Opinion ID: 1252917
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: GMC's Cross-Assignments of Error

Text: Now we will address GMC's three crossassignments of error. For reasons set forth below we affirm the trial court's decision on all three of GMC's cross-assignments of error.
First, we address GMC's contention that the trial court erred in allowing evidence, argument and instruction regarding GMC's post-sale duties to warn. GMC contends that the defect must be present when the product is manufactured in order for it to have a duty to warn of the defect. GMC's argument involves two different analysis: (1) was the instruction on the elements of the duty to warn under a negligence theory proper, and (2) did the evidence in this case support the jury's finding that the 1978 Oldsmobile was defective at the time it was manufactured. First, we will address the jury instructions. Below is an excerpt from the trial transcript of the jury instructions read by the judge to the jury on the issue of GMC's duty to warn under a strict liability theory and under a negligence theory: The Plaintiffs also allege that the automobile contained a defect which contributed to Plaintiff's injuries beyond those which would have otherwise occurred in the collision. This legal theory is often referred to as `failure to warn[.]' Specifically, failure to warn refers to the allegation that a product is defective because it does not contain adequate labels, instructions, or warnings. As to the theory of crashworthiness or enhanced injury, however; in order for Plaintiffs to prove that the product was defective because of a lack of labels, instruction, or warnings, the product is to be tested by what the reasonably, prudent manufacturer should have done, having in mind the general state of the art of the manufacturing process, including design, labels, and warnings, as it relates to economic costs, at the time the product was made. If you determine from the evidence that General Motors knew or ought to have known in 1978 that, by reason of lack of lap shoulder belts in the rear seat of the Oldsmobile was not reasonably safe, absent an adequate warning; that such warning was feasible; that it was not given, and that it was this feature of the product that caused the injuries, your verdict may be against General Motors and in favor of the Johnsons. If you find from the evidence that the rear seat lap belts alleged to have caused Plaintiff's injuries, by reason of a defect present when it left the hands of General Motors, was not reasonably safe for its normal use and that the Defendant failed to exercise due care in its design and manufacture, and if you also find that the defect was a substantial factor in causing the injuries, you may find for the Plaintiff, Andrew and Gregory Johnson. If you believe from the evidence that General Motors had reason to know of risks in use of the product, risks which only came to its knowledge after the product had left its control and that it failed to take steps that a reasonably, prudent manufacturer would take to warn users of these risks, you may find them to be liable for any resulting harm. (R. at 1449-51) (emphasis added). GMC only complains about the underlined portion of the above instructions. GMC states that it was error for the judge to read the underlined portion regarding the duty to warn under a negligence theory because it fails to instruct the jury that the defect must exist at the time the product was made. The Johnsons, on the other hand, contend that there is a difference between the duty to warn under a negligence theory and the duty to warn under a strict liability theory, and under the negligence theory the underlined portion of the above instructions was proper since under the negligence theory the duty to warn continues even after the product is sold. [5] The Johnsons also argue that this issue is moot since the jury found GMC responsible under a strict liability theory which the judge properly instructed requires the defect to be present when the product is manufactured. We agree that the issue is moot. The difficulty with this issue is that the following jury verdict form, in part, is not clear: VERDICT FORM 1. Do you find that the 1978 Oldsmobile was defective, either due to the lack of lapshoulder belts in the rear seat or due to General Motors' failure to warn about the risks of lap-only belts? Yes X No 2. Do you find that General Motors was negligent? Yes X No 3. Do you find that General Motors breached its implied warranty? Yes No X IF YOUR ANSWER TO ALL THREE QUESTIONS ABOVE IS NO, THEN YOU NEED PROCEED NO FURTHER; SIGN AND DATE THIS JURY VERDICT FORM AND REPORT YOUR VERDICT TO THE COURT. _______________________________ __________________________________________ Foreperson Date IF YOU HAVE ANSWERED YES TO ANY ONE OF THE THREE QUESTIONS ABOVE, THEN PROCEED TO QUESTION NO. 4. 4. Do you find from a preponderance of the evidence that this defect or negligence or breach of warranty proximately caused the injuries of which Gregory and Andrew Johnson complain? Yes X No __________ There was no separate interrogatory which enabled the jury to indicate whether or not GMC had a duty to warn. The only mention of a duty to warn was in the disjunctive: 1. Do you find that the 1978 Oldsmobile was defective, either due to the lack of lap-shoulder belts in the rear seat or due to General Motors' failure to warn about the risks of lap-only belts? (emphasis added) Therefore, it is impossible to tell from the first interrogatory whether the jury found GMC liable under a strict liability theory [6] or under a duty to warn theory. We stated the following in syllabus point 6 of Orr v. Crowder, 173 W.Va. 335, 315 S.E.2d 593 (1983), cert. denied, 469 U.S. 981, 105 S.Ct. 384, 83 L.Ed.2d 319 (1984): Where a jury returns a general verdict in a