Opinion ID: 1740168
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 13

Heading: Issue of the Fraudulent Suppression Instructions

Text: Next, the defendants contend that they are entitled to a new trial on the ground that the trial judge gave erroneous instructions on fraudulent suppression. In reviewing the trial court's instruction to the jury, this Court reads and considers the entire charge as a whole. Baptist Mem'l Hosp. v. Bowen, 591 So.2d 74 (Ala. 1991). There were four couples as plaintiffs, each with different claims. The trial judge took care to avoid confusion among the different claims. The trial judge dealt with the fraudulent suppression claim by adapting Alabama Pattern Jury Instruction 18.05, entitled Suppression of Truth. With regard to the fraudulent suppression claim of the Willises, the trial judge charged: If you are reasonably satisfied from the evidence that the flooding was and is a material defect or condition affecting the health and safety of the residence of the Willis home and that any of the Defendants, Jordan R. Cooper and the Prudential Cooper and Company knew about the defect before Mr. and Mrs. Willis bought their home, that such Defendants concealed the fact of the flooding from Mr. and Mrs. Willis, and Mr. and Mrs. Willis did not know about the flooding when they decided to buy their home, then such of those Defendants that knew about that defect before Mr. and Mrs. Willis bought their home, and such of those Defendants that concealed the fact of the flooding from Mr. and Mrs. Willis would be guilty of a legal fraud. The trial judge gave similar charges on fraudulent suppression for each of the claims of the other plaintiff-couples. The defendants contend also that the trial judge gave a confusing charge as to the general fraud count. Having carefully reviewed the entire jury charge, we hold that the trial judge did not err in its charge to the jury: when read in its entirety, the charge was neither confusing nor misleading. Baptist Mem'l Hosp., supra .