Opinion ID: 2135181
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Mistrial Based on Alleged Misconduct of Counsel.

Text: K-Products complains that Clarey's attorney engaged in improper conduct during the trial, which should have resulted in a mistrial. However, in its motion for new trial, K-Products failed to mention specifically any of the alleged instances of misconduct. As we said in a similar case, [n]o motion to strike the objectionable matter was made and there was no motion for a mistrial due to the alleged misconduct of plaintiffs' counsel. Even the defendant's motion for a new trial did not include this as a ground, although several other grounds were listed. We, therefore, cannot consider it in this appeal. Obviously, if defendant had seriously considered this issue of misconduct of counsel, it would have been raised in appellant's motion for a new trial where the trial court could have passed upon it. The granting of a new trial on the ground of misconduct of counsel is a matter largely left to the discretion of the trial court, and this court has often said it will not interfere unless it affirmatively appears that such discretion was abused. The rule is so well established that we must assume defendant considered it when he listed his grounds for a new trial and left this one out. Auen v. Kluver, 250 Iowa 619, 626, 95 N.W.2d 273, 277 (1959). Other issues that have been raised in the direct appeal have been considered, and we find no merit in them.