Court Opinion

ID: 9679929
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 07:13:10.077133+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:17:23.515447
License: Public Domain

CHARLES B. BLACKMAR, Senior Judge,
concurring in part and dissenting in part.
I am of the opinion that the judgment so far departs from the regular and appropriate course of judicial proceedings that I cannot put my stamp of approval on it. I hope that lawyers and judges who come across this case in the future will realize that possibly valid points were not raised in the trial court or preserved for review, because the defendant’s original counsel virtually abandoned him and successor counsel, though making diligent efforts, came in only after most of the damage was done.
I concur in the result reached in Count II. Had the defendant given any indication that he had valuable testimony, I believe that it would have been an abuse of discretion for the court to deny him the opportunity to testify by deposition. This is especially so when the court gave the plaintiffs the opportunity to reopen their case to present their claim for prejudgment interest.
I dissent as to the award of actual and punitive damages under Part III. I believe that the defendant, by raising claims about the methodology of determining punitive damages, effectively preserved a claim of excessiveness. I am forced to the conclusion that the trial judge allowed his outrage at the defendant’s conduct and his sympathy for the bereaved to color his judgment and overlooked the injunction of see. 537.090, RSMo 1994, that “damages for grief and bereavement by reason of the death shall not be recoverable.” Inasmuch as the trial judge exercised the functions of both court and jury, this Court’s review is the only cheek on his excesses. Because the Court does not reach the issue, I shall not compose an essay on the various factors that deserve consideration. Suffice it to say that the size of the award shocks my conscience to such an extent that I deem it plain error reviewable under Rule 84.13(c). The error taints the award of actual damages, except as to the award of personal injury damages to both respondents. I would solve the problem by vacating the awards of damages for wrongful death and remanding for reconsideration. In the remand order the Court should prescribe some standards for guidance.
I concur with all parts of Part IV of the opinion.
In the view I take it would not be necessary to reach the matters discussed in Part V but, since the Court considers the issue, I cannot fully concur. I agree that there is no need to allocate a settlement offer among the several potential claimants to the unitary award for wrongful death under Sec. 537.080 RSMo 1994. The settlement can come first and the allocation afterwards. I cannot, however, endorse the propriety of a lump sum offer for the claims of plural claimants for damages for their own personal injuries. Such an award poses an ethical problem for plaintiffs’ counsel who represent several clients who unite in a single lawsuit, because no judicial machinery is available for allocation. A separate offer for each severable claim should be required.
For the reasons stated I would vacate the monetary portions of the award and would remand the case with directions to reconsid*856er. On remand I would allow the defendant to testify by deposition.