Opinion ID: 1608424
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Whether the Trial Court Properly Denied the Solankis' Motion for a New Trial.

Text: ¶ 46. This Court reviews a trial court's grant or denial of a motion for a new trial for an abuse of discretion. See, e.g., Pierce v. Cook, 992 So.2d 612, 620 (Miss.2008); Allstate Ins. Co. v. McGory, 697 So.2d 1171, 1174 (Miss.1997). This Court has held that a new trial becomes appropriate when a trial court determines that error within the trial mechanism itself has caused a legally incorrect or unjust verdict to be rendered. White v. Stewman, 932 So.2d 27, 33 (Miss.2006). This Court further stated in Stewman: In ordering a new trial, the trial court makes a determination that the jury verdict is in error, and that due to mistakes made in conducting the trial, mistakes made in applying the law, or due to a jury verdict that is against the great weight of the evidence, a new trial is necessary. Id. at 33. This Court also has held that: A new trial may be granted in a number of circumstances, such as when the verdict is against the overwhelming weight of the evidence, or when the jury has been confused by faulty jury instructions, or when the jury has departed from its oath and its verdict is a result of bias, passion, and prejudice. Bobby Kitchens, Inc. v. Miss. Ins. Guar. Ass'n, 560 So.2d 129, 132 (Miss.1989) (citing Clayton v. Thompson, 475 So.2d 439, 443 (Miss.1985)). Throughout the entire history of jury trials, the courts have exercised a supervisory power over them, and have granted new trials whenever convinced, from the evidence, that the jury has been partial or prejudiced, or has not responded to reason upon the evidence produced. Stewman, 932 So.2d at 33. ¶ 47. The Solankis' argument regarding their motion for a new trial is the same as their argument regarding their motion for JNOV, which is summarized above in Section III, and which includes a claim that the jury was confused, biased, or prejudiced. The Solankis do not separately address the trial court's denial of their motion for a new trial on appeal. The argument the Solankis presented to the trial court in their motion for JNOV or, in the alternative, a new trial, includes a section that is similar to the argument they present on appeal. We note that in their motion for JNOV or, in the alternative, a new trial, the Solankis also claim that the trial court should have granted a directed verdict; that the trial court should have granted a peremptory instruction in their favor; that the trial court improperly excluded Hannah's supplemental report, video, and photographs; that the trial court should not have granted jury instructions D-6, D-8, D-11, D-4a, D-7a, and D-2; that the trial court erred in denying the Solankis' motion to designate an expert out of time; that the trial court should have granted jury instruction P-7 and P-3; that the trial court improperly granted partial summary judgment as to the Solankis' negligent-infliction-of-emotional-distress claim; and that the trial court erred in granting partial summary judgment as to punitive damages. For several of these alleged points of error, the Solankis only include a heading and do not include any substantive arguments in support. Moreover, the Solankis fail to demonstrate how these supposed errors resulted in a jury verdict that is against the overwhelming weight of the evidence, unjust, or contrary to the law. Therefore, this Court will not address these additional arguments. ¶ 48. Defendants contend that the trial court properly denied the Solankis' motion for a new trial, arguing that there was no error in the trial that resulted in a legally incorrect or unjust verdict. Defendants assert that there is no indication that the jury was confused by the jury instructions or that they reached a verdict based on bias, passion, or prejudice. ¶ 49. Based on the evidence relevant to the issue of negligence, which this Court reviewed in Section I, this Court cannot find that the trial court abused its discretion in denying the Solankis' motion for a new trial. The Solankis fail to identify an error within the trial mechanism that resulted in a jury verdict that is against the overwhelming weight of the evidence, unjust, or contrary to the law. They also fail to demonstrate how the jury verdict warrants a new trial. Once again, the jury is the sole judge of the credibility of witnesses and the weight of the evidence. See, e.g., Nelson, 10 So.3d at 913 (citation omitted); Gathright, 380 So.2d at 1278. Although the Solankis claim that the jury was confused by the jury instructions, they provide no support for this claim. The Solankis also claim that the jury was biased or prejudiced against them. While claims of prejudice should not cavalierly be dismissed, the record in this case is devoid of any evidence to support the contention that the verdict of the jury in the instant case was the result of bias, passion, and prejudice. This Court recognizes that the Solankis are Indian and that Nilima and Sidharth Solanki immigrated to this country. We note that testimony about the Solankis' country of origin, their immigration to the United States, their life here, and their plans for the future, including returning to India in their retirement, was introduced by their counsel during the direct examination of Sidharth Solanki. [10] However, the Solankis did not identify (and this Court cannot find) anything in the record to indicate that the jury was prejudiced against the Solankis because of their race or national origin. ¶ 50. As stated above, the Solankis set out the law regarding changing lanes and the responsibilities of individuals driving cars behind other cars. This is irrelevant to the question of whether there was an error in the trial mechanism. The Solankis' discussion of the three jury instructions could be relevant to the question of whether there was an error in the trial mechanism that caused a jury verdict that is against the overwhelming weight of the evidence, unjust, or contrary to the law. However, the Solankis fail to explain how the jury instructions caused the jury to reach a verdict that warranted a new trial. Therefore, this Court finds that the trial court properly denied the Solankis' motion for a new trial.