Opinion ID: 1896723
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: future disability

Text: In line with the argument on lost wages, counsel for Mrs. James also rebuts the claims of future disability made by Mrs. Jackson. This claim of future disability is linked with Dr. Lipton's testimony that the accident made Mrs. Jackson more proned to further neck difficulties. However, Mrs. James argues, Dr. Blake's opinion was that there was nothing wrong with the plaintiff and that she had not been injured in the accident.
Obviously, each party presents a contrasting version of the amount of Mrs. Jackson's damages. In order to resolve this issue, this Court, in prior decisions, has addressed the appropriate procedure in connection with additur. Considering the defendant's admission of liability, the conflicting proof of plaintiff's injury and causation, but together with actual compensatory damage to the plaintiff of approximately $4,600.00, without any apparent award of pain and suffering or future disability, the trial court, following the standard set out in Walton v. Scott, 365 So.2d 630 (Miss. 1978), acted properly in determining that the award of $1,000.00 was so inadequate to strike mankind at first blush as being unreasonable and outrageous. Walton, supra, City of Jackson v. Ainsworth, 462 So.2d 325 (Miss. 1984). Secondly, with the preceding precedent in mind, this appellate court should reverse the trial judge's actions only in the event that he manifestly abused his discretion. In support of this contention, Justice Jones in Biloxi Electric Co., supra, writes, [T]he decisive question in this case is whether the appellant has shown that the trial court manifestly abused its discretion in granting a new trial... . Biloxi Electric Co., supra at 406. As in the City of Jackson case, this Court in reviewing the trial court's action holds that the judgment of $2,000.00 is a reasonable exercise of discretion in response to an inadequate damage award. City of Jackson, at 330. The trial court was correct in ordering an additur, or in the alternative a new trial.