Court Opinion

ID: 9725779
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-26 12:10:09.544348+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:25:19.708786
License: Public Domain

ROBERTS, J.
(concurring specially).
 I concur generally in the reasoning and conclusions expressed by Judge SMITH. I do not, however, agree that it was error for the trial court to deny plaintiff’s request that the jury be permitted to view the county jail. SDC 33.1322 recognizes the right of the trial court to permit inspection in jury cases “When in the opinion of the Court it is proper”. Whether a view is proper and to be ordered rests in the sound discretion of the court. Denial of permission to view the county jail was not in my opinion an abuse of discretion.
It is urged that there was misconduct on the part of one of counsel for defendant Best which served to deprive plaintiff of a fair and impartial trial. Counsel stated to the jury that he was a “little nervous and apprehensive” as he made his argument and he wanted the jurors “to realize” that they stood between his client and “financial disaster”. Counsel for plaintiff immediately objected to the statement and requested the court to admonish the jury as to its impropriety. This was overruled. Counsel then continued: “As I said, there is $77,500 here at stake. Maybe *445that doesn’t look like financial disaster to some people, but it does to my client * * * But I don’t want someone coming into this courtroom and asking because of a lot of shame and humiliation from something else to punish Glenn Best, who made an innocent mistake, and that is all it is”. It is contended that in the absence of any claim for punitive damages the financial circumstances and punishment of a defendant could not be considered and that an argument susceptible of the implication that the jury may take into account such factors was erroneous and prejudicial.
This (court in Kloppenburg v. Kloppenburg, 66 S.D. 174, 280 N.W. 209, 210, said: “This court, from its beginning, has insisted that counsel keep within the issues when arguing cases to the jury and has not hesitated to reverse judgments where counsel have transgressed the rule. State v. Kaufmann, 22 S.D. 433, 118 N.W. 337; Egan v. Dotson, 36 S.D. 459, 155 N.W. 783, Ann.Cas. 1917A, 296; Lindsay v. Pettigrew, 3 S.D. 199, 52 N.W. 873; Id., 10 S.D. 228, 72 N.W. 574; O’Connor v. Bonney, 57 S.D. 134, 231 N.W. 521; Cooper v. Holscher, 60 S.D. 83, 243 N.W. 739.” Plaintiff was entitled to a verdict for the amount of damages proved regardless of the ability of the defendants to pay or its ultimate financial effect upon them. 15 Am.Jur., Damages, § 345; see also cases collected in annotation in 32 A.L.R.2d 9. The argument complained of was without justification in the evidence and was calculated to arouse sympathy and to influence the jury in determining the amount of its verdict.
Defendants earnestly insist that if the argument of counsel was improper it could not have been prejudicial. We recognize that before an error can be complained of it mtist have been harmful to the substantial rights of the party appealing. Sejnoha v. Buchanan, 71 S.D. 220, 23 N.W.2d 142. Whether an error is probably prejudicial depends generally upon the circumstances of the particular case. Allen v. McLain, 75 S.D. 520, 69 N.W.2d 390; Dwyer v. Christensen, 77 S.D. 381, 92 N.W.2d 199. There might be some support for the contention if the error stood alone. We examine the record as a whole and determine therefrom *446whether an error was probably prejudicial. The pleadings presented the issue of good faith and probable cause. Jurors upon their voir dire were interrogated on assumption that this was a defense and evidence to establish justification was received. The trial court before submission to the jury yielded to the contention that such evidence had no bearing upon the right of plaintiff to recover compensatory damages and the jury was admonished accordingly. This state of the record and the .many sharp exchanges between opposing counsel resulting perhaps from overzealousness including the incident when counsel for defendant Best interrupted the argument of other counsel to the jury and asked the court to have the husband of the plaintiff excluded from the courtroom are considerations in determining the likelihood of prejudice.
Many abuses in argument may be corrected by the prompt admonition of the court to the jury and this court will not interfere because of improper argument which has been sufficiently counteracted by the action of the trial court. Although the court indicated that in his opinion the “remark of counsel” regarding punishment of defendant Best “may be going a little far”, he overruled the objection thereto and instructed counsel to “proceed”. As already stated, prior objection to the line of argument under consideration was overruled without comment. The jury .may well have construed these rulings at least in part as sanctioning the argument of counsel. An examination of the record as a whole in my opinion sustains the claim of probable prejudice and requires a reversal of the judgment.
The judgment is reversed.
RENTTO, P.J., and HANSON and BOGUE, JJ., concur with ROBERTS, J.