Opinion ID: 783131
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Lees's personal liability for breach of contract

Text: 27 The jury found both Lees and the corporate defendants jointly and severally liable for breach of Zhang's employment contract, following instructions and a verdict form that expressly allowed such a result. The appellants argue that, contrary to the jury's verdict, Lees could not be held liable for breach of Zhang's employment contract because he was not a party to that contract. We hold that the appellants have waived this issue. 28 As counsel conceded at oral argument, the appellants did not raise this issue until after the verdict was returned. They did not propose jury instructions that would have excluded Lees from liability, nor did they move for JMOL on Lees's liability at the close of the evidence. Only in their post-trial motion for a new trial and for JMOL did they argue that Lees could not be held liable. 29 The failure to raise this issue prior to the return of the verdict results in a complete waiver, precluding our consideration of the merits of the issue. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 50 requires that a motion for JMOL be made at the close of all the evidence in order to be renewed following entry of judgment. This Court strictly applies the rule that Rule 50 allows complete waiver if an objection is not properly made. See, e.g., Janes v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 279 F.3d 883, 887 (9th Cir.2002) (refusing to review an issue even where it was raised in a Rule 50(b) motion after trial because `the requirement that [a JMOL] motion be made at the close of all the evidence is to be strictly observed') (quoting Farley Transp. Co. v. Santa Fe Trail Transp. Co., 786 F.2d 1342, 1346 (9th Cir.1986)). The district court therefore properly denied the appellants' post-trial motion. 30