Court Opinion

ID: 9629877
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 09:51:37.358734+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:07:25.969703
License: Public Domain

McALLISTER, J.,
dissenting.
This case is an example of the confusion resulting from the vacillating rule adopted in Saum v. Bonar, 258 Or 532, 484 P2d 294 (1971). In my view the trial court should have the right to supervise and control a recalcitrant jury and, for that reason, I would return to the rule adopted in Flansberg v. Paulson, 239 Or 610, 399 P2d 356 (1965).
I believe, however, that in this case the trial court committed prejudicial error in virtually directing the jury to return a verdict for general damages. After the first, improper, verdict was returned the trial conrt reinstructed the jury on all of the elements of damages. The instructions were emphasized by the frequent repetition of the words “I told you,” “I instructed you,” and the like. After the instructions on the elements of general damages, the conrt said:
“Then I instructed you, after taking into consideration all of these matters, you shall fully and fairly compensate him for general damages. I stated that the law does not provide you with any yardstick, but states that the damages shall be reasonable compensation.
“I told you further, that before you could award any special damages, that you must award him general damages, * * *.”
*346The instructions on special damages followed. The court then concluded:
“Do you understand me at this time? Do any of you have any reluctance to follow the instructions of this Court?”
Defendants’ counsel excepted to the form of these instructions and later moved the court to either reject the second verdict or to set it aside and grant a new trial on that ground:
“* * * because I think the Court has gone way beyond any necessity the Court would have had in reinstructing. In fact, it amounted to an exhortation to the jury to return a verdict for general damages for the plaintiff which, of course, the jury, by its reactions, certainly did in wholesale fashion.
Although I agree with the majority that it is within the discretion of the trial judge to repeat all the damage instructions rather than to simply inform the jury that there can be no special damages unless general damages are allowed, the emphatic language of the trial court went beyond a repeating of the instructions. Under the circumstances, the instruction that “you shall fully and fairly compensate him for general damages,” together with the inquiry whether the jury had “any reluctance to follow the instructions of this Court” apparently conveyed to the jury the idea that they must award substantial general damages.
In my opinion, defendants’ exception to the reinstruction was well taken and there was error entitling defendants to a new trial. I would reverse and remand.
Bryson, J., concurs in this dissent.