Opinion ID: 1608424
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Whether the Trial Court Properly Denied the Solankis' Motion for Directed Verdict and their Request for a Peremptory Instruction.

Text: ¶ 8. This Court reviews a trial court's grant or denial of a motion for directed verdict de novo. See, e.g., Pierce v. Cook, 992 So.2d 612, 616 (Miss.2008); Pace v. Fin. Sec. Life, 608 So.2d 1135, 1138 (Miss.1992). A motion for directed verdict tests the legal sufficiency of the plaintiff's evidence. Bankston v. Pass Rd. Tire Ctr., Inc., 611 So.2d 998, 1003 (Miss.1992). This Court has stated that [i]n deciding whether a directed verdict... should be granted, the trial judge is to look solely to the testimony on behalf of the party against whom a directed verdict is requested. He will take such testimony as true along with all reasonable inferences which can be drawn from that testimony which is favorable to that party, and, if it could support a verdict for that party, the directed verdict should not be given. If reasonable minds might differ as to this question, it becomes a jury issue. White v. Thomason, 310 So.2d 914, 916-17 (Miss.1975) (citing Williams v. Weeks, 268 So.2d 340 (Miss.1972); Jones v. Phillips, 263 So.2d 759 (Miss.1972)). This Court has also held that [i]n considering the evidence and all reasonable inferences, the court must determine whether the evidence is so overwhelmingly against [the nonmovant] that no reasonable juror could have found in her favor. Fox v. Smith, 594 So.2d 596, 603 (Miss.1992) (citations omitted). [T]his Court considers `whether the evidence, as applied to the elements of a party's case, is either so indisputable, or so deficient, that the necessity of a trier of fact has been obviated.' Spotlite Skating Rink, Inc. v. Barnes, 988 So.2d 364, 368 (Miss.2008) (quoting White v. Stewman, 932 So.2d 27, 32 (Miss.2006)). Accordingly, [a] directed verdict pursuant to M.R.C.P. 50(a) is not an appropriate means for the disposition of a case so long as questions of fact are raised in the proof at trial. Id. (citing Bank of Shaw v. Posey, 573 So.2d 1355, 1361 (Miss.1990)). ¶ 9. Mississippi Rule of Civil Procedure 50(a) states that [a] motion for a directed verdict shall state the specific grounds therefor. Miss. R. Civ. P. 50(a). The Solankis moved for directed verdict on the grounds that the evidence clearly showed that Ervin had changed lanes when it was not safe to do so, that he had changed lanes and had failed to keep a proper lookout, and that he had not kept his truck under reasonable and proper control. The Solankis argued that the trial court should direct the jury to find in their favor because Ervin had been negligent as a matter of law. The trial court denied the motion. ¶ 10. As for the Solankis' claim that the trial court should have granted a peremptory instruction, this Court applies the same standard of review as it applies when reviewing the denial of directed verdict or JNOV: [T]his Court will consider the evidence in the light most favorable to the appellee, giving that party the benefit of all favorable inference that may be reasonably drawn from the evidence. If the facts so considered point so overwhelmingly in favor of the appellant that reasonable men could not have arrived at a contrary verdict, we are required to reverse and render. On the other hand if there is substantial evidence in support of the verdict, that is, evidence of such quality and weight that reasonable and fair minded jurors in the exercise of impartial judgment might have reached different conclusions, affirmance is required. The above standards of review, however, are predicated on the fact that the trial judge applied the correct law. Ala. Great S. R.R. Co. v. Lee, 826 So.2d 1232, 1235-36 (2002) (quoting Steele v. Inn of Vicksburg, Inc., 697 So.2d 373, 376 (Miss.1997)). ¶ 11. The Solankis do not identify the specific instruction that they claim the trial court improperly refused. Based on the record, this Court believes that the peremptory instruction at issue may be instruction P-1 [3] . Defendants objected to this instruction, and the trial court refused it. However, the trial court also refused instruction P-10 [4] , stating that the [o]bjection to P-28  P-9 will be refused because the last sentence [5] is almost peremptory, following which, the Solankis' counsel clarified that the trial court was actually referring to instruction P-10. Therefore, this Court assumes that the Solankis appeal from the trial court's refusal of both instructions P-1 and P-10. ¶ 12. On appeal, the Solankis argue that the trial court erred in denying their motion for directed verdict and in denying their request for a peremptory instruction on the issue of negligence. They rely on their argument regarding the trial court's denial of their motion for JNOV, which will be addressed more fully below, in Section III. Basically, the Solankis claim that Mississippi law regarding the responsibilities of drivers, the discrepancies in the testimony of Ervin and Defendants' expert, William Messerschmidt, and the fact that the jury was given certain jury instructions all indicate that a directed verdict or peremptory