Court Opinion

ID: 9617221
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 04:53:22.91233+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:14:45.675429
License: Public Domain

CARTER, J.
I dissent.
Applying a finespun, hairsplitting technical construction to a jury instruction on the last clear chance doctrine is just as destructive of that doctrine as the refusal to submit a case to the jury on the last clear chance theory where the facts warrant such submission (see Rodabaugh v. Tekus, 39 Cal.2d 290 [246 P.2d 663] ; Doran v. City & County of San Francisco, 44 Cal.2d 477 [283 P.2d 1]). Although I tried many cases, including Gridner v. Union Oil Co., 216 Cal. 197 [13 P.2d 915], involving the last clear chance doctrine, I am more confused, after reading the majority opinion, than ever before as to when the doctrine is applicable. It is my considered opinion that it is too much to expect of a judge or a lawyer, much less a juror, to follow the tortuous mental process resorted to by the majority here in holding that the trial court committed prejudicial error in giving BAJI instruction Number 205 to the jury. As I read that instruction there is clearly no error in its formulation which can justify the granting of defendants’ motion for a new trial. The supposed error is that the jury, by meticulous analysis and application of the instruction, could relieve the plaintiff from the effect of the deceased’s contributory negligence although the motorman, within the time in which he had a clear chance to avoid the accident, had no knowledge, actual or constructive, of the deceased’s inability to escape from his position of danger. This interpretation can be drawn only by ignoring the effect of the instruction in its entirety. The reasoning of the majority appears to be that because the Fifth subdivision states: “That after the defendant acquired actual knowledge of the perilous situation of the deceased, he had a clear opportunity to avoid the accident and could have done so by exercising ordinary care,” it follows that there is no requirement that defendant knew, or should have known, that it was impossible for the deceased to escape from the danger. The flaw in this reasoning is that it completely ignores the Fourth subdivision which requires the jury to find: “That it appeared to the defendant, or would have appeared to him in the exer*747cise of ordinary care, that deceased either was unaware of the danger impending in the situation or was unable to escape therefrom through the exercise of ordinary care.” If this requirement is to have any meaning at all it can only be that the deceased’s inability to escape must become apparent to the defendant, actually or constructively, while the defendant still has an opportunity to avoid the accident. Any other interpretation renders the Fourth subdivision totally meaningless and it is unreasonable to conclude that a jury would so interpret and apply the instruction.
While it cannot be disputed that the trial court is vested with a wide discretion in granting a new trial on the ground of erroneous instructions, it is equally established that where the instructions are correct, the granting of a new trial is an abuse of discretion. (Conner v. Southern Pac. Co., 38 Cal.2d 633 [241 P.2d 535]; Parker v. Womack, 37 Cal.2d 116 [230 P.2d 823].) Furthermore, as the court said in Mayfield v. Fidelity & Casualty Co., 16 Cal.App.2d 611, 629-630 [61 P.2d 83], “It is fundamental that, in examining instructions, a part of one instruction may not be separated from its context and made the object of special criticism if the instructions taken in their entirety correctly advised the jury as to the law.” It must be borne in mind that the trial court, in considering the propriety of a motion for a new trial, is guided by section 4½ of article VI of the state Constitution which provides, in part, that: “No judgment shall be set aside, or new trial gramted, in any case, on the ground of misdirection of the jury . . . unless, after an examination of the entire case, including the evidence, the court shall be of the opinion that the error complained of has resulted in a miscarriage of justice.” (Emphasis added.) Accordingly, even though there be error in the charge to the jury, the granting of a new trial is not justified thereby unless the error is prejudicial. (Sparks v. Redinger, 44 Cal.2d 121, 123 [279 P.2d 971] ; Brown v. George Pepperdine Foundation, 23 Cal.2d 256, 262 [143 P.2d 929]; Nance v. Fresno City Lines, Inc., 44 Cal.App.2d 868, 872 [113 P.2d 244].)
An examination of the case law reveals that error of a much more substantial nature than that which might be found in BAJI 205 is required to justify the ordering of a new trial. In Eames v. Haver, 111 Cal. 401 [43 P. 1120], an instruction which was admittedly obscure in its wording was held not to be prejudicially erroneous and, accordingly, the court reversed an order granting a motion for a new trial. In Moran *748v. Abbey, 63 Cal. 56, on an appeal from an order granting a new trial, it was urged that the charge to the jury was erroneous. This court said, at page 62, that: “Considered as a whole, in connection with the evidence and the pleadings, and construed with reference to the subject-matters in controversy, and the claims of parties before the court, it [the charge] was substantially correct. It fairly presented the ease to the jury, and there was nothing in it calculated to mislead the jury. There were therefore no grounds for a new trial.” In Popejoy v. Hannon, 37 Cal.2d 159, 168 [231 P.2d 484], we said that: “Prejudicial error does not necessarily result from the giving of an instruction which, subjected to meticulous analysis, might be given a ‘possible construction’ making it subject to ‘criticism.’ ” In Sparks v. Redinger, supra, 44 Cal. 2d 121, 123, Mr. Justice Spence, there, as here, speaking for the majority, observed that “. . . the trial court, no less than the appellate court, is expressly enjoined by article VI, section 4½, of our Constitution from granting a new trial for error of law unless such error is prejudicial. If it clearly appears that the error could not have affected the result of the trial, the court is bound to deny the motion. ’ ’ In the Sparks case the majority of this court held that the failure of the trial court to give the plaintiffs’ requested instructions on last clear chance in an accident case was not prejudicial error which would support the lower court’s granting of plaintiffs’ motion for a new trial.
In the cases which have affirmed the granting of a new trial on the ground of erroneous instructions there were obvious errors which were clearly prejudicial to the moving party. The three cases cited in the majority opinion are exemplary. In Mazzotta v. Los Angeles Ry. Corp., 25 Cal.2d 165 [153 P.2d 338], the instructions omitted the element of proximate cause as a requisite to the defendant’s liability. In Bolton v. Martin, 126 Cal.App.2d 178 [271 P.2d 991], an instruction given on last clear chance failed to distinguish between the plaintiff’s awareness of danger and her awareness of an approaching automobile regardless of its proximity at the time. In Pope v. Wenisch, 109 Cal.App. 608 [293 P. 622], the instructions failed to state that in order to relieve defendant from liability, plaintiff’s contributory negligence must be the proximate cause of the injury. In each of these cases there were patent omissions of instructions on material issues and the trial court, accordingly, was held to be within the bounds of its discretion in ordering a new trial. Here, rather than *749an obvious omission or material misdirection, there is, at most, a theoretical and speculative uncertainty in construction. That it could have no prejudicial effect is forcefully demonstrated by the fact that the instruction has appeared, and been employed without objection, in its present form for more than 13 years, during which time it has been subjected to the scrutiny of innumerable trial and appellate judges and attorneys. In Daniels v. City & County of San Francisco, 40 Cal.2d 614 [255 P.2d 785], we held that it was error to refuse to give BAJI 205 and said, at page 617, that: “The form of the instruction is not in question.” (See also Cole v. Ridings, 95 Cal.App.2d 136 [212 P.2d 597]; Mangler v. Pacific Electric Ry. Co., 71 Cal.App.2d 815 [163 P.2d 774].) The record in this case shows that the alleged error was not urged by counsel for defendants nor considered by the trial judge on the motion for new trial. Having thus escaped detection, it seems manifest that any error in the instruction is absolutely without consequence.
For this reason, I would reverse the order granting a new trial.