Opinion ID: 1209871
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Diamond's Motion for Judgment N.O.V. or a New Trial

Text: Diamond contends that the superior court erred in denying his motion for a judgment n.o.v. or a new trial. He claims that Wagstaff's theories explaining the jury's decision on causation were based on mere hypothetical possibilities, and that under this court's holding in Korean Air Lines Co. v. State, 779 P.2d 333 (Alaska 1989), the jury could not reasonably rely upon them. When reviewing a motion for a judgment n.o.v., we determine whether evidence, when viewed in the light most favorable to the non-movant, is such that reasonable persons could not differ in their judgment. Korean Air Lines, 779 P.2d at 338. We neither weigh the evidence nor judge the credibility of witnesses. Rather, we employ an objective test: If there is room for diversity of opinion among reasonable people, then a jury question exists. Id. We review the superior court's denial of a motion for a new trial for an abuse of discretion. See Lamer v. McKee Indus., Inc., 721 P.2d 611, 613 (Alaska 1986). An abuse of discretion occurs only if the evidence supporting the jury's verdict was either completely lacking or slight and unconvincing, so that the verdict was manifestly unreasonable and unjust. Again, we draw all inferences from the facts in the light most favorable to the non-movant. Id. When reviewing a jury verdict under these standards, this court necessarily considers hypothetical explanations for the jury's determination. Otherwise, we would not be able to review verdicts at all. Contrary to Diamond's contention, Korean Air Lines did not bar reliance on hypothetical possibilities; it simply concluded that particular hypothetical possibilities were not ones on which reasonable jurors could rely. See 779 P.2d at 339. Here, reasonable jurors could have disagreed as to whether Wagstaff's negligence caused Diamond's delay in filing suit. Wagstaff presented evidence that Diamond knew and understood the statute of limitations. For example, the jury could have relied on Wagstaff's testimony that he advised Diamond concerning the applicable statute of limitations during his initial meeting with him, and that Diamond was knowledgeable enough about the law to understand its meaning. In addition, the jury could have relied on Diamond's February 1985 letter to Croft, in which Diamond expressed concern over the amount of time remaining to sue, as an indication that Diamond knew about the statute of limitations for third-party claims. As Wagstaff correctly notes, given the evidence presented, a reasonable jury could have found negligence but not causation. The jury could have found that Wagstaff negligently omitted discussion of the statute of limitations in his May 1985 letter, but that Diamond was aware that any third-party claim was subject to the statute of limitations, and that Diamond nonetheless neither filed suit nor sought further advice. This theory is particularly plausible given that Diamond's only evidence pertaining to causation is his own testimony that as a result of Wagstaff's May 1985 letter, he did not file a claim. The jury reasonably could have accorded more weight to Wagstaff's evidence challenging the credibility of such testimony. Therefore, the superior court properly denied Diamond a judgment n.o.v. In addition, evidence that Diamond knew of the applicable statute of limitations was sufficient for the superior court to deny Diamond a new trial on the issue of causation. [2]