Opinion ID: 337924
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Refusal of a Contributory Negligence Instruction

Text: 34 When Bombardier moved the trial court for a new trial, it argued that there had been errors of law in instructing the jury and in refusing to submit the question of plaintiff's negligence for the jury to answer. The trial court entertained the view that Bombardier's Rule 59 motion was untimely. As previously noted, this court disagreed as to the timeliness. Sadowski I, supra. As to the Rule 60(b) motion, the district court ruled that under Swam v. United States, 327 F.2d 431 (7th Cir. 1964), cert. denied, 379 U.S. 852, 85 S.Ct. 98, 13 L.Ed.2d 55, claimed errors of law were not sufficient grounds for Rule 60(b) relief, since that rule was not a substitute for a timely appeal or a motion for a new trial. Our rejection of the trial court's ruling regarding the timeliness of appeal from the judgment requires this court to examine the matter of the instructions claim of error. 35 As a first step in that examination we turn to the language of Rule 51, Fed.R.Civ.P.: 36 At the close of the evidence or at such earlier time during the trial as the court reasonably directs, any party may file written requests that the court instruct the jury on the law as set forth in the requests. The court shall inform counsel of its proposed action upon the requests prior to their arguments to the jury, but the court shall instruct the jury after the arguments are completed. No party may assign as error the giving or the failure to give an instruction unless he objects thereto before the jury retires to consider its verdict, stating distinctly the matter to which he objects and the grounds of his objection. Opportunity shall be given to make the objection out of hearing of the jury. 37 The defendant submitted its written request for instructions in the form of a letter which referred to certain numbered instructions appearing in Wisconsin Civil Jury Instructions. The text of the instructions so tendered is not found in the record; however, the text of the instruction upon which the defendant relies in this appeal, 3254 Duty of Buyer or Consumer, is set forth in the motion for new trial: 38 The buyer (consumer) has a duty to use ordinary care for his own safety and protection, and, to that end, to observe all obvious and patent defects and dangerous conditions, if any, which are open and obvious to him if he is using reasonable care and caution for his own safety and protection. The danger, however, must not only be obvious, but must be understood by the buyer (consumer). The failure to use a product in accordance with the instructions which are adequate, if you find they were adequate, or the use of such product in an abnormal manner is negligence. 39 You are further instructed that a person is not bound absolutely by law to see every defect or dangerous condition, or even to remember the existence of every defect or dangerous condition of which he had knowledge. He is only required to act as a reasonably prudent person under the same or similar circumstances would act. 40 You are further instructed that a person is not required to anticipate negligent acts or omissions on the part of the others, and is not guilty of contributory negligence in failing to suspect any such danger. 41 The record does not reflect any failure on the part of the district court to inform counsel in advance of argument of the instructions it would give. We infer from references in the transcript of the evidence that this occurred at the noon recess, was held in chambers, and was not taken by a court reporter. 6 We encounter greater difficulties in considering the present contention, however, when we view the record pertaining to the Rule 51 requirement that for the assignment of error the grounds of objection must be stated distinctly as to the failure to give any instruction. Upon this appeal, the defendant takes several tacks at convincing us that contributory negligence was very much an issue and therefore should properly have been instructed upon as requested. 42 We are not unmindful of cases in this circuit displaying leniency in adhering to the quite plain language of Rule 51. Thus, in American National Bank and Trust Company v. Aetna Insurance Company, 447 F.2d 680, 683 (7th Cir. 1971), there apparently had been a lack of record statement of objections in the trial court. This court nevertheless considered the objections advanced upon appeal because the trial judge had repeatedly said that the objections had been noted for the purpose of protecting the record and that the record was protected, discouraging detailed objections by plaintiff. In Fey v. Walston & Co., Inc., 493 F.2d 1036, 1047 (7th Cir. 1974), this court, notwithstanding the absence of objections of record following the giving of the instructions, chose to review the objections argued at the appellate level because all of them were specifically pointed out to the trial court in connection with pre-instructions discussions, or inextricably relate to the objections so pointed out and carried over by reference, with the approval of the trial court, into the post-instruction time frame. Hetzel v. Jewel Companies, 457 F.2d 527 (7th Cir. 1972), indicates that a party will be relieved of the waiver of error aspect of Rule 51 when the trial court fails to comply with the intent of the rule that counsel be afforded the opportunity at the proper time to state to the court objections outside the hearing of the jury. 7 43 In the case before us we find ourselves not in a position to extend the apparent leniency of this circuit to the appellant. We search in vain for any indication that the district court was made aware of the contentions now advanced for the necessity of the giving of the particular instruction. The record does not disclose the reasons given for the district court's declination, and it may well have been that the court was of the opinion that the matter was adequately covered elsewhere. 8 The instruction 3254 dealing with the duty of the buyer would have presented only a partial picture to the jury and should have been supplemented with the aspect of the legal effect of contributory negligence in Wisconsin if the defendant was pursuing with any strength of belief this particular defense. In this court, the defendant argues aspects flowing from the alteration of the product but there was no attention given in proposed instructions to the imputation aspects of negligence which would have been involved in view of the fact that the plaintiff's then husband was maintaining the snowmobile. In this court, the defendant quotes a part of Wisconsin Civil Jury Instruction 3268 pertaining to the contributory negligence of a user of a product knowing it had been altered or knowing it was worn out in such a manner as to render the same unsafe. No such instruction was asked to be given by the trial court. 44 We do not consider this a case in which the district court precluded the attorney from stating his objection fully on the record. It is true that at the post-charge session out of the hearing of the jury when counsel adverted to spreading briefly on the record the objection to the non-giving of 3254 in view of the lateness of the hour, the court told him that he need not elaborate on it, that his argument had been made and considered in chambers. Unfortunately, we have no clue as to the scope of that objection. There is no basis for our concluding that it is clear that the court understood the specific ground being relied on. 9 Wright & Miller, Federal Practice and Procedure § 2554, at 650 (1971). Counsel for the defense at the past-charge conference did elaborate without curtailment by the court on three other instruction matters to make it clear to the court what the claimed error was. 45 We are not saying that egregious errors in the matter of instructions will never be the subject of appellate consideration when there is an insufficient record in the trial court. We do not consider the present case as one requiring such attention and hold that in the case before us error was not properly assigned in this court for the failure to give instruction 3254. 9