Opinion ID: 8866
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: prejudice, bias, and sympathy factor.

Text: 105 The City argues that jury prejudice, bias, and sympathy is evidenced in the excessive jury award. Also, the City asserts that the jury's award exceeds by about 200% the relief requested by Polanco. Further, during deliberations, the jury asked whether answering yes to question two would disallow relief to Polanco. The City contends that the jury's question suggests that the jury did not want to adhere to the district court's instructions. 106 Polanco counters that because the award is supported by sufficient evidence, it is not reflective of prejudice, bias, and sympathy. Further, he indicates that the amount of the award demonstrates the jury's attempt to afford complete compensation. Polanco indicates that the judge granted the City's motion for remittitur and cured any potential harm to the City caused by any alleged overcompensation. Finally, he suggests that the judge's answer to the jury's question cured any potential problem that existed. 107 The decision to deny a motion for new trial, which has been requested because the jury's verdict reflects prejudice, bias, or sympathy, is reviewed for an abuse of discretion. Eiland v. Westinghouse Elec. Corp., 58 F.3d 176, 183 (5th Cir.1995); and Brunnemann v. Terra Int'l, Inc., 975 F.2d 175, 178 (5th Cir.1992). The district court abuses its discretion if it enters a clearly excessive verdict. Id. A verdict is excessive if it is contrary to right reason or entirely disproportionate to the injury sustained. Id. (Quotations omitted). 108 In the case at bar, the district court recognized that the verdict was excessive and partially granted the City's motion for remittitur. The City correctly indicates that technically Fifth Circuit jurisprudence dictates that the court is supposed to grant a new trial rather than remittitur when an award results from passion or prejudice. See Lowe v. General Motors Corp., 624 F.2d 1373, 1383 (5th Cir.1980). However, the Fifth Circuit in Lowe explained that when the award is deemed merely excessive, the district court may remit the award. Further, where the district court has remitted the award, the Fifth Circuit will assume that the district court believed that the award did not result from passion or prejudice. Id. (By suggesting that the verdicts in the case before us could be cured by remittiturs, ... we conclude that the District Court did not really believe that a new trial on this issue was absolutely necessary due to bias, passion and prejudice. It was, instead, addressing the similar although distinct question of 'just too much,' that is, excessiveness.). 109 We find that by remitting the award, the district court acknowledged that the large amount was not necessarily due to prejudice, bias, or sympathy. Also, the district court either did not read anything into the jury's question or believed that its answer cured any problems possibly underlying the question. 7 Thus, we hold that the present remitted award is reasonable and not reflective of prejudice, bias, or sympathy. 110