaries, Leona's parents and her older sister Beverly Rice McClanahan, for sorrow, mental anguish, and loss of solace. See Code §§ 8.01-52 through -54. The Rices subsequently moved to set aside the verdict and to award a new trial on the issue of damages. The basis of their motion was the fact that the jury had awarded damages only for funeral expenses. The Rices argued that, by returning such a verdict, the jury disregarded the court's instructions and the uncontroverted evidence. The circuit court denied the motion and entered judgment for the Rices in accordance with the jury verdict. This appeal followed. In accordance with well-established principles, we review the evidence in the light most favorable to the Rices, the prevailing parties at trial. Morgen Indus., Inc. v. Vaughan, 252 Va. 60, 62, 471 S.E.2d 489, 490 (1996); Besser Co. v. Hansen, 243 Va. 267, 269, 415 S.E.2d 138, 139 (1992); Penn v. Manna, 221 Va. 88, 90, 267 S.E.2d 126, 127 (1980). On the evening of the accident, Leona and Charles planned to see a movie but decided to go[ I cruising around for a while in Charles' pickup truck before the movie started. During their drive, Leona and Charles saw J.D. Baker on a four-wheeler in a parking lot. They stopped and asked Baker to go with them to the movie, and he agreed to do so. Leona and Charles then followed Baker to his home where Charles and Baker subsequently decided to buy beer instead of going to a movie. According to Charles, Leona heard the discussion about purchasing beer and did not object to the change in plans, but neither did she encourage or ask anyone to buy beer. Because all three of these individuals were under the age of 21 years and could not legally purchase alcoholic beverages, see Code § 4.1-305, they went to the home of Scott Mullins. The parties stipulated that, upon arriving there, Charles asked Mullins to buy beer for him. Mullins agreed to do so, but McClanahan, who was dating Mullins at that time, objected. As a result, McClanahan and Mullins got into an argument, and Leona, Charles, and Baker left Mullins' house while McClanahan and Mullins were still arguing. According to McClanahan, Leona said that she was going straight home. Charles testified that Leona then got back in Charles' truck, and, together with Baker, they proceeded to a local pharmacy where Charles talked to an individual who agreed to purchase two cases of seven-ounce bottles of beer for Charles. After getting the beer and putting it in the back of the truck, Charles drove to Enochs Branch in Dickenson County, where he and Baker drank some of the beer and discussed where to go from there. [3] Leona did not drink any beer. Eventually, all three of them got back in Charles' pickup truck. Leona sat in the middle between Charles and Baker, and a case of beer was placed in the front floorboard. Charles testified that he then drove toward Haysi, and that, while he was driving, and in Leona's presence, Baker handed him additional beers to drink. According to Charles, Leona did not try to stop him from drinking, did not request to get out of the truck, and did not ask him to take her home, even though they drove by her house on the way to Haysi. Although Leona had her learner's permit, see Code § 46.2-334, she also did not offer to drive. Continuing, Charles testified that, just before the accident occurred, he stopped to use the bathroom and noticed that he had a buzz and could feel the effect of the alcohol. At that point, Charles had consumed five or six of the seven-ounce bottles of beer in slightly less than two hours, and he had not eaten lunch or dinner that day. However, Charles stated that he had no trouble with his driving and did not believe that anyone would have considered him intoxicated. Charles further testified that he thought Leona would have told him if she had been concerned for her safety. The accident occurred as Charles was coming into a steep curve too fast and lost control of his truck. Charles stated that he thought he had already driven through that curve. The truck flipped, and Charles and his two passengers were thrown out of the truck. When Charles found Leona after the accident, she was dead. Approximately an hour and a half after the accident, Charles' blood alcohol content (BAC) measured .08 percent by weight by volume. [4] A forensic toxicologist, whom Charles called to testify at trial, opined that Charles' BAC at the time of the accident could have been as low as .07 percent or as high as .10 percent, and that a BAC in that range would have adversely affected Charles' judgment, attention, concentration, and reaction time. However, the toxicologist also testified that, considering Charles' experience with drinking large quantities of alcohol, he would not likely have been visibly drunk to an objective observer. Charles and Leona had been dating more than a year at the time of her death and were engaged to be married. Charles testified that Leona had ridden with him many times when he was drinking and driving, and that they had argued about his drinking. At Leona's suggestion, Charles had entered a detoxification center a few months before the accident, but he had left the center before completing the detoxification program. Several witnesses testified about the impact of Leona's death on her family. A neighbor of the Rices established that Leona had a close relationship with her mother and that Leona's death upset the Rices. The neighbor added that Mrs. Rice continues to suffer because of the death of her daughter and is not dealing well with the loss. One of Leona's friends also testified that Leona had a good relationship with both McClanahan and Mrs. Rice, and that the family was heartbroken when Leona died. Mrs. Rice testified that she had a very special relationship with Leona and that, when she learned of Leona's death, she experienced the awfullest feeling that any person can have. Mrs. Rice also stated that McClanahan and Leona were very close, and that Leona and Mr. Rice likewise had a good relationship. Mrs. Rice acknowledged that she did not encourage Leona's relationship with Charles when the couple began dating. Mrs. Rice also stated that Leona had told her about Charles' drinking problem but had assured her parents that she would not ride in a car with someone who had been drinking. Mr. Rice also testified that he loved Leona very much, that he spent a lot of time outdoors with her, and that his entire family was very close. He stated that he felt hurt and anger when he learned of Leona's death, and that her loss will hurt [him] all [his] life. Mr. Rice further testified that Leona's death continues to affect his family, that his wife cries continuously, and that he has trouble dealing with his grief. He also testified that McClanahan has changed since Leona's death and is not as happy as she used to be. McClanahan stated that she and Leona were close even though she was four years older than Leona, and that she still suffers over Leona's death. Leona had told her about Charles' problem with drinking alcoholic beverages. Consequently, McClanahan had warned Leona not to ride with Charles after he had been drinking, and, according to McClanahan, Leona assured her that she would not do so. McClanahan related an incident just a few months prior to Leona's death when Leona had asked to get out of a vehicle because other people had beer in the vehicle. [5]