Court Opinion

ID: 9748958
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-27 16:18:45.323032+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:25:41.018730
License: Public Domain

ROBERT J. GLADWIN, Judge, dissenting. I believe that the trial court erred in granting a new trial; therefore, I respectfully dissent. | i0The majority opinion adequately sets out the facts and the appropriate standard of review. Further, the majority is correct in holding that to the extent that the trial court considered parts of the juror affidavits that referred to the internal deliberations of the jury or matters not relating to extraneous information or outside influence was error. The allegations of “an atmosphere of intimidation,” “continuous interruptions,” and “loud outbursts” are clearly matters that the trial court could not properly consider. The only issue that the trial court could consider is whether the alleged misconduct, juror McDaniel’s visit to the intersection, is a sufficient basis to grant a new trial. It clearly is not. Paragraph 4 of the two identical affidavits by the two jurors who dissented from the verdict states: I attest that a fellow juror (McDaniel) made an independent investigation into the facts of the case in that he reported during the deliberations that he went to the scene of the accident during the lunch break. Juror McDaniel reported the results of his investigation and his opinions regarding the same to the other jurors during the deliberations. Juror McDaniel was a juror voting in favor of the defendant and I believe his actions contributed to the verdict being handed down in favor of the defendant along with jurors Wade and McPherson not permitting appropriate deliberations of the evidence presented during the trial. In B. & J. Byers Trucking, Inc. v. Robinson, 281 Ark. 442, 665 S.W.2d 258 (1984), our supreme court held that the jury foreman’s opinion regarding the accident scene and its effect on the other jurors were plainly inadmissible under Rule 606(b) in determining whether to grant a new trial. Id. at 447, 665 S.W.2d at 262. The juror in Byers had not been cautioned against visiting the scene. Id. at 448, 665 S.W.2d at 262. The supreme [ncourt held that the allegation regarding a visit to the accident scene did not qualify as extraneous information, as the scene was on a public highway and open to inspection by everyone, therefore not considered information from an outside source. Id. Ultimately, the supreme court affirmed the trial court’s decision to deny a motion for a new trial based on juror misconduct. In Borden v. St. Louis Southwestern Ry. Co., 287 Ark. 316, 698 S.W.2d 795 (1985), our supreme court affirmed the trial court’s grant of a new trial. Id. Borden involved a truck-train collision, and a central issue in the case was whether the truck driver’s view of the train was obstructed. Id. Included in the judge’s instruction was an admonition not to make an independent inquiry or investigation of the case. Id. Contrary to these instructions, two jurors went to the scene of the accident, and at least one reported that the truck’s view of the train would have been obstructed. Id. The supreme court distinguished Borden from Byers stating: The appellants next contend that this case must be reversed in accordance with B. & J. Byers Trucking, Inc. v. Robinson, 281 Ark. 442, 665 S.W.2d 258 (1984). The argument is without merit as that case is easily distinguishable from this one. Both cases involve motions for new trials and, as we have already pointed out, that is a matter over which the trial judge has great discretion. In Byers a new trial was denied. We affirmed. Here, one was granted. We affirm. In Byers one juror went on a public highway to the place where the accident had occurred. He may have already been familiar with the scene and he had received no instructions forbidding him to conduct a private investigation. We held that under those circumstances there was no possibility of prejudice. Here, one of the critical issues was whether the train whistle was sounded. From the affidavit of the bailiff, the trial judge could have found that juror Adkins may have been influenced by the external information that he gained on the day he visited the scene. That is, the train whistle was not blown until the train was 200 feet from |12the crossing. In addition, the affidavits of jurors Beeson and Crawford could have caused the trial judge to find that the external information possibly influenced the jurors on the issue of visibility. Here, there was a clear possibility of prejudice. Borden, 287 Ark. at 321, 698 S.W.2d at 797-98. In the instant case, like Byers, the juror was not warned not to visit the intersection, which was on Cherry Street, a main thoroughfare in Pine Bluff with which he was quite possibly already familiar. Further, the dynamics of the accident scene do not go to the central issue in this case. This case is clearly more in line with Byers than Borden. Even if the visit to the scene was misconduct, we must next look to whether Hankins could have suffered any prejudice by it. A party moving for a new trial under Arkansas Rule of Civil Procedure 59(a)(2) must demonstrate that its rights have been materially affected by the misconduct by showing that a reasonable possibility of prejudice has resulted from the jury misconduct. See Borden, supra. Prejudice is not presumed, and the burden is on the moving party to show otherwise. See St. Louis S.W. Ry. v. White, 302 Ark. 193, 788 S.W.2d 483 (1990). In Diemer v. Dischler, 313 Ark. 154, 852 S.W.2d 793 (1993), our supreme court set out the following factors to be used in determining whether juror misconduct warranted a new trial: (1) whether the trial court instructed the jury not to visit the site of an accident; (2) whether the juror offender simply voiced an opinion or engaged in an experiment relating to a crucial issue; (3) whether the offending juror’s observations impugned a fact presented by a party; (4) whether the affiant describes the alleged juror | ,smisconduct with sufficient specificity, which would include identifying the names of the jurors who engaged in the acts complained of. Here, only the fourth factor is met, as juror McDaniel was named. The majority states that the jury was instructed prior to deliberations to determine the facts from the evidence produced at trial. This is different from being instructed to not visit the site of the accident. Further, there is no indication that any instruction of this nature was given prior to the trial court breaking for lunch, which is the time the affiant said juror McDaniel went to the scene of the accident. However, these factors pale after viewing whether juror McDaniel offered an opinion or engaged in an experiment or impugned a fact offered by a party. A critical analysis of the alleged juror misconduct makes it clear that Hankins could not have suffered any prejudice. This was a simple intersection accident. The majority candidly admits there was a question of comparative negligence, specifically whether Campbell stopped at the stop sign or whether Hankins was speeding. There is no possible way that juror McDaniel could offer any information that would answer those questions. The affidavit fails to state any information that juror McDaniel gave that could have resulted in prejudice, and the majority opinion fails to provide even one example of an experiment or information that could have caused any prejudice. It simply concludes there was a reasonable possibility of prejudice. The majority is correct in stating that it is difficult to reverse the grant of a new trial, but it is not unprecedented. See Farm Bureau Mut. Ins. Co. of Arkansas, Inc. v. Smith, 5 Ark.App. 37, 632 S.W.2d 244 (1982). Simply because there is a high standard of review does not mean that we should rubber stamp every grant of a new trial. In this case, two jurors’ opinions of a case have been allowed to prevail over the opinions of ten jurors based on nothing more than the two jurors’ dissatisfaction with the verdict. As I would reverse the grant of a new trial, I would also affirm Hankins’s cross-appeal as the jury’s verdict was supported by substantial evidence. GRUBER, J., joins.