Opinion ID: 1224128
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: interpretation of walker drug i

Text: Finally, the Walkers allege that the lower court misinterpreted Walker Drug I regarding limitations on the recovery of damages and thereby required a higher standard of proof of causation for proving all damages, particularly stigma and cost of remediation damages. They assert that in addition to spawning erroneous evidentiary rulings and a directed verdict regarding stigma damages, this misinterpretation resulted in the court's refusing to adopt the Walkers' proposed jury instructions and caused the Walkers to alter their presentation of the evidence significantly. With respect to the jury instructions, the Walkers fail to demonstrate how the court's refusal to adopt their proposed jury instructions prejudiced them. Instead, the proffered instructions did not vary in any relevant way from the rather vague instructions given to the jury regarding causation. Any error committed by the court in refusing to accept the proposed instructions was harmless. Furthermore, the Walkers do not set forth any case law showing that they are entitled to a new trial because counsel had to adjust the manner of its evidentiary presentation due to a trial court's adverse understanding of controlling law. We will reverse the trial court only if its interpretation of the law results in a misapplication of the law to established facts or works to prevent relevant facts from being admitted. See Bitzes v. Sunset Oaks, Inc., 649 P.2d 66, 71-72 (Utah 1982).