Opinion ID: 55805
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: standard of review

Text: We generally apply a two-part test in considering a challenge to the district court’s jury instructions. “The party challenging the instructions must first ‘demonstrate that the charge as a whole creates substantial and ineradicable doubt whether the jury has been properly guided in its deliberations.’” Russell v. Plano Bank & Trust, 130 F.3d 715, 719 (5th Cir. 1997) (quoting Bender v. Brumley, 1 F.3d 271, 276 (5th Cir. 1993)). “Second, even where a jury instruction was erroneous, ‘we will not reverse if we determine, based upon the entire record, that the challenged instruction could not have affected the outcome of the case.’” Id. (quoting Bender, 1 F.3d at 276). “A prerequisite to our review of the instructions in this manner, however, is that the objection must have been brought to the attention of the district court at trial.” Id. (citing 9A CHARLES ALAN WRIGHT & ARTHUR R. MILLER, FEDERAL PRACTICE AND PROCEDURE § 2553 (2d ed. 1995)). Rule 51 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure requires that a party objecting to jury instructions “must do so on the record, stating distinctly the matter objected to and the grounds of the 25 No. 06-11071 objection.” FED. R. CIV. P. 51(c). At oral argument, we questioned whether Wilkinson and Taulman’s objection at trial was sufficient to preserve error on the issue of the burden of persuasion. After further review of the record, we conclude that it was not. The district court gave the parties two opportunities to object to the jury instructions on the record. At the close of evidence, the court provided the parties with a preliminary version of the jury instructions and invited objections, additions, and suggestions. The following day, the court gave the parties the final version of the instructions, asked for the parties’ final objections and comments, and made clear rulings on the objections. During the preliminary charge conference, Wilkinson and Taulman’s attorney made the following objections to the breach of fiduciary duty jury charge (emphasis added): Counsel: On the instructions for breach of fiduciary duty, on page 1 we object to the five numbered items. We believe that they run a severe risk of misleading the jury and that they do not correctly reflect the Defendants’ rights under the Abetter decision that we discussed. The Court: And they do come straight from the patterns. Counsel: Yes, Your Honor. But we believe that the Abetter case raises implications that these could unfairly influence the jury to disregard the proper standard, which is set out in the Abetter case, and, we believe, in the remainder of the charge. The final paragraph on page 13, “. . . those duties are the employees’ right to properly plan,” we believe that properly plan is dangerously misleading and could be construed as a comment on the evidence. The Abetter case does not offer that clarification, properly.