case involving two or more liability issues and its verdict is supported by the evidence on at least one issue, the verdict will not be reversed, unless the defendant has requested and been refused the right to have the jury make special findings as to his liability on each of the issues. In Orr this Court explained the rationale for its holding in syllabus point 6: [W]e fail to see the logic of a rule that requires a general verdict supported by one good theory of liability to be set aside. We are aware of no presumption that requires a court to assume that the jury has returned the verdict on the cause of action that was not supported by sufficient evidence. It must be remembered that in a civil case the burden of proof in order to prevail is only by a preponderance of the evidence. Id. at 349, 315 S.E.2d at 607. In the case before us, the verdict is supported by the evidence under the strict liability. theory. GMC does not complain that it requested and was refused a separate finding by the jury on the duty to warn. If GMC had wanted to make the jury findings clearer it could have submitted a special interrogatory or verdict form to require the jury to state under which theory of the duty to warn, if any, the jury found GMC liable. See Id. at 349, 315 S.E.2d at 607. However, GMC chose not to make the jury's findings clear. Furthermore, we point out that although GMC complains that one instruction was erroneous, the jury was properly instructed on several other theories of liability: strict liability, negligence, and the duty to warn under a strict liability theory. Therefore, under syllabus point 6 of Orr, supra, we will not reverse the jury verdict since the jury was properly instructed under the strict liability theory, and since it is impossible to tell under which theory of duty to warn, if any, the jury found GMC liable. Next, we address whether the evidence in the case before us supports the jury's finding that the 1978 Oldsmobile was defective at the time it was manufactured. We find that the evidence does support the jury's findings. At the outset we note that we have stated that [w]hen a case involving conflicting testimony and circumstances has been fairly tried, under proper instructions, the verdict of the jury will not be set aside unless plainly contrary to the weight of the evidence or without sufficient evidence to support it. Syl. pt. 4, Laslo v. Griffith, 143 W.Va. 469, 102 S.E.2d 894 (1958). See also syl. pt. 2, McNeely v. Frich, 187 W.Va. 26, 415 S.E.2d 267 (1992). We have further indicated that [i]n determining whether the verdict of a jury is supported by the evidence, every reasonable and legitimate inference, fairly arising from the evidence in favor of the party for whom the verdict was returned, must be considered, and those facts, which the jury might properly find under the evidence, must be assumed as true.' Syllabus point 3, Walker v. Monongahela Power Company, 147 W.Va. 825, 131 S.E.2d 736 (1963). Syl. pt. 3, McNeely, supra . GMC contends that the evidence showed that there was no requirement by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration for the Oldsmobile to be equipped with rear seat lap and shoulder belts in 1978. GMC points out that the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration never issued a recall or warning regarding rear restraint systems. In fact, it was not until 1990 that lap and shoulder belts were required in the rear seats of all new cars sold in the United States. However, the judge gave the following instruction to the jury: In the course of the trial of this lawsuit, evidence has been introduced to the effect that the vehicle, manufactured and sold by Defendant, complied with certain Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards established by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration. With respect to those Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards, you are instructed that compliance by a manufacturer with federal standards, existing at the time the product was manufactured and prescribing standards for design, inspection, testing, or manufacture of a product, is a factor which you may take into consideration in determining whether the car was defective. It is not of itself conclusive either way. I charge you that industry standards are not conclusive as to ordinary care and design or manufacture, but rather are admissible evidence for your consideration, together with all the other evidence in this case. (R. at 1451-52). GMC did not in its brief argue that the above instruction was erroneous. Therefore, in this case the federal motor vehicle safety standards were admissible as evidence of whether a manufacturer's conduct was reasonable; however, the jury did not have to find that the manufacturer's conduct was reasonable merely because it followed the federal motor vehicle safety standards. [7] Furthermore, the verdict was not plainly contrary to the weight of the evidence. GMC argues that the use of a combination lap and shoulder restraint system in the rear seat was merely a safety improvement, and manufacturers should not be made responsible to warn of all safety improvements which occur through the development of technology and research. [8] However, there was evidence that the use of the lap and shoulder belts in the rear seat of a car was not merely a safety improvement, but was a defect in 1978. For instance, an expert stated that prior to 1978, GMC sold automobiles overseas which had lap and shoulder belts in the rear seat. [9] The evidence at trial further indicated that the medical community, scientific community and automobile manufacturers were aware that the use of lap and shoulder belts in the rear would reduce injuries, and that the laponly belts did cause spinal and abdominal injuries. In fact, GMC wrote a letter