Court Opinion

ID: 9514929
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-06 22:52:32.801607+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:06:22.847536
License: Public Domain

SABERS, ’ Justice
(concurring in part and dissenting in part).
[¶ 22.] I concur with the majority opinion on all issues except for its proposal for a partial remand. We should instead reverse and remand for a full trial on liability and damages.
[¶ 23.] There are occasions where a partial remand is an appropriate remedy. A partial remand is warranted when the errant part of the judgment below is severable from the rest of the trial. Kneip v. Unitedbank-Victoria, 734 S.W.2d 130, 137 (Tex.App.1987); see also Lien v. McGladrey & Pullen, 509 N.W.2d 421, 427 (S.D. *7051983). However, the majority opinion s remand for retrial on exclusively damages “would not be in the interest of justice and [it] would be unfair to the parties to retry the case piecemeal.” Kneip, 734 S.W.2d at 137.
[¶ 24.] This is a negligence action arising from a motor vehicle collision. The defendant, Rossknecht, has asserted as affirmative defenses that Garland was either contributorily negligent or assumed the risk of this collision. These defenses relate directly to the damage issue in this case. These defenses also relate directly to the negligence issue in this case. In this instance, a retrial for damages only would hamper a jury’s ability to grasp the proper view of this case. See Prouse v. Ransom, 117 Idaho 734, 791 P.2d 1313, 1316 (Idaho App.1989) (acknowledging that in a partial remand the precise effect of the error is difficult to quantify); Roberts v. Mullen, 446 S.W.2d 86, 89 (Tex Civ 1969) (stating that “issues of liability and damages in tort cases are indivisible and it is improper to reverse a judgment and remand the case for trial on the issue of damages only”).
, [¶ 25.] The proposed bifurcated proceeding urged by the majority opinion is justified “only if the matter is clearly separable without unfairness to the parties.” Evans v. First National Bank of Bellville, 946 S.W.2d 367, 380 (Tex.App.1997). I submit the addition of a vocational expert is not enough to properly decide the issue of damages. There is no justification for partial remand .based on judicial economy because the jury will be forced to hear additional evidence to properly decide this case. I submit that a remand for a full new trial is preferable as the jury should hear the entire evidence before attempting to make a determination on damages.