Court Opinion

ID: 9657852
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 20:39:23.229947+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:13:48.817297
License: Public Domain

AMUNDSON, Justice
(dissenting).
If the issue in this case was whether or not the trial court erred in not allowing the testimony of Ostrander in toto, I would concur.1 That is not the precise issue before this court, however. I could agree that trial court could have completely excluded the testimony. See, e.g., Black v. Ryder/P.I.E. Nationwide, Inc., 930 F.2d 505 (6th Cir.1991). The trial court made a determination that Ostrander was qualified as an expert, then imposed limitations on this testimony. However, once it allowed Ostrander to testify in regards to the effect of the seven percent impairment, it should not have limited Ostrander’s testimony about how that impairment effected Marnette’s future earning capacity or future vocational employability. The majority argues that Ostrander’s testimony regarding lost earning capacity is inconsistent with the statements made by Marnette, and therefore, properly excluded. Other courts have held, however, “that the extent to which the facts are inconsistent with the expert’s opinions affects only the weight to be given to the opinions, not their admissibility.” Grote v. Estate of Franklin (citations omitted), 214 Ill.App.3d 261, 157 Ill.Dec. 942, 573 N.E.2d 360 (1991); see also Loudermill v. Dow Chemical Co., 863 F.2d 566 (8th Cir.1988) (factual basis of expert opinion goes to the credibility of the testimony, not the admissibility); Jones v. Otis Elevator Co., 861 F.2d 655 (11th Cir.1988) (weaknesses in underpinnings of expert’s opinion go to its weight rather than to its admissibility); Century 21 Page One Realty v. Naghad, 760 S.W.2d 305 (Tex.App.—Texarkana 1988) (the factual basis upon which an expert arrives at his opinion goes to the weight of his testimony and not to the admissibility); McPherson v. Buege, 360 N.W.2d 344 (Minn.App.1984) (any alleged deficiencies in the factual basis go more to the weight of the expert’s testimony than to its admissibility).
It is also noteworthy that the trial court, after hearing the testimony of Marnette which the majority construes as damning to his case, still instructed the jury on loss of earning capacity.2 Trial court could not have instructed the jury on loss of earning capacity unless it found the evidence warranted such an instruction. Wheeldon v. Madison, 374 N.W.2d 367 (S.D.1985). While there must be some factual data to support the opinion of an expert, these facts need not be admissible in evidence in *601support of the expert testimony. Stormo, 469 N.W.2d 816, 820; Zepp, 444 N.W.2d 28, 31; State v. Gallegos, 316 N.W.2d 634, 636-37 (S.D.1982). In fact, SDCL 19-15-4 has been interpreted to allow expert testimony which is lacking in foundation.3 Stormo, 469 N.W.2d at 820 (citing Zepp, 444 N.W.2d at 31).
Ostrander’s testimony was based on the medical reports of two treating physicians, a deposition of one of those physicians, and a personal interview with Marnette. Mar-nette argues that it is common practice for vocational experts to rely on this type of information and that SDCL 19-15-3 and 19-15-4 would support admission of Os-trander’s testimony.4 This is further buttressed by the testimony of Ostrander who testified that it is common practice for a vocational expert to, in part, base his opinion on the medical impairment rating rendered by a treating or evaluating physician.
This court recently considered the admissibility of expert testimony regarding loss of earning capacity. In Stormo, we stated that as long as the expert’s testimony disclosed the basis on which his or her opinion of loss of future earnings relied, it is for the jury to determine the weight to be accorded such testimony. Stormo, 469 N.W.2d at 821 (citing Martino v. Park Jefferson Racing Ass’n., 315 N.W.2d 309, 312-13 (S.D.1982)). We concluded in both Stormo and Martino, that a permanent partial disability rating provided a sufficient basis for the trial court to receive evidence from an economist regarding the loss of future earning capacity. Stormo, 469 N.W.2d at 821; Martino, 315 N.W.2d at 311.
In Fox v. Dannenberg, 906 F.2d 1253, 1256 (8th Cir.1990), the court, in discussing the admission of expert testimony under Rule 702 (SDCL 19-15-2), stated as follows:
Rule 702 reflects an attempt to liberalize the rules governing the admission of expert testimony. See J. Weinstein & M. Berger, Weinstein’s Evidence 11702[02] at 702-30 (1988). The Advisory Notes to the Rule comment that “[t]he rule is broadly phrased. The fields of knowledge which may be drawn upon are not limited merely to the ‘scientific’ and ‘technical’ but extend to all ‘specialized’ knowledge. Similarly, the expert is viewed, not in a narrow sense, but as a person qualified by ‘knowledge, skill, experience, training or education.’ ” Fed. R.Evid. 702, Advisory Note. In Larabee v. MM & L Intern. Corp., 896 F.2d 1112 (8th Cir.1990), we quoted with approval a leading scholar’s statement that “ ‘doubts about whether an expert’s testimony will be useful should generally be resolved in favor of admissibility.’ ” Id. at 1116 n. 6 (quoting Weinstein, ¶ 702[02] at 702-30)....
This leading scholar has also written in regards to jury consideration of an expert’s testimony as follows:
The authors have found that a more liberal view can work quite well in prac-tice_ [I]n jury cases, when the matter is brought to the jurors’ attention by a proper instruction, they show a full sensitivity to the problem — in fact often discounting the expert’s opinion too much when it is based on hearsay or secondary evidence of documents or the like. We ought not assume the jurors *602are less intelligent or alert than lawyers or judges. And we ought not inhibit experts from giving us as much aid as they can. 3 J. Weinstein & M. Berger, Weinstein’s Evidence 11703-29 (1991).
In other words, the opinion of the expert cannot be elevated to a level higher than the evidence and logic upon which it is predicated after being attacked by cross-examination. Then, it is for the jury to measure the worth of the opinion.
In the'present case, there was a permanent partial impairment rating admitted in evidence which admittedly differed from Ostrander’s proposed opinion on loss of employability rating. In Cozine v. Midwest Coast Transport, Inc., 454 N.W.2d 548 (S.D.1990), we concluded, however, that although a medical impairment rating given by a doctor is an important factor to measure loss of use, the extent of loss of use does not necessarily equal the extent of medical impairment. Id. at 552. We found in Cozine that, in order to fully determine a loss of use, the hearing examiner should have considered other evidence, such as the testimony of a, vocational expert regarding loss of employability. Id.
Ostrander’s testimony was to be presented to assist the jury in determining how Marnette’s seven percent impairment rating affected his employability. This testimony could have assisted the jury in making a full determination of Marnette’s loss of earning capacity. Accordingly, the trial court should have allowed Ostrander’s testimony without restriction. In essence, the trial court determined that the expert had the knowledge, experience, training and education to give an opinion which would assist the jury, but superimposed a limit on this opinion, namely the physician expert’s impairment rating.
Morgan’s vigorous cross-examination required Ostrander to specify the data upon which his court-limited opinions and court-limited inferences were based.5 The jury then had the opportunity to determine the weight to be given Ostrander’s court-sanitized opinion.
I would hold that preventing the jury from making a determination of the credibility and weight to be given to the unsani-tized opinion, constituted an abuse of discretion. If, in fact, the underpinnings of an expert’s opinion are weak as could be the case here, this goes to the weight and credibility of the opinion and not its admissibility. Polk v. Ford Motor Co., 529 F.2d 259 (8th Cir.1976) cert. denied 426 U.S. 907, 96 S.Ct. 2229, 48 L.Ed.2d 832. The trial court should have permitted Ostran-der’s testimony concerning a future reduction in Marnette’s employment capacity, a thirty percent reduction in earnings advancement, and future increases in unemployment of 2.4 weeks each year on his claim of lost earning capacity which was an element of damages contained in the court’s instructions to the jury. Then, the question of the credibility and the weight to be given to this unsanitized opinion would have been determined by the jury in light of the vigorous cross-examination evidenced by the record on the part of the defense.
I would reverse and remand for a new trial.

