Court Opinion

ID: 9514568
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-06 22:50:32.078181+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:06:18.932100
License: Public Domain

SABERS, Justice
(concurring specially).
[¶ 19.] It is obvious from the evidence and the varying positions of the jury and the trial court in Morrison I and Morrison II that reasonable minds can and do differ in this case. McDonough v. Kahle, 1999 SD 14, ¶ 21, 588 N.W.2d 600, 604 (holding that due to the conflicts in the evidence, reasonable minds could differ; therefore, the trial court erred in granting a directed verdict); Border States Paving, Inc. v. SD Dep’t of Transp., 1998 SD 21, ¶ 10, 574 N.W.2d 898, 901 (adhering to the standard that a directed verdict is not appropriate when “sufficient evidence exists so that reasonable minds could differ”) (citations omitted); Sporleder v. Van Liere, 1997 SD 110, ¶ 12, 569 N.W.2d 8, 11 (reiterating the standard that “[i]f sufficient evidence exists so that reasonable minds could differ, a directed verdict is not appropriate”) (citations omitted); Bankwest, Inc. v. Valentine, 451 N.W.2d 732, 734 (S.D.1990) (stating “[i]f sufficient evidence exists so that reasonable minds could differ, a directed verdict is not appropriate”). Therefore, the trial court erred in granting a new trial and I concur.