Court Opinion

ID: 9615452
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 04:36:43.737282+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:03:47.975477
License: Public Domain

SIMMS, Justice,
dissenting:
I respectfully dissent. Plaintiffs brought their action for medical malpractice against the doctor for his alleged negligence in failing to properly diagnose lung cancer in his patient which ultimately led to the patient’s death. The lawsuit was not predicated on the theory that smoking could lead to lung cancer or have an adverse effect on a person’s health.
The colloquy between the juror in question, the trial judge, and the attorneys reveals only that the juror did have an opinion that a person who smokes a pack of cigarettes a day runs a higher risk of sickness than one who does not. Causation of the cancer in the patient is not an issue in the case; only the failure of the doctor to timely and properly diagnose the cancer is at issue. The juror expressed absolutely no opinion as to any matter which would touch upon the alleged negligence of the doctor. I do not believe the trial judge abused his discretion in refusing to strike the juror. A large discretion is vestéd in the trial court in determining the competency and qualifications of jurors and its action should never be disturbed by an appellate court, unless an abuse of such discretion is clearly apparent. Agee v. Gant, 412 P.2d 155, 162 (Okl.1966): Kansas City Southern Railway Company v. Norwood, 367 P.2d 722, 726 (Okl.1961).
*163Great reliance is placed upon criminal law by the majority in reaching its conclusion the trial judge erred by refusing to strike the juror in question from the trial panel. While the civil courts of this state often look to the Court of Criminal Appeals for guidance in answering questions involving criminal law, I submit the cases from the Criminal Court of Appeals are of little assistance in this case.
Oklahoma Const., Art. II, § 19, provides that in all criminal cases where imprisonment for more than six (6) months is authorized, the verdict must be unanimous, that is agreed to by its entire number; while in civil cases, three-fourths (%) of the entire number, nine, shall have power to render a verdict. The verdict in this case was unanimous. That is, there were eleven jurors whose qualifications to try this cause were unchallenged who returned a verdict for the defendant; two jurors more than the constitution requires for a lawful verdict.
The majority states that the number of jurors required to render a verdict is not germane to this proceeding, relying upon cases from Missouri and Nevada. Analysis of those eases however, shows that the Court’s reliance is misplaced. In Lee v. Baltimore Hotel Co., 345 Mo. 458, 136 S.W.2d 695 (1939), a Missouri trial judge, on his own motion, granted plaintiff a new trial because one of the jurors who sat in the case and was one of eleven jurors who signed the verdict, was an imposter who had practiced fraud upon the court to serve on the jury. The imposter juror, Herbert Daniel, who had not been served to appear on the venire, appeared using the name of W.M. Bennett who had been summoned, and continued to impersonate Bennett throughout the trial. The Missouri Supreme Court affirmed the action of the trial court in granting new trial because a litigant was entitled to a jury of “twelve qualified men”. (Emphasis supplied) In case at bar, there is no contention the juror was not qualified, only that he had an opinion about smoking, and its potential hazards.
In Beggs v. Universal C.I.T. Credit Corp., 387 S.W.2d 499 (Mo.1965), the Supreme Court of Missouri addressed the propriety of the trial court overruling a motion for new trial in which four prospective jurors were unequivocally asked if they had in the past been a plaintiff or defendant in a lawsuit. None of the four jurors named made any response. It later developed each of the four jurors had been defendants in civil litigation, which placed the issue of their impartiality in question. This would leave but eight clearly impartial jurors to enter the verdict. The Missouri high court properly reversed the trial judge. It was clearly demonstrated in Beggs, there was a nexus between their prior experiences as defendants in civil actions and their ability to act as impartial jurors. No nexus exists in this case between the juror’s opinion about smoking and the issue of the alleged failure of the doctor-defendant to properly diagnose the lung cancer.
In Moore v. Middlewest Freightways, Inc., 266 S.W.2d 578 (Mo.1954), the Missouri Supreme Court reversed a plaintiffs verdict because one of the jurors admitted bias against the defendant on voir dire, and the trial court refused to excuse him for cause. The Missouri court recognized that “[t]he trial judge is and should be vested with broad discretion in determining the qualifications of veniremen to sit as jurors and his rulings thereon should not be disturbed unless they are clearly and manifestly against the evidence.” 266 S.W.2d at 585. In light of the facts, the court stated that it was convinced the juror should not have been permitted to remain on the panel.
In McNally v. Walkowski, 85 Nev. 696, 462 P.2d 1016 (1969), the Supreme Court of Nevada relaxed Lord Mansfield’s Rule, that a juror’s statement may not be admitted to impeach a verdict in which the juror participated. There a 9-3 verdict was returned in the trial court for the defendant. Plaintiff obtained the affidavits of five of the jurors which demonstrated actual bias on the part of “several” of the jurors who deliberated in the case. The court held:
“We conclude therefore, that the jurors’ affidavits were admissible for the limited purpose of showing concealment of actual bias by several of the jurors on their voir dire examination.” 462 P.2d at 1019.
The Nevada high court said the trial judge erred in excluding the affidavits of the jurors, *164and therefore abused his discretion in the matter.
While it is true the eases cited by the majority hold for the general rule that a litigant is entitled to a jury composed of twelve impartial jurors, there is nothing in the record in this case which demonstrates anything other than impartiality in this medical malpractice case. The fact the verdict was unanimous does demonstrate the twelve jurors who tried this case were of one mind.
It is interesting to note that in Smith v. Maher, 84 Okl. 49, 202 P. 321 (1921), one of the assignments of error was the refusal of the trial court to excuse a juror for cause because of his announced friendship with of the parties litigant. In reversing the judgment of the trial court because of the totality of errors in the record, this Court wrote with regard to the assignment of error regarding the questioned juror:
“It is sufficient to say in reference to this assignment of error that, this being a civil action not requiring a unanimous verdict, and if this was the only error complained of and the record disclosed that the judgment of the court entered upon the verdict of was, in our judgment, substantially correct, we would deem any error committed in overruling the challenge for cause of the plaintiff to this juror insufficient to reverse the cause upon,.... ”
The Court then went on to hold that because other, more significant, errors were committed during trial, the challenge for cause-should have been sustained.
The majority does not call our attention to any other prejudicial error in the trial; and we believe the verdict to be substantially correct. We emphasize the error, if any there be, in the trial judge permitting the questioned juror to sit in the case at bar, is at most, harmless error.
I would deny the petition for certiorari in this case, thereby affirming the judgment entered upon the jury verdict.
I am authorized to state that Chief Justice HODGES, Vice Chief Justice LAVENDER, and Justice HARGRAVE join with me in the views expressed herein.