to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 1973 in which GMC noted that lap belts reduced injuries by 17% whereas lap and shoulder belts reduced injuries by 52%. [10] Therefore, there was evidence that GMC knew or should have known in 1978 that the lap-only belts caused serious injuries which may have been prevented by the use of a shoulder and lap belt combination. We acknowledge that GMC presented evidence which indicated that a concern in 1978 was that the lap and shoulder belt combination could cause injuries, particularly with children. Also, GMC presented evidence that not many people in the United States wore any type of safety restraining device in the 1970's. Therefore, car manufacturers did not see a need to install more equipment which would not be used. We recognize that GMC offered this evidence; however, it is not our role to resolve conflicting evidence. As the Appellate Court of Illinois stated [t]he determination of where the truth lies in conflicting testimony and the determination of the weight, if any, which should be accorded the witness' testimony are functions solely for the finder of fact. Moehle v. Chrysler Motors Corp., 100 Ill.App.3d 353, 55 Ill.Dec. 774, 426 N.E.2d 1099, 1103 (1981), aff'd, 93 Ill.2d 299, 66 Ill.Dec. 649, 443 N.E.2d 575 (1982) (citations omitted). Therefore, we hold that the jury verdict was not plainly contrary to the weight of the evidence. [11]
Second, we address GMC's contention that the trial court erred in qualifying Ben Kelley to testify as an expert in the areas of auto restraint systems, history of auto restraint systems, and the state-of-the-art restraint systems. GMC also contends that it was error for the trial court to allow Mr. Kelley to read to the jury portions from documents which he had reviewed. This Court has clearly stated that '[w]hether a witness is qualified to state an opinion is a matter which rests within the discretion of the trial court and its ruling on that point will not ordinarily be disturbed unless it clearly appears that its discretion has been abused. Point 5, syllabus, Overton v. Fields, 145 W.Va. 797 [117 S.E.2d 598 (1960)].' Syllabus Point 4, Hall v. Nello Teer Co., 157 W.Va. 582, 203 S.E.2d 145 (1974). Syl. pt. 12, Board of Education of McDowell County v. Zando, Martin & Milstead, Inc., 182 W.Va. 597, 390 S.E.2d 796 (1990). [12] In the case before us the record does not indicate that the trial court erred in allowing Mr. Kelley to testify in the manner described. Mr. Kelley has held various jobs which concerned product injuries. For instance, at the time of trial he was President of A.B. Kelley Corp., a consulting agency which studies product safety and product injury production. He was also President of the Institute for Injury Reduction which is a nonprofit research and education group which addresses issues involving product-related injuries. In the past, Mr. Kelley has been Senior Vice President of the Insurance Institute for Highways and has served as a policy advisor to the Motor Vehicle and Highway Safety Bureau Director and the Federal Highway Administration. Mr. Kelley's job history indicates that he has knowledge about the safety of auto restraint systems. Therefore, we affirm the trial court's decision to qualify Mr. Kelley as an expert witness. GMC also contends that the trial court erred when it allowed Mr. Kelley to read to the jury portions from documents which he had reviewed. In syllabus point 4 of Ventura v. Winegardner, 178 W.Va. 82, 357 S.E.2d 764 (1987) this Court held that [a]n expert may base his opinion on a professional treatise or publication, but must first show the authoritative nature of the work. Furthermore, W.Va.R.Evid. 803(18) states: (18) Learned Treatises. To the extent called to the attention of an expert witness upon cross-examination or relied upon by him in direct examination, statements contained in public treatises, periodicals, or pamphlets on a subject of history, medicine, or other science or art, established as a reliable authority by the testimony or admission of the witness or by other expert testimony or by judicial notice. If admitted, the statements may be read into evidence but may not be received as exhibits. The record indicates that Mr. Kelley read articles by various specialists such as medical doctors and automotive engineers. These articles did give insight as to what the various specialists knew about safety restraint systems in the 1960's and 1970's. Furthermore, we have also held that `[r]ulings on the admissibility of evidence are largely within a trial court's sound discretion and should not be disturbed unless there has been an abuse of discretion.' State v. Louk, 171 W.Va. 639, [643,] 301 S.E.2d 596, 599 (1983). Syl. pt. 2, State v. Peyatt, 173 W.Va. 317, 315 S.E.2d 574 (1983). The trial court did not err when allowing Mr. Kelley to read portions of various publications to the jury.
Third, we address GMC's contention that the trial court erred by not allowing the jury to view the Johnsons' vehicle. The Johnsons state that since the time of their accident their vehicle had been exposed to flood conditions and other conditions which changed the appearance of the vehicle. The Johnsons also contend that the photographs and models used at trial were sufficient. `The allowance of a view by a jury is within the discretion of the trial court, and its refusal is not ground for reversal unless it is clearly manifest that a view was necessary to a just decision, and that the refusal operated to the injury of the party asking it.' Point 4, Syllabus, Compton v. The County Court of Marshall County, 83 W.Va. 745 [99 S.E. 85]. Syl. pt. 4, Daugherty v. Baltimore & Ohio R.R. Co., 135 W.Va. 688, 64 S.E.2d 231 (1951). GMC has not shown that a view was necessary for a just decision. Therefore, we affirm the ruling of the trial court.