Court Opinion

ID: 9763170
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-29 02:38:04.886098+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:29:39.792900
License: Public Domain

OSBORN, Chief Justice,
concurring.
I concur with the opinion which affirms the judgment of the trial court. I do not concur with the majority’s determination that counsel for the parties stipulated that the employee worked 210 days in the year preceding his injury. When both parties introduced wage statements that reflected he had worked approximately 260 days during the preceding year, it was established as a matter of law that the 210 day requirement had been satisfied. Therefore, there was no fact issue for the jury.
I would hold that anytime a party seeks a stipulation from an opposing party, the record must reflect an affirmative response to the offer to stipulate. Anything less should not be held as a matter of law to be a stipulation. I would not hold that a statement “I don’t know why we need to stipulate” is an affirmative response that “I do so stipulate.” Otherwise, trial counsel should be advised to beware of the traps into which the unwary may fail.