Court Opinion

ID: 9624768
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 07:17:12.676009+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:05:54.474734
License: Public Domain

JOHNSON, Justice.
II. GRANT OF NEW TRIAL OR REMITTITUR
Sanchez I succinctly stated the law with regard to consideration of new trial motions by trial courts:
In sum, Dinneen and Quick suggest the following course of conduct for a trial court judge pursuant to a motion for new trial under I.R.C.P. 59(a)(5) and (6): The trial court is not merely to weigh its calculations as against those of the jury. Rather, the trial court is to weigh the evidence to determine if the jury’s verdict is supportable by the evidence and when it thinks not, it should grant a new trial pursuant to I.R.C.P. 59(a)(6). If, technically, the verdict is supported by substantial, competent evidence and it still finds the verdict excessive, then it must rule whether in its opinion the jury appears to have acted under the influence of passion or prejudice. In ascertaining whether the jury appears to have so acted, the judge looks to the disparity between the awards and to whether such disparity ‘shocks the conscience.’
112 Idaho at 615, 733 P.2d at 1240.
In setting aside the order granting remit-titur or new trial in Sanchez I this Court said:
On the basis of the statements of the trial court, we cannot ascertain whether the trial court was either shocked by the jury’s award, or whether it found that award unconscionable. Rather, the trial court merely substituted its award amount, reached by way of a different method of calculation, for that of the jury. The trial court made no finding that the amount of the jury verdict ‘appeared to have been given under the influence of passion or prejudice.’ Therefore, the order granting remittitur or new trial is set aside. We remand to the trial court so that it may enter findings of fact as to whether he was, in fact shocked by the jury award, or found such award unconscionable so as to have the appearance that it was given under the influence of passion or prejudice. Following entry of those findings, the trial court may either re-institute the re-mittitur or not do so, whichever is appropriate and consistent with this opinion.
Id. at 616, 733 P.2d at 1241.
On remand the trial court found that the amount of the verdict did not shock him, but that he did find it unconscionable. The trial court also found that the amount of the verdict indicated that the jury was acting under the influence of passion or prejudice. Based on these additional findings, the trial court re-instituted the remittitur. The trial court’s findings fulfilled the condition precedent established by this Court in Sanchez I for re-instituting the remittitur. That condition precedent is the law of this case. I am unwilling to tinker with the exercise of the trial court’s discretion in making these findings. To do so, not only violates the law of this case, but also changes the law in this state concerning the granting of motions for new trials under I.R.C.P. 59(a)(6) as succinctly stated in Sanchez I.
The trial court’s order requiring a remit-titur or granting a new trial is affirmed.
BISTLINE and HUNTLEY, JJ., and McFADDEN, J. pro tem, concur.