Opinion ID: 2116711
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: review of instructions

Text: Refusal to Give Requested Instructions; Appellants' Burden. To establish reversible error from a court's refusal to give a requested instruction, an appellant has the burden to show that (1) the tendered instruction is a correct statement of the law; (2) the tendered instruction is warranted by the evidence; and (3) the appellant was prejudiced by the court's refusal to give the tendered instruction. State v. Reynolds, 235 Neb. 662, 691, 457 N.W.2d 405, 423 (1990). Accord, Jensen v. Archbishop Bergan Mercy Hosp., 236 Neb. 1, 459 N.W.2d 178 (1990); State v. Pettit, 233 Neb. 436, 445 N.W.2d 890 (1989); Burns v. Veterans of Foreign Wars, 231 Neb. 844, 438 N.W.2d 485 (1989). As previously mentioned, instruction No. 11, as an excerpt from NJI2d 4.09, stated: There is evidence that the plaintiff had thoracic outlet syndrome prior to the date of the accident. The defendant is liable only for any damages that you find to be proximately caused by the accident. Rennes requested the remainder of NJI2d 4.09 as an instruction on aggravation of a preexisting condition: If you cannot separate damages caused by the preexisting (condition) from those caused by the (occurrence, accident, collision, et cetera), then the defendant is liable for all of those damages. A plaintiff in a negligence action for personal injury may recover damages for aggravation of the plaintiff's preexisting condition if the plaintiff proves, by a preponderance of evidence, that the defendant's negligence caused an injury which combined with plaintiff's preexisting condition to produce the loss or damage for which the plaintiff seeks compensation. See, Carnes v. Weesner, 229 Neb. 641, 428 N.W.2d 493 (1988); McCall v. Weeks, 183 Neb. 743, 164 N.W.2d 206 (1969). While Rennes' evidence through Dr. Paul shows that Joyce Renne's condition was a thoracic outlet syndrome resulting from the automobile accident, evidence from Dr. Paul also indicates that, in reference to a thoracic outlet syndrome, Renne experienced some kind of problem before the automobile accident. However, Dr. Paul did not express the opinion that the automobile accident aggravated whatever may have been Renne's preexisting condition. Thus, the evidence in Rennes' case fails to establish that any preexisting condition of Joyce Renne was even aggravated and, more importantly, fails to establish that the trauma from the automobile accident aggravated any preexisting condition. Therefore, without establishing a cause-and-effect relationship between the automobile accident and Joyce Renne's condition before the accident, Rennes were not entitled to an instruction on aggravation of a preexisting condition. Also, we note that Rennes' requested instruction, as a supplement to instruction No. 11, actually is an instruction for apportionment of damages. Whether Nebraska law allows apportionment of damages for aggravation of a preexisting condition involved in a negligence action, we need not decide and, consequently, do not decide inasmuch as Rennes, in the first instance, failed to prove causation of an aggravated preexisting condition; hence, in the absence of such causation, apportionment of damages would be inappropriate in any event. Cf. Heiliger v. Walters & Heiliger Electric, Inc., 236 Neb. 459, 461 N.W.2d 565 (1990) (an employee may be entitled to full compensation from the employer, notwithstanding that the employee's disability is the result of a preexisting condition aggravated by a work-related injury). Consequently, the district court correctly refused to give Rennes' requested supplement to instruction No. 11. Instructions Given; Appellants' Burden. All instructions, read conjunctively, must correctly state the law, adequately state the issues, and not mislead the jury. State v. Pierce, 231 Neb. 966, 975, 439 N.W.2d 435, 443 (1989). Accord Jensen v. Archbishop Bergan Mercy Hosp., 236 Neb. 1, 459 N.W.2d 178 (1990). In an appeal based on the claim of an erroneous instruction, the appellant has the burden to show that the questioned instruction was prejudicial or otherwise adversely affected a substantial right of the appellant. Rose v. City of Lincoln, 234 Neb. 67, 74, 449 N.W.2d 522, 528 (1989). Accord Jensen v. Archbishop Bergan Mercy Hosp., supra . Jury instructions should be confined to issues presented by the pleadings and supported by evidence. Jensen v. Archbishop Bergan Mercy Hosp., 236 Neb. at 8, 459 N.W.2d at 183. See, also, Bump v. Firemens Ins. Co., 221 Neb. 678, 380 N.W.2d 268 (1986). Submission of an issue on which the evidence is insufficient to sustain an affirmative finding is, generally, prejudicial and results in a new trial. Jensen v. Archbishop Bergan Mercy Hosp., 236 Neb. at 9, 459 N.W.2d at 183. See, also, Mandery v. Chronicle Broadcasting Co., 228 Neb. 391, 423 N.W.2d 115 (1988).