Opinion ID: 352530
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The political contribution money.

Text: 50 Finally, Summa points to $100,000 which Maheu received from Hughes' personal bank account in May, 1970, ostensibly for political contributions which, as was later discovered, he had not paid. Maheu explained that he often made the political contributions first and then later asked Hughes to reimburse him for the expenditures. He said that the political funds which he distributed were so loosely handled that his accountant made an error and on that basis Maheu requested the money unnecessarily. His accounts showed that the $100,000 was for political contributions of which approximately $13,000 had been so used, and the remaining $87,000 appeared on his books as a debt Maheu owed Hughes. While again this version may be difficult to believe, it comes down to the credibility of Maheu's testimony that he relied upon his accountant's error and that Hughes approved of such loose accounting procedures. Again, this is a factual question for the jury to resolve. While we might not have reached the same conclusion as the jury, that is not the proper standard of appellate review. 51 The focal point of judicial review is the reasonableness of the particular inference or conclusion drawn by the jury. It is the jury, not the court, which is the fact-finding body. It weighs the contradictory evidence and inferences, judges the credibility of witnesses, receives expert instructions, and draws the ultimate conclusion as to the facts. . . . That conclusion, whether it relates to negligence, causation or any other factual matter, cannot be ignored. Courts are not free to reweigh the evidence and set aside the jury verdict merely because the jury could have drawn different inferences or conclusions or because judges feel that other results are more reasonable. 52 Tennant v. Peoria & P. U. Ry. Co., 1944, 321 U.S. 29, 35, 64 S.Ct. 409, 412, 88 L.Ed. 520. 53