. The defendant moved the court to exclude the opinion testimony of witness Ostrander since he had no medical qualifications, and testimony was pure speculation, lacking any foundation. The trial court ruled as follows on this defense motion:
The court will clarify its ruling. Mr. Os-trander can testify as to the 7% impairment that it might affect his various occupations up to 7% but there’s no medical testimony which has been presented that will allow him to testify that he can’t handle certain occupations because there's no foundation for such. So, if you want to use him to testify that any occupation he goes into he might be affected up to a 7% reduction, that’s fine but to say that he cannot handle certain occupations, there’s no medical foundation for that.

. The trial court's instruction No. 19 read in part as follows:
... The factors to be considered in determining the measure of damages for loss of earning capacity include what he earned before the injury and what he is capable of earning after the injury, the prior ability of the injured person and the extent to which the injuries affect his power to earn, his age, life expectancy, physical condition, occupation, skill and habits of industry. (Emphasis added.)

. As stated in Zepp, the basis for this rule is "that it speeds up the trial and permits the opposing party to attack a weak foundation on cross-examination.” Zepp, 444 N.W.2d at 31.

. SDCL 19-15-3 provides:
The facts or data in the particular case upon which an expert bases an opinion or inference may be those perceived by or made known to him at or before the hearing. If of a type reasonably relied upon by experts in the particular field in forming opinions or inferences upon the subject, the facts or data need not be admissible in evidence.
SDCL 19-15-4 provides:
An expert witness may be asked to state his opinions or inferences, whether these opinions or inferences are based on the witness’ personal observation, or on evidence introduced at the trial and seen or heard by the witness, or on his technical knowledge of the subject, without first specifying hypothetically in the question the data on which these opinions or inferences are based. An expert witness may be required, on direct or cross-examination, to specify the data on which his opinions or inferences are based.

. We also note the case of Indian Coffee Corp. v. Procter & Gamble Co., 752 F.2d 891 (3d Cir. 1985), which held that the trial court erroneously excluded testimony where it did not make an inquiry as to what data experts in the field routinely rely on. As a practical matter, the court in the present case, too, could have made an inquiry of Ostrander’s bases for his opinion if it was not satisfied with the foundation.