instruction should have been granted. The Solankis also cite this Court's decisions in Nobles v. Unruh, 198 So.2d 245 (Miss.1967), and Cipriani v. Miller, 248 Miss. 672, 160 So.2d 87 (1964), and maintain that these cases and others clearly indicate that if the Appellee changes lanes without first ascertaining that the lane change could be safely made, then the Appellants should be entitled to a directed verdict, or, to a peremptory instruction on the issue of liability. ¶ 13. Defendants counter that, based on the evidence presented at trial, questions of fact remained for the jury to decide with respect to negligence. Defendants also rely on their argument regarding JNOV, which will be addressed more fully in Section III. Essentially, Defendants argue that substantial evidence was presented at trial demonstrating that Ervin was not negligent and that the trial court properly denied the Solankis' motion for directed verdict. Defendants also maintain that the Solankis' arguments are misplaced and inapplicable. Defendants contend that Nobles and Cipriani are distinguishable from the facts of this case. ¶ 14. We now review the testimony relevant to the issue of negligence to determine whether there is sufficient evidence demonstrating that Ervin was not negligent, or whether the evidence is so overwhelmingly in favor of the Solankis that the trial court should have granted the Solankis' motion for directed verdict or their request for a peremptory instruction. See, e.g., Bankston, 611 So.2d at 1003; Fox, 594 So.2d at 603; (citations omitted); Lee, 826 So.2d at 1235-36 (citation omitted). The Solankis called Ervin as an adverse witness. Ervin testified that, prior to the accident, he was driving south on I-220. Ervin stated that, while he was on I-220, he moved from the right lane to the left lane to pass a dump truck that was moving slowly in the right lane. Ervin testified that he also noticed cars merging onto I-220 from Medgar Evers Boulevard. After changing lanes, Ervin testified that he noticed that there was traffic ahead of him and that he saw Nilima Solanki's car, but that he did not identify anything as a danger. Ervin stated that, initially, Nilima Solanki's car appeared to be moving. According to Ervin, once he realized that Nilima Solanki's car was not moving, he tried to move back into the right lane, but was unsuccessful because of the traffic. He also maintained that he applied the brakes at that point. When pressed, Ervin estimated that he may have applied the brakes before the bridge [6] (i.e., north of the bridge), but stated several times that he was unsure of the location at which he first applied the brakes. Ervin testified that he then attempted to avoid colliding with Nilima Solanki's car by going around it on the left side. Ervin stated that, although he tried to avoid hitting her car, ultimately, he could not avoid swiping her car. He insisted that I done everything possible that I could to avoid hitting the vehicle by slowing the truck down and even by trying to go around  around the vehicle to keep from hitting the vehicle. Ervin testified that if he had steered harder to the left, his truck would likely have jackknifed [7] and caused more damage and put more lives at risk. When asked if he could have attempted to avoid colliding with Nilima Solanki's car by going around it on the right side, Ervin testified that this was not an option, because other cars were there and it would have meant putting additional lives in danger. Ervin testified that he had not been drinking or taking any drugs at the time of the accident, and that he had not been in a hurry or distracted by anything at the time. ¶ 15. The Solankis then called James Hannah to provide expert testimony in the field of accident reconstruction. Hannah testified that he began his investigation of this accident by visiting the scene of the accident about a week after it occurred. He stated that he reviewed photographs taken by the police and also took photographs of his own. Hannah found that, based on the evidence, the accident report, and his own investigation, Ervin had a distance of more than 400 feet in which to avoid the accident. Hannah stated that this was the distance between the top of the bridge [8] and the location of Nilima Solanki's car. Hannah testified that he determined that Ervin could have seen the car from the top of the bridge. According to Hannah, Ervin should have been able to slow down much more than he did over a distance of 400 feet. Hannah estimated that Ervin should have been able to come to a full stop in 263 feet, although he admitted that he did not test Ervin's truck. He also testified that Ervin could have slowed down and waited to move back into the right lane. Hannah testified that, based on Ervin's testimony that he had started applying the brakes north of the bridge, he had already perceived and started responding to Nilima Solanki's car at that point. However, on cross-examination, Hannah admitted that no physical evidence showed that Ervin actually started to apply his brakes north of the bridge. Hannah concluded that Ervin did not do everything that he could have done to avoid the accident, because he had