Opinion ID: 3134286
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Ill 2d 219 (punitive damages cap upheld).[fn4] In the instant

Text: case, we are unable to discern any connection between the automatic reduction of one type of compensatory damages awarded to one class of injured plaintiffs and a savings in the systemwide costs of litigation. Even assuming that a systemwide savings in costs were achieved by the cap, the prohibition against special legislation does not permit the entire burden of the anticipated cost savings to rest on one class of injured plaintiffs. E.g., Grace, 51 Ill. 2d at 485. We therefore reject defendants' systemic costs rationale as a basis for upholding section 2--1115.1. Defendants additionally argue that the General Assembly has the power to change the common law and, therefore, the limitation on compensatory damages is constitutional. See V. Schwartz, M. Behrens & M. Taylor, Illinois Tort Law: A Rich History of Cooperation and Respect Between the Courts and the Legislature, 28 Loy. U. Chi. L.J. 745 (1997). For example, defendants cite to the Worker's Compensation Act as an instance of the legislature's valid exercise of the police power in limiting liability of an employer for injuries sustained by an employee during the course of his or her employment. Grand Trunk Western Ry. Co. v. Industrial Comm'n, 291 Ill. 167 (1919). Plaintiffs do not dispute that the legislature has the power to change the common law, and we do not question defendants' argument insofar as it stands for the general principle that the General Assembly may alter the common law and change or limit available remedies. This principle is well grounded in the jurisprudence of this state. See, e.g., Grand Trunk Western Ry. Co., 291 Ill. 167. However, defendants' argument assumes too much. The legislature is not free to enact changes to the common law which are not rationally related to a legitimate government interest. The General Assembly's authority to exercise its police power by altering the common law and limiting available remedies is also dependent upon the nature and scope of the particular change in the law. We hold in the case at bar that the statutory cap on compensatory damages for noneconomic losses is arbitrary. Finally, defendants support their contention that the limitation on noneconomic damages in section 2--1115.1 is constitutional by referring to several other state court decisions which have upheld damage limitations. See Fein v. Permanente Medical Group, 38 Cal. 3d 137, 695 P.2d 665, 211 Cal. Rptr. 368 (1985); Samsel v. Wheeler Transport Services, Inc., 246 Kan. 336, 789 P.2d 541 (1990); Murphy v. Edmonds, 325 Md. 342, 601 A.2d 102 (1992); Adams v. Children's Mercy Hospital, 832 S.W.2d 898 (Mo. 1992); Greist v. Phillips, 322 Or. 281, 906 P.2d 789 (1995); Robinson v. Charleston Area Medical Center, Inc., 186 W. Va. 720, 414 S.E.2d 877 (1991); Johnson v. St. Vincent Hospital, Inc., 273 Ind. 374, 404 N.E.2d 585 (1980); Etheridge v. Medical Center Hospitals, 237 Va. 87, 376 S.E.2d 525 (1989); Butler v. Flint Goodrich Hospital of Dillard University, 607 So. 2d 517 (La. 1992); Prendergast v. Nelson, 199 Neb. 97, 256 N.W.2d 657 (1977); see also Davis v. Omitowoju, 883 F.2d 1155 (3d Cir. 1989). However, other jurisdictions have held statutory damages caps unconstitutional. Moore v. Mobile Infirmary Ass'n, 592 So. 2d 156, 158 (Ala. 1991); Morris v. Savoy, 61 Ohio 684, 688-89, 576 N.E.2d 765, 769 (1991), Arneson v. Olson, 270 N.W.2d 125, 135-36 (N.D. 1978); Lucas v. United States, 757 S.W.2d 687, 690-92 (Tex. 1988); Sofie v. Fibreboard Corp., 112 Wash. 2d 636, 771 P.2d 711 (1989). The amount of noneconomic damages caps that have been invalidated in other states varies. See, e.g., Smith v. Department of Insurance, 507 So. 2d 1080, 1088-89 (Fla. 1987) ($450,000 cap); Brannigan v. Usitalo, 134 N.H. 50, 58, 587 A.2d 1232, 1236-37 (1991) ($875,000 cap). The statutory caps on damages which have been enacted by other states vary considerably in scope and effect. Similarly, the state constitutional provisions and precedents under which these damage caps have been challenged are unique to each jurisdiction. Although the decisions from other states may be instructive in some respects, we believe that these decisions are of limited assistance in answering the specific question of whether section 2--1115.1 offends the special legislation clause of the Illinois Constitution. We hold that it does. C. Separation of Powers Plaintiffs also assert that section 2--1115.1 violates the separation of powers clause (Ill. Const. 