Opinion ID: 1817293
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: the trial court erred in denying appellants' request for remittitur.

Text: First, it should be noted that in her closing argument, appellee requested that the jury award a verdict to appellee in the amount of $480,625.73. This requested amount was broken down in her closing argument, as follows: Pain & Suffering of Decedent: 1st 3 days in hospital $200/day $ 600.00 Last 65 days 24,000.00 Decedent's Mental Anguish during Last 68 Days 33,100.00 Loss of Society and Companionship (Based on life tables; 7.3 years remaining for 85-year-old Black man) 43,800.00 Medical Bills 12,063.00 Unexplained $367,062.73 ___________ TOTAL $480,625.73 The standard of review for damages is set forth in Miss. Code Ann. § 11-1-55 (1972) as follows: The Supreme Court or any other court of record in a case in which money damages were awarded may overrule a motion for a new trial or affirm on direct or cross-appeal, upon condition of an additur or remittitur, if the court finds that the damages are excessive or inadequate for the reason that the jury or trier of the facts was influenced by bias, prejudice, or passion, or that the damages awarded are contrary to the overwhelming weight of credible evidence... . Appellee persuasively demonstrates that the damages awarded were not just for the wrongful death of Tyler because decedent suffered severe pain, suffering and mental anguish from February 4, 1980, to April 12, 1980, as a result of the injuries he sustained in the February 4, 1980, collision. This fact is evident from the testimony of Dr. Michael Vise: Q: And what was that treatment, Doctor? A: The treatment was to place bur holes  these are drainage holes  in the skull to drain this fluid off. We did not initially. We drained fluid, and he improved. He subsequently re-accumulated his fluid because that is one of the  it is part of the pathological process in this disease. Once you get the old membranes in an elderly person, it's sometimes extremely difficult to get the fluid to no longer re-accumulate. He re-accumulated fluid. We had to drain them again. We put drains over the surface of the brain and had a bag of externally drain fluid for several days thereafter. We eventually took the drain out. He seemed to be improving, and then prior to transfer to a nursing home, he had a cardiac arrest. His heart stopped beating. Q: Now, Doctor, let me ask you this. You said that you did bur holes. Where were the bur holes? Well, first of all, what are bur holes? A: A bur hole is simply a hole about the size of a dime that is drilled into the skull, usually in these locations, or they can be at the front... . Dr. Vise further testified that during his final hospital stay, Tyler was agitated and restless, had symptoms of the irritation to his brain from the blood clots over the surface of the brain,... for which pain and suffering he was given Thorazine, a tranquilizer. Tyler, also during this period, suffered from signultus (hiccups) for two reasons: (1) the irritation to his brain, and (2) from a specific medication he was taking, cortisone. Finally, Dr. Vise testified that because of Tyler's General state of debilitation, being weak, having ... blood clots over the brain, ... the irritation [and] the entire illness ... caused Tyler to experience nausea, and caused problems with poor appetite and vomiting. There is testimony of Nurse Adams about Tyler being required to use a foley catheter and drainage bag, feeding tube forced down his throat and posey jacket to restrain his movement. Further, there is an abundance of testimony from the plaintiff, Glenn Wilkerson, Rev. Broome, Mrs. Broome, and Mr. Tobias. With regard to the loss of society and companionship, it is noted that according to life tables in effect at the time of decedent's death, he had at least 7.3 years of life remaining. Appellee was decedent's only child. They were extremely close and the evidence showed they communicated daily, either personally or by telephone. Decedent was accustomed to performing odds and end jobs for his daughter on a fairly regular basis. Where, at first blush, a jury verdict in the amount of $150,000 for the wrongful death of an 85-year-old man may appear on the high side, we have examined the entire record thoroughly and hold that this amount comports with the evidence and with the prior health, the severe pain, suffering and mental anguish the decedent experienced, appellee's (an only child) loss of society and companionship and the medical expenses. We give great deference to the jury and conclude that our consciences are not shocked by this amount. AFFIRMED. ROY NOBLE LEE, C.J., HAWKINS, P.J., and PRATHER, ROBERTSON, SULLIVAN, ANDERSON and PITTMAN, JJ., concur. BLASS, J., dissents by separate written opinion.