Court Opinion

ID: 9792320
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-31 02:27:06.054859+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:37:42.038422
License: Public Domain

ORME, Associate Presiding Judge
(dissenting):
I respectfully dissent. Because of a perceived pre trial discovery glitch, and the mere theoretical possibility that some earth-shattering evidence might have been found in the insurance adjuster’s file, the majority gives plaintiff a new trial. Without regard to what plaintiff might actually have found in the file, plaintiff gets a whole new bite at the apple — a second chance to select jurors, interrogate and cross-examine witnesses, argue for and against jury instructions, and argue to a jury. Not only is this unfair to defendant, it needlessly burdens the system. A second staging of a 10-day jury trial is not something that should be required absent unavoidable necessity.
There is no such necessity in this case. The majority errs in presuming the existence of a smoking gun in the insurance file, when in fact all of the circumstances of the case indicate that no such evidence exists. The key issue for the jury was whether a horse escaped because trespassers knocked the fence down or because defendant was negligent in constructing and maintaining the fence. Persuaded by the evidence of deer entrails and tire tracks at the scene, the jury accepted the trespasser theory. The majority points to nothing likely to be found in the insurance adjuster’s file that would probably have led the jury to the alternative conclusion.
Even if the trial court erred in ruling that the insurance file was protected by the work product doctrine, such an erroneous decision “cannot result in reversible error unless the error is harmful.” State v. Hamilton, 827 P.2d 232, 240 (Utah 1992). See Jenkins v. Weis, 868 P.2d 1374, 1376 (Utah App.1994). As a general rule, an error is harmless unless appellant can demonstrate it was prejudicial *1264to her ease, i.e., unless “there is a ‘reasonable likelihood that the error affected the outcome of the proceedings.’ ”1 Steffensen v. Smith’s Management Corp., 820 P.2d 482, 489 (Utah App.1991) (quoting State v. Verde, 770 P.2d 116, 120 (Utah 1989)), aff'd, 862 P.2d 1342 (Utah 1993). See also Utah R.Evid. 103(a) (error which does not affect substantial right of party is harmless); Utah R.Civ.P. 61 (same).
The majority would have us presume that the undiscovered evidence was pivotal to plaintiffs case. However, there is no indication that the undiscovered material contained even additional pertinent evidence, let alone evidence which would affect the outcome of the case. Plaintiff was able to obtain the photographs taken by adjuster Harmon and to depose him concerning his investigation of the fence site. She also deposed defendant and extensively cross-examined him at trial regarding the condition of the fence and the surrounding area, including testimony concerning tire tracks and deer entrails found at the site. The only other remaining witness, Deputy Monson, filed a police report on his observations and also testified at trial. In sum, even though plaintiff had access to all of the pertinent witnesses and physical evidence, she cannot point to any possible evidence or additional facts having any effect on her ease that would have been gleaned through discovery of the insurance file.2
Instead, plaintiff contends that the usual rule on prejudice should not apply to her because — by reason of the very error of which she complains — she has been unable to learn the contents of the file and thus is unable to show what is there and how its admission into evidence — or how its leading to other admissible evidence — would likely have produced a more favorable result at trial. I appreciate that plaintiff now confronts something of a “Catch-22.” However, the dilemma is largely of her own making, as viable procedural alternatives were available by which she could have preserved more of a record on which we could have meaningfully evaluated her claim of prejudice.
Plaintiff could have made a formal request that the trial court review the documents in camera and enter findings on any evidence contained therein. See Utah R.Civ.P. 26(b)(1), 26(e); Madsen v. United Television, Inc., 801 P.2d 912, 915-18 (Utah 1990). Plaintiff might also have moved the trial court to require submission of the materials to the court, to be kept under seal for subsequent review by this court or the trial court if so ordered on remand. See Utah R.Civ.P. 26(c). Cf. Utah R.Evid. 505(d)(1) (court can seal and preserve privileged evidence for possibility of appeal).
In contrast, given the current posture of the case, plaintiffs appeal is based on the *1265entirely speculative existence of evidence which might undermine the verdict against her. Because the possibility that such evidence will be found in the insurance file is so remote, and because plaintiff failed to take reasonable steps to preserve a better record of what the file contains, I would not employ the Tenth Circuit’s Weahkee rule in this case and presume prejudice, thereby shifting to appellee the burden to show that production of the file would not have altered the outcome at trial. Rather, were it up to me, without treating the merits of the issue dealt with in the majority opinion, I would be tempted to hold any error in this regard to be harmless, given the record before us, and affirm the jury’s verdict in favor of defendant. At a minimum, I would remand to the trial court with instructions to order production of the file and to give plaintiff an opportunity to explain what she would have done differently had she had access to the material in the file and to demonstrate how that may well have made her victorious at trial. But in no event would I give her a new trial absent some colorable indication of actual prejudice resulting from the discovery error, if there was one.

. Further defining the "reasonable likelihood" standard, the Utah Supreme Court has stated that " '[flor an error to require reversal, the likelihood of a different outcome must be sufficiently high to undermine confidence in the verdict.’ " State v. Hamilton, 827 P.2d 232, 240 (Utah 1992).(quoting State v. Knight, 734 P.2d 913, 920 (Utah 1987)). In making such a determination, "we must look beyond the mere fact of error and consider in totality all the evidence and proceedings below." Steffensen v. Smith’s Management Corp., 820 P.2d 482, 489 (Utah App.1991), aff'd, 862 P.2d 1342 (Utah 1993). Accord Hamilton, 827 P.2d at 240.

. In fact, the only possible evidence which might affect the outcome of the case would be if the undiscovered materials contain evidence of a conspiracy between the adjuster and defendant to obscure any possible indication of defendant’s negligence in the construction of the fence by making it look like hunters had knocked it down. Were such a conspiracy to occur, it seems highly unlikely that the conspirators would document their efforts in the insurance file. By contrast, where the record or the circumstances of the case suggest that the undiscovered materials are likely to be highly probative, it makes sense to presume prejudice because any error in prohibiting access to such information could readily affect the outcome of the case. Both cases primarily relied on by the majority are of this caliber. For example, in In re California Public Utilities Commission, 892 F.2d 778, 783-84 (9th Cir.1989), Westinghouse Electric Corporation sought quarterly reports submitted by Southern California Edison Company to the California Public Utilities Commission concerning the progress of underlying litigation between Edison and Westinghouse in order to establish Edison's state of mind before and during the underlying lawsuits, an essential component of both Edison's fraud claim against Westinghouse and Westinghouse's counterclaim for abuse of process. Similarly, in Weahkee v. Norton, 621 F.2d 1080, 1082-83 (10th Cir.1980), plaintiff employee sought his employer’s personnel flies to compare employee evaluations and work performance in order to prove his discrimination and retaliation claims.