Opinion ID: 59493
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Per-diem closing argument

Text: Captain D's contends that under our precedents we must grant it a new trial because the district court (after allowing plaintiff's counsel, over defendant's objection, to make an argument suggesting a per diem or unit-of-time dollar amount which the jury should award for loss of enjoyment of life) did not, sua sponte, instruct the jury that the argument was simply counsel's method of presenting his contention and was not evidence in the case  even though the defense did not request such an instruction. In effect, Captain D's contends that a district court's allowance of any objected-to unit-of-time argument is per se reversible error unless the court automatically cures it with a cautionary instruction. Our cases do not establish such a hard and fast rule, however. We have held that a unit-of-time argument is not reversible per se [30] but may be allowed, within the trial court's discretion, when couched with proper safeguards or otherwise cured. [31] In so holding, we warned of dangers that may accompany a unit-of-time argument and suggested safeguards that district courts may use to control them. [32] We indicated that when an objected-to unit-of-time argument is made the district court may not within its discretion deny the defendant at least the right to the chief safeguard, a cautionary instruction. [33] But we have never held that a district court which allows an objected-to unit-of-time argument must sua sponte give an unrequested cautionary instruction in order to avoid reversible error. [34] In our decisions involving challenged unit-of-time arguments, we have overturned a jury verdict on damages only when, after careful examination of the nature of the argument within the context of the court's rulings on objections, the jury charge, and any corrective measures applied by the trial court, [35] there is a clear showing of excessiveness or that the verdict was influenced by passion or prejudice. [36] Other factors we have taken into account in making this determination are whether the jury appears to have adopted counsel's unit-of-time argument, [37] whether there was any other contributing impropriety or error, [38] whether the award borders on or surpasses the excessive, [39] and whether it appears that something besides the evidence was at work. [40] In the present case, after examining the record in light of the foregoing factors, we conclude that there is no reasonable likelihood that the per-diem argument on loss of enjoyment of life which Captain D's complains of in this appeal caused or contributed to an unfair or excessive verdict. In that argument, plaintiff's counsel stated: Michael Foradori Jr. got paralyzed by their employee on their property when he was 15 years old. If he lives to be 68 instead of 78 he's going to live 19,345 days. If he lived his normal life expectancy, he would live to be 78. That's 3650 days of a lifetime. Of losing enjoyment of that part of his life. Total days, 22,995 days. Now, as to the loss of enjoyment of life, let's drop down to the bottom right here. Less than $1100 a day for loss of enjoyment of life for the 22,995 days is $25 million. You know, it's a big number. But I put a big value on life and the enjoyment of life and arms and legs and the stuff that this boy's been required to go through. Plaintiff's counsel did not present any charts or complicated calculations in support of this brief, simple oral statement. In the argument, the lawyer did nothing to disguise that he was asking the jury to accept his own suggestion of how much Foradori should be compensated per day for his loss of enjoyment of life and to multiply that amount by the number of days of Foradori's remaining expected lifetime, which had been estimated by the expert witnesses. By its nature, this transparent per-diem argument does not present the dangers that we have detected in more elaborate unit-of-time arguments supported by charts and formulae in previous cases. For example, in Johnson v. Colglazier, 348 F.2d at 425, this court described with disapproval the plaintiff's counsel's per-diem argument as follows: [A]n argument designed, calculated, and effective to mislead the jury into believing that the determination of a proper award for legal damages for pain and suffering is a matter of precise and accurate determination and not, as it really is, a matter to be left to the jury's determination, uninfluenced by arguments and charts of the kind involved here, which could only be regarded as tending to mislead the jury into believing that there was an accurate legal guide or chart to assist and direct them in reaching a large verdict for pain and suffering on considerations which have no proper legal place in the determination. Foradori's attorney, unlike the counsel in Johnson v. Colglazier , displayed no design to mislead the jury. He used no chart or legal guide and made no pretense that the amount of less than $1100 per day he suggested to the jury was based anything but his own thoughts. Further, he explained his contention with simple arithmetic rather than difficult to understand tables or formulae. Thus, in this case, the per-diem argument was plain and simple enough that, even without a cautionary instruction, it was clear to the jury that the unit of time argument is merely a method of presenting contentions, and is not to be considered as evidence. [41] Further, the district court gave an extensive instruction making clear to the jury that the attorneys' arguments did not constitute evidence and that the sworn testimony of the witnesses and the exhibits were the only evidence that the jury could consider. The court, in pertinent part, charged the jury as follows: As stated earlier, it is your duty to determine the facts and in so doing you must consider only the evidence I have admitted in the case. The term evidence includes the sworn testimony of the witnesses and the exhibits admitted in the record. Remember, any statements, objections or arguments by the lawyers are not evidence in this case. The function of the lawyers is to point out those things that are most significant or most helpful to their side of the case and in so doing, to call your attention to certain facts or inferences that might otherwise escape your notice. In the final analysis, however, it is your own recollection and interpretation of the evidence that controls in the case. What the lawyers say is not binding on you. Additionally, the district court made use of other safeguards recommended by this court in Baron Tube by requiring the jury to answer special interrogatories fixing separately the amount of each itemized award for pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life; past reasonable and necessary medical expenses incurred; present value of future such medical expenses; and present value of loss of future earnings and earning capacity. Thus, the district court's use of that safeguard enabled it to readily determine that the awards were based on the jury's own sound discretion and not measurably infected by the attorneys' arguments. Further, there is no evidence or sign that the jury adopted the unit-of-time argument or was influenced by it in any way. Foradori's attorney used a unit-of-time argument to suggest that the jury award $20 million for pain and suffering and $25 million for loss of enjoyment life, or a total of $45 million for both. The jury awarded Foradori only a total of $10 million for both. On appeal, Captain D's does not even complain or argue against plaintiff counsel's use of a similar per-diem argument in suggesting an award for Foradori's pain and suffering. Finally, as explained earlier in this opinion, the damages that the jury awarded Foradori for his pain and suffering and loss of enjoyment of life do not border on or surpass the excessive. The decision to grant or deny a motion or a new trial rests in the sound discretion of the trial judge; that discretion can be set aside only upon a clear showing of abuse. [42] Where, as here, the trial judge has denied the motion and left the decision of the jury intact, this circuit has shown even greater deference to the trial judge's discretion. [43] Finding no abuse of discretion or trial error in connection with the per-diem argument, we decline to set aside the district court's ruling or judgment.