Court Opinion

ID: 9470798
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-05 03:16:14.810644+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T17:42:06.654352
License: Public Domain

ELY, Circuit Judge,
dissenting:
As to the appellant’s present and tragic physical condition, the District Court found, in part, as follows:
“(a) He has no effective motor function of his legs. He cannot walk.
(b) He has no effective function of the fingers of either hand.
(c) He has some motor function of both arms; however, this is limited by his ank-ylosing spondylitis.
(d) He has a neurogenic bowel. Feces must be extracted with manual help. Because of the ankylosing spondylitis he cannot sit on a commode and must accomplish defecation, with assistance, in bed, every other day.
(e) He has a neurogenic bladder. Urine is drained through the permanently installed suprapubic tube, into the bladder, and to which a drain tube is attached carrying the urine to a bag. This must be attached and carried at all times.”
At the time of the District Court’s judgment, Siverson was 62 years of age, and one of the considerations involved in the damage award was presumably that the normal life expectancy of a male person 62 years of age is 17.2 years. In the light of Siverson’s present condition, as outlined above, even though I must concede that my own medical knowledge is limited, I simply cannot believe that Siverson can long survive. The court awarded Siverson $464,730, less certain disability benefits, as special damages. These damages were apparently sufficient to cover the cost of medical and nursing attention to be required by Siverson in the future. I have no quarrel with this award, and neither, apparently, does the Government. The Government does, however, vigorously contend that the additional award of $1 million for pain and suffering alone was excessive. I cannot conscientiously avoid the conclusion that the Government’s position in this respect is correct. Before the Government’s negligence occurred, Siv-erson was already in such a serious physical condition that he was undergoing extensive pain and suffering. Taking this into account, and in the light of what I have above written, I believe that an award of $500,000 for pain and suffering should have been enough. The afflictions now endured by Siverson, a disabled Veteran, touch my heart, as they would the hearts of everyone, but my considered judgment is that, in this particular case and in one respect, the District Court, along with my Brothers, have been much too liberal in meeting our financial obligation to the public trust.