Court Opinion

ID: 9656905
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-23 20:06:57.011325+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T13:06:52.867107
License: Public Domain

*728CLIFFORD H. AHRENS, Presiding Judge,
dissenting.
I respectfully dissent. I would affirm the trial court’s grant of a new trial on the basis of intentional nondisclosure by a juror in response to questions on voir dire. The court conducted an evidentiary post-trial hearing at which the juror testified. After hearing the juror’s testimony, the trial court specifically found: “The responses of the juror were so evasive that there remained little doubt that this was an intentional nondisclosure of claims by the juror.”
“Appellate courts should be more liberal in upholding a grant of a new trial than in awarding a new trial when the trial court denies the motion.” Bodimer v. Ryan’s Family Steakhouses, Inc., 978 S.W.2d 4, 8 (Mo.App.1998). Our review of a grant of a new trial is “directed to whether the trial court abused its discretion in ordering a new trial.” Id. An abuse of discretion occurs “when the trial court’s ruling is clearly against the logic of the circumstances then before the court and is so arbitrary and unreasonable as to shock the sense of justice and indicate a lack of careful consideration.” State v. Albanese, 9 S.