Court Opinion

ID: 9689083
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 18:18:47.650889+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T12:27:50.597686
License: Public Domain

*328On Petition for Rehearing.
STRUTZ, Judge.
The defendant has filed a strong and forceful petition for rehearing, basing such petition on two grounds :
1. That this court erred in holding that the district court has discretion to set aside a jury verdict where the evidence is such that the jury would have been justified in returning a verdict for either party; and
2. That the opinion of this court is contradictory in stating that the evidence was such that the jury could have returned a verdict for either party, and at the same time holding that the trial court was justified in ruling that the evidence was insufficient to support the verdict.
It must be obvious that the defendant’s contentions are without merit. If the evidence were such that the jury could find but one way, then the party in whose favor the evidence was conclusive would be entitled to judgment as a matter of law. As this court pointed out in McDermott v. Sway, 78 N.D. 521, 50 N.W.2d 235, a motion for new trial on the ground of insufficiency of the evidence is addressed to the sound, judicial discretion of the trial court. It is his duty to exercise this discretion in the interests of justice. To do that, however, there must be some grounds for the exercise of the court’s discretion. If the evidence is such that it can support a judgment only one way, there clearly is no ground for the exercise of any discretion. If, however, there is evidence which would permit the jury to decide either way, then there would be room for the court to exercise his discretion.
Judge Christianson, in the earlier case of Reid v. Ehr, 36 N.D. 552, at page 558, 162 N.W. 903, considered the same question. He pointed out that it should be remembered that it is the trial court, not the appellate court, which is vested with discretionary powers in determining a motion for new trial. The appellate court is limited to a consideration of whether the trial court clearly abused its discretion in ordering a new trial. The question presented to the appellate court is not whether a new trial should be granted or denied, but whether the trial court abused its judicial discretion in ordering a new trial. The test of what is within the discretion of a court has been suggested by the question: May the court properly decide the point either way? If not, then there clearly is no discretion to be exercised. If there is no latitude for the exercise of the power, it cannot be said that the power is discretionary. The only limitation upon the exercise of the discretionary power by the trial court in passing upon a motion for new trial is that such discretionary power must not be abused.
In determining the question presented on the appeal from the order granting the new trial and on this petition for rehearing, we must remember the position of advantage which the trial court had. He saw the plaintiff and heard his story; he also saw all of the witnesses and heard their versions of what occurred. All of these things place him in a favored position in passing upon the motion for new trial on the ground of insufficiency of the evidence. The trial court, in the exercise of his sound, judicial discretion, and in the interests of justice, determined that a new trial should be granted in this case. We, as the appellate court, cannot say on the record before us that the trial court abused that discretion. From the record, the jury could properly have decided this case either way. Therefore, it was proper for the trial court to exercise his discretion. We cannot say that he abused that discretion.
For reasons stated herein, the petition for rehearing is denied.
TEIGEN, C. J., and ERICKSTAD, KNUDSON, and PAULSON, JJ., concur.