Court Opinion

ID: 9680515
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 07:32:48.829928+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:28.959731
License: Public Domain

John I. Purtle, Justice, dissenting. This is in many respects a very tragic case. The majority’s opinion today does nothing but magnify the tragedy. My conscience will not allow me to join the majority opinion which, in my opinion, is as unreasonable and unfair as the judgment of the trial court. I realize it is our custom to state only the facts supporting the verdict when we affirm the judgment of a trial court. However, we are not required to ignore the other facts altogether. ■ The parties to this action had been feuding for quite some time prior to this incident. By all reports there had been a series of unpleasantries exchanged. The appellee, a younger man than appellant, lived in Hot Springs and the appellant lived in Bradley County. On the date of the incident the appellee, his wife and a friend were in Bradley County, about 11 o’clock p.m. and very near appellant’s house. The pretext of being in the vicinity of appellant's house that night was that appellee had to relieve himself and thought it would be all right to do so in a gravel pit across the road from appellant’s house. Appellant entered the gravel pit to investigate and discovered it was the appellee and wife and friend. It was undisputed that appellant was in possession of a shotgun. Appellee and his witnesses stated the appellant threatened to kill him and ordered the others to stand back. Appellant argues appellee attacked him and the gun fired during the tussle. He also stated he was severely injured by having his own shotgun broken over his head. Appellee was shot at such an angle that no pellets entered the . abdominal cavity but instead lodged in tissue in the outer abdominal area. The appellant was knocked unconscious by a blow to the head. The appellee alleged he threw the shotgun to the ground and broke it before beating hell out of appellant. The results of the incident were that appellant spent more time in the hospital and incurred more medical expenses than did the appellee. Appellee, after severely beating appellant, rode in a car to the Hot Springs hospital while appellant had to be transported in an ambulance. The only permanent results of appellee’s injuries is a scar on his lower abdomen where the doctors opened him up to see if he had internal injuries, which he did not. Without taking sides, it is all but impossible to glean from the record which man was truly the initial aggressor. In the end, it was definitely appellee who was the victor, not that it makes any difference, but rather to show that it was not a typical case which would j ustify an inordinate amount of compensatory and punitive damages. The trial court awarded appellee $39,500 compensatory plus $67,000 punitive damages. The combined judgments exceed appellant’s total net worth by far. This judgment would take away appellant’s home, all of his lifetime savings and still remain unsatisfied. It is my belief that a judgment in a case like this should be based upon the total circumstances and certainly contributory negligence should have reduced this judgment. Appellee’s total medical expenses were less than $3,000, and his pain and suffering did not seem to be extraordinary. The medical expenses and other circumstances simply do not justify an award of this magnitude. I must also disagree with the majority opinion that there are no grounds to disqualify a judge who is biased or prejudiced. A judge who is biased or prejudiced should never sit in judgment of a case. Our whole system is predicated upon trials being conducted by judges who are fair and impartial. To hold otherwise would be an act of destruction to the system. I am in agreement with that portion of the opinion which states we would need some objective manifestation of prejudice or bias before we would hold a judge should not preside over a case. I also agree that there was no evidence of prejudice or bias on the part of the trial judge in this case. My disagreement with him is solely on the amount of the judgment. If affirmance of the punitive damage award depends upon the appellant’s wealth, as the majority writes, then this judgment should be reduced by at least fifty percent. His interest in the farm is only contingent and that item represents the bulk of the wealth attributed to him by the trial court and by this court. His actual net worth is less than $25,000. It certainly would be unjust as well as cruel to force appellant’s wife, who was not a party to this suit, to sell their farm in order to get money to satisfy this judgment. If financial worth is an element to be considered in the matter of punitive damages there must be a remittitur in this case. It seems to me that the appellee’s conduct contributing to this unfortunate affair should be considered. He was obviously looking for trouble or he would not have traveled from his home in Garland County, where the suit was brought, to Bradley County, the home of appellant, to relieve himself in a gravel pit near the residence of a man with whom he had been at odds for sometime past. The severe and near fatal beating he imposed upon appellant is evidence of why he was in Bradley County. I cannot join in rewarding him for picking a fight wherein he was injured. My conscience is shocked at the amount of the awards. I disagree with the best judgment of the majority. It is my best judgment that a remittitur should be entered.