Opinion ID: 1360544
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: failure to place the fda on the verdict form

Text: Surgidev next argues that the trial court committed reversible error by not placing the FDA on the verdict form in order to allow the jury to apportion liability for Plaintiffs' injuries. Surgidev admits that it did not raise the issue of the FDA's negligence in the pleadings. It argues, however, that the issue was tried implicitly and therefore should have gone to the jury. This Court noted in Page & Wirtz Construction Co. v. Solomon, 110 N.M. 206, 208-09, 794 P.2d 349, 351-52 (1990), that when issues not raised by the pleadings are tried by the express or implied consent of the parties, they are treated in all respects as if they had been raised in the pleadings. Surgidev points out that Plaintiffs' expert witness, Dr. Drews, testified that the Panel should not have recommended approval of the Style 10 lens. Surgidev also notes that the evidence demonstrated that the government had control over how the lens could be distributed. However, the evidence that Surgidev relies on was also relevant to whether the lens was actually defective and whether Surgidev had any notice of defects. Dr. Drews' testimony tended to show that the Style 10 lens was defective despite the fact that the Panel recommended approval and that the data Surgidev submitted to the Panel demonstrated this defect. In addition, the evidence Surgidev points to regarding governmental control over the release of information was relevant to the issue whether Surgidev could have warned of any defects. As the Court of Appeals noted in Rice v. Gideon, 86 N.M. 560, 561, 525 P.2d 920, 921 (Ct.App.1974), cert. denied, 87 N.M. 299, 532 P.2d 888 (1975), consent [to an unpleaded issue] cannot be implied where the evidence introduced is relevant to some other issue and the parties do not squarely recognize it as an issue in the trial. The evidence identified by Surgidev was relevant to Plaintiffs' claims of product defect and failure to warn. Accordingly, we find that the trial court did not abuse its discretion by ruling that the issue of FDA negligence was not implicitly raised and by refusing to submit the issue of FDA negligence to the jury.