1970, art. II, sec. 1) by improperly delegating to the legislature the power of remitting verdicts and judgments, which is a power unique to the judiciary. See Ill. Const. 1970, art. VI, sec. 1 (judicial power is vested in the supreme, appellate and circuit courts). According to plaintiffs, because section 2--1115.1 limits damages for noneconomic injuries, the section violates the constitutional separation of powers doctrine by invading the province of the judiciary and imposing a one-size-fits-all `legislative remittitur.'  Plaintiffs argue that the cap on damages contravenes the traditional authority of the courts to assess, on a case-by-case basis, whether a jury's damages award is excessive. Defendants disagree with plaintiffs' characterization of the operation of section 2--1115.1 as a legislative remittitur. They argue that the damages cap merely sets an outer parameter by which wholly subjective damages are limited and in no respect displaces traditional judicial functions. Under our constitution, the three branches of government-- legislative, executive, and judicial--are separate and one branch shall not exercise powers properly belonging to another. Ill. Const. 1970, art. II, sec. 1. Although our state constitution does not define legislative, executive, and judicial power (People v. Walker, 119 Ill. 2d 465, 473 (1988)), in both theory and practice, the purpose of the [separation of powers] provision is to ensure that the whole power of two or more branches of government shall not reside in the same hands. Walker, 119 Ill. 2d at 473; Knuepfer v. Fawell, 96 Ill. 2d 284, 292 (1983). Each branch of government has its own unique sphere of authority that cannot be exercised by another branch. See, e.g., Murneigh v. Gainer, 177 Ill. 2d 287, 312-13 (1997) (holding invalid an attempted delegation of an executive or administrative function to the judicial branch); Wright v. Central Du Page Hospital Ass'n, 63 Ill. 2d 313, 322 (1976) (holding invalid an attempted delegation of judicial power to nonjudicial member of medical malpractice review board); Fields Jeep-Eagle, Inc. v. Chrysler Corp., 163 Ill. 2d 462, 478-79 (1994) (holding invalid attempted delegation of legislative or administrative decisionmaking to the judiciary); see also Agran v. Checker Taxi Co., 412 Ill. 145, 149 (1952) (If the power is judicial in its nature, it necessarily follows that the legislature is expressly prohibited from exercising it). This court has often recognized that the separation of the three branches of government is not absolute and unyielding. See, e.g., Strukoff v. Strukoff, 76 Ill. 2d 53, 58 (1979). The separation of powers clause is not contravened merely because separate spheres of governmental authority may overlap. County of Kane v. Carlson, 116 Ill. 2d 186, 208 (1987). However, it should be emphasized that the determination of when, and under what circumstances, a violation of the separation of powers doctrine has occurred remains with the judiciary. See, e.g., Murneigh, 177 Ill. 2d at 303; People v. Warren, 173 Ill. 2d 348 (1996). In furtherance of the authority of the judiciary to carry out its constitutional obligations, the legislature is prohibited from enacting laws that unduly infringe upon the inherent powers of judges. See, e.g., In re S.G., 175 Ill. 2d 471, 487 (1997); Walker, 119 Ill. 2d at 474; People v. Bainter, 126 Ill. 2d 292, 303 (1989); Agran, 412 Ill. at 149. For over a century it has been a traditional and inherent power of the judicial branch of government to apply the doctrine of remittitur, in appropriate and limited circumstances, to correct excessive jury verdicts. E.g., Hansen v. Boyd, 161 U.S. 397, 412, 40 L. Ed. 746, 751, 16 S. Ct. 571, 576 (1896); Dimick v. Schiedt, 293 U.S. 474, 484-85, 79 L. Ed. 603, 610, 55 S. Ct. 296, 300 (1935). In Dimick, 293 U.S. at 486, 79 L. Ed. at 611, 55 S. Ct. at 301, the United States Supreme Court recognized that remittitur of an excessive portion of a jury verdict is a question of law for the court. The practice of ordering a remittitur of excessive damages has long been recognized and accepted as part of Illinois law. See, e.g., Richardson v. Chapman, 175 Ill. 2d 98, 113 (1997); Lee v. Chicago Transit Authority, 152 Ill. 2d 432 (1992); Carter v. Kirk, 256 Ill. App. 3d 938 (1993). The remittitur doctrine has been acknowledged as promoting both the administration of justice and the conclusion of litigation. See Carter, 256 Ill. App. 3d at 947; McElroy v. Patton, 130 Ill. App. 2d 872, 877 (1970). This court has stated that [a]n award of damages will be deemed excessive if it falls outside the range of fair and reasonable compensation or results from passion or prejudice, or if it is so large that it shocks the judicial conscience. Richardson v. Chapman, 175 Ill. 2d 98, 113 (1997). However, a damages award will not be subject to remittitur where it falls within the flexible range of conclusions which can reasonably be supported by the facts because the assessment of damages is primarily an issue of fact for jury determination. Lee, 152 Ill. 2d at 470; see also Barry v. Owens-Corning Fiberglas Corp., 282 Ill. App. 3d 199, 207 (1996) (noting that evaluations of a plaintiff's pain and suffering depend on jurors' combined wisdom and experience); Riley v. Koneru, 228 Ill. App. 3d 883, 887-88 (1992) (noting reluctance of courts to interfere with damages awards unless the award is the result of passion or prejudice) . The deference given to the careful deliberative process of the jury is overcome if, after examining the evidence presented at trial, the trial judge determines that the jury verdict is excessive. In such a case, the judge may not allow the verdict to stand but must act to correct the injustice; and the failure to do so is, itself, error. Haid v. Tingle, 219 Ill. App. 3d 406, 410 (1991). Under such circumstances the court has a duty to correct the excessive verdict, and may do so by ordering a remittitur of a portion of the damages, with the plaintiff's consent. As a check on excessive verdicts, therefore, the inherent power of the court to order a remittitur or, if the plaintiff does not consent, a new trial, is essential to the judicial management of trials. See Haid, 219 Ill. App. 3d at 412. Case law reflects that the application of remittitur should be considered on a case-by-case basis because the evidence and circumstances supporting verdicts must be carefully examined before a jury's assessment of damages is reduced. See Richardson v. Chapman, 175 Ill. 2d 98 (1997) (remitting one plaintiff's $11 million award for future medical expenses by $1 million and reducing by half the other plaintiff's pain and suffering award). See also Carter v. Kirk, 256 Ill. App. 3d 938 (1993) (finding that trial court properly granted $20,000 remittitur where the jury's verdict was excessive because medical evidence failed to support the plaintiff's claims). In other circumstances, courts have declined to enter a remittitur, even in cases involving large awards, because the evidence supported the jury's verdicts. Cf. Holston v. Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis, 165 Ill. 2d 150 (1995) (declining to reduce as excessive a $7.3 million verdict in a wrongful death and survival case); Barry, 282 Ill. App. 3d at 208 (declining to apply a remittitur to $12 million verdict). In the case at bar, we conclude that section 2--1115.1 undercuts the power, and obligation, of the judiciary to reduce excessive verdicts. In our view, section 2--1115.1 functions as a legislative remittitur. Unlike the traditional remittitur power of the judiciary, the legislative remittitur of section 2--1115.1 disregards the jury's careful deliberative process in determining damages that will fairly compensate injured plaintiffs who have proven their causes of action. The cap on damages is mandatory and operates wholly apart from the specific circumstances of a particular plaintiff's noneconomic injuries. Therefore, section 2-- 1115.1 unduly encroaches upon the fundamentally judicial prerogative of determining whether a jury's assessment of damages is excessive within the meaning of the law. We additionally note that the cap provision of section 2-- 1115.1 forces the successful plaintiff to forgo part of his or her jury award without the plaintiff's consent, in clear violation of the well-settled principle that a trial court does not have authority to reduce a damages award by entry of a remittitur if the plaintiff objects or does not consent. See, e.g., Haid, 219 Ill. App. 3d at 411. A plaintiff's refusal to consent to remittitur will result in the ordering of a new trial. See McCausland v. Wonderly, 56 Ill. 410 (1870); Congregation of the Passion, Holy Cross Province v. Touche Ross & Co., 224 Ill. App. 3d 559, 588 (1991). As such, the statutory scheme unduly expands the remittitur doctrine. See P. Weiss, Reforming Tort Reform: Is There Substance to the Seventh Amendment, 38 Cath. U.L. Rev. 737, 757 (1989). We find persuasive the discussion of legislative remittitur contained in an opinion of the Supreme Court of Washington, Sofie v. Fireboard Corp., 112 Wash. 2d 636, 771 P.2d 711 (1989). In that case, the court found unconstitutional Washington's statutory limit on noneconomic damages. The Sofie court held the statutory damages cap unconstitutional on the basis that it violated the plaintiffs' right to a trial by jury, an issue we do not determine in the instant case. The court's secondary discussion, which considered the plaintiffs' separation of powers challenge, is instructive to our separation of powers analysis. In addressing the plaintiffs' arguments that the statutory damages cap operated as a legislative remittitur in violation of the separation of powers doctrine, the Washington Supreme Court observed that the statute directly changes the outcome of a jury determination  by taking a jury's finding of fact and altering it to conform to a predetermined formula. Sofie, 112 Wash. 2d at 653, 771 P.2d at 720. The court observed that remittitur is wholly within the power of the trial judge, and it is the judge who is empowered to make the legal conclusion, on a case-by-case basis, that the jury's damage award is excessive in light of the evidence. Consequently, because the [l]egislature cannot make such case-by-case determinations, separation of powers concerns would be violated by the legislative attempt to mandate legal conclusions. Sofie, 112 Wash. 2d at 654, 771 P.2d at 721. Although the Sofie court did not base its decision squarely upon separation of powers concerns, the court observed, [T]he [statutory damages] limit may, indeed, violate the separation of powers. Sofie, 112 Wash. 2d at 654, 771 P.2d at 721. In the case at bar, we conclude that section 2--1115.1 invades the power of the judiciary to limit excessive awards of damages. The courts are constitutionally empowered, and indeed obligated, to reduce excessive verdicts where appropriate in light of the evidence adduced in a particular case. Section 2--1115.1, however, reduces damages by operation of law, without regard to the specific circumstances of individual jury awards. Although legislative limits upon certain types of damages may be permitted, such as damages recoverable in statutory causes of action, we hold that the cap in section 2--1115.1 violates the separation of powers clause of the Illinois Constitution. In summary, we hold that the compensatory damages cap of section 2--1115.1 violates the constitutional prohibition against special legislation and also violates the separation of powers clause. Because we have so determined, we decline to address the parties' additional arguments questioning the validity of section 2--1115.1 as violating the right to a jury trial and the right to a certain remedy under the Illinois Constitution.