Opinion ID: 1058693
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Prior Alcohol-Related Conduct

Text: In addition to the issue of comparative fault, Vanderbilt advances many of the issues that it raised in its Motion for New Trial. The first of these issues involves the trial court's exclusion of evidence regarding Qualls's alcohol-related conduct prior to his May 30, 1998 accident. Specifically, the trial court excluded evidence of the following two incidents. First, on April 13, 1996, a Lewis County Sheriff's Deputy saw Qualls erratically operating a motor vehicle. The deputy stopped Qualls's automobile and administered a breathalyzer test, which showed that Qualls's blood alcohol level exceeded .10%. Qualls pleaded guilty to the offense of driving under the influence and was sentenced to forty-eight hours in jail and eleven months, twenty-nine days of probation. Second, on November 8, 1997, a Perry County Sheriff's Deputy arrested Qualls for the aggravated assault of his wife. The deputy observed that Qualls was intoxicated at the time of arrest and would have testified that Qualls resisted arrest and attempted to flee from arresting officers. Qualls pleaded guilty to the offense of aggravated assault and was sentenced to thirty days in jail and was ordered to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. The trial court ruled that this evidence was not relevant. We agree. Generally, the admissibility of evidence is within the sound discretion of the trial court. Otis v. Cambridge Mut. Fire Ins. Co., 850 S.W.2d 439, 442 (Tenn.1992). The trial court's decision to admit or exclude evidence will be overturned on appeal only where there is an abuse of discretion. Id. A trial court abuses its discretion only when it `applie[s] an incorrect legal standard, or reache[s] a decision which is against logic or reasoning that cause[s] an injustice to the party complaining.' Eldridge v. Eldridge, 42 S.W.3d 82, 85 (Tenn. 2001) (quoting State v. Shirley, 6 S.W.3d 243, 247 (Tenn.1999)). In personal injury actions, damages primarily compensate the wronged party for his or her injuries and are intended to make the wronged party whole. Overstreet v. Shoney's, Inc., 4 S.W.3d 694, 703 (Tenn.Ct.App.1999). Loss of earning capacity is an element of damages in personal injury actions, see id. (citing Wolfe v. Vaughn, 177 Tenn. 678, 152 S.W.2d 631, 635 (1941)), as is the injured party's future medical expenses, see Newman v. Aluminum Co. of Am., 643 S.W.2d 109, 111 (Tenn.Ct.App.1982). As such, evidence relating to either of these elements would be relevant in a personal injury action. [3] Qualls's prior alcohol-related convictions, however, clearly are not relevant to his loss of earning capacity or to his future medical expenses. Qualls's occupation did not involve driving, and there was no contention that Qualls drank alcohol during working hours or that his use of alcohol affected his ability to perform competently at work. In addition, the proffered evidence of Qualls's prior convictions would not be relevant to determine the amount of future medical expenses he would require over his expected lifetime. In contrast, Qualls's alcohol consumption leading to his admission to Vanderbilt clearly was relevant. The jury heard a considerable amount of evidence related to Qualls's alcoholism. This evidence was properly admitted to show the medical treatment Qualls received that was related to his alcohol withdrawal and to support Vanderbilt's theory that Qualls suffered a catastrophic event caused by his alcohol withdrawal. Vanderbilt asserts that Qualls's prior convictions involving his use of alcohol are relevant because they show the pecuniary value of his life. Vanderbilt contends that we should rely upon wrongful death cases that address the pecuniary value of the life of a decedent because the issues of a decedent's life expectancy and loss of earning capacity are similar to that of a plaintiff who is in a persistent vegetative state. We disagree. Pecuniary value is judicially defined as a part of the incidental damages that may be recovered by the decedent's survivors to compensate them for the decedent's death. Jordan v. Baptist Three Rivers Hosp., 984 S.W.2d 593, 600 (Tenn.1999). Pecuniary value takes into account all aspects of a decedent's life, including his or her services and companionship, so as to place a value on the decedent's life. Id. These damages are not available in a personal injury action, regardless of the medical condition of the injured party. Consequently, we conclude that the trial court did not commit reversible error by excluding the proffered evidence.