enough space to slow down to a speed at which he could have avoided colliding with Nilima Solanki's car. He concluded that Ervin had not been keeping a proper lookout, that he did not have his vehicle under control, and that he did not respond to the stopped car until he was in the immediate area of the car. ¶ 16. Defendants called Messerschmidt to provide expert testimony, also in the field of accident reconstruction. Messerschmidt testified that he conducted an investigation of the accident and visited the site of the accident in September 2007. He testified that, based on physical evidence, Nilima Solanki's car was in the left southbound lane of I-220 at the time of the accident, approximately 220 feet south of the bridge. Messerschmidt described the topography of the scene of the accident as follows: as you go south on 220 and you approach Medgar Evers Boulevard, you start up a hill, and at the crest of that hill is the bridge, and then you start gradually down from the crest of the bridge. Messerschmidt testified that, based on the readings from the GPS [9] on Ervin's truck, he had been traveling at sixty-seven miles per hour prior to the accident. When asked what he found with respect to Ervin's attempt to avoid the accident, Messerschmidt stated that the tire marks, the forensic mapping conducted by Richard Davis, and the photographs taken by Officer Maurice Kendrick demonstrated that Ervin had moved his truck six feet to the left and into the grass in the median in an attempt to avoid the accident. He added that, based on peer-reviewed, published research regarding the ability of trucks to be steered in either direction, Ervin was steering pretty much as hard as he could have steered to go to the left without jackknifing. ¶ 17. He stated that the research indicated that a stopped vehicle would be easily identifiable as an immediate hazard from 309 feet away. Messerschmidt stated that, because Ervin had been traveling at sixty-seven miles per hour and because Nilima Solanki's car would have been identifiable as a hazard from 309 feet away, Ervin had 3.14 seconds to react. Messerschmidt testified about research addressing the ability of drivers to perceive a stopped car without context. He stated that there had been no context for Ervin to determine that Nilima Solanki's car was not moving. He also testified that Ervin had been dealing with multiple hazards during the period of time directly preceding the accident because he was driving along a highway with traffic in both lanes, in addition to traffic merging onto the highway. Messerschmidt stated that research has shown that multiple hazards and the lack of context to judge the movement (or lack thereof) of a car causes the time required for perception and for response to increase. ¶ 18. He then testified that, based on research he conducted, the median distance at which a person could physically respond to an object is fifty-nine feet from the point of impact with that object. However, he found that Ervin had begun steering to the left ninety-eight feet from Nilima Solanki's car. Thus, Messerschmidt concluded, Ervin had responded faster (in that he responded from a greater distance) than a person whose response distance was in the median range of the research study. He estimated that it would have taken 250 to 310 feet for Ervin's truck to stop if he had fully engaged the brakes. Based on Ervin's speed and the fact that he had to move his truck to attempt to avoid the accident, Messerschmidt stated that it would have taken Ervin 116 feet to have avoided the accident by swerving to avoid hitting Solanski's car. Messerschmidt testified that: Mr. Ervin took the best method that was available to him. It would take between Mr. Hannah's number of 246 to 350 feet to stop. It would take 116 feet to change lanes and get out of the way. He tried to change lanes and get out of the way. His right-hand lane is blocked. The lane is 11 and a half or 11.7 feet wide. His truck is eight feet wide.... So to stay in 4.5 or so feet of lane [i.e., the distance between Nilima Solanki's car and the right lane] and not hit cars on the right is impossible. I mean eight is more than four and a half. ¶ 19. Considering the evidence relevant to the alleged negligence of Ervin and drawing all reasonable inferences in favor of Defendants, this Court cannot say that the evidence is so overwhelmingly in favor of the Solankis that the trial court improperly denied their motion for directed verdict and their request for a peremptory instruction. See, e.g., Bankston, 611 So.2d at 1003; Fox, 594 So.2d at 603 (citations omitted); Lee, 826 So.2d at 1235-36 (citation omitted). Substantial evidence demonstrates that Ervin was not negligent, supporting the jury verdict. See, e.g., Lee, 826 So.2d at 1235-36. Therefore, this Court finds that the trial court properly denied the Solankis' motion for directed verdict and their request for a peremptory instruction on the issue of negligence. Because directed verdicts and peremptory instructions test the legal sufficiency of the evidence, the remainder of the parties' arguments will not be addressed, as they are not relevant to the sufficiency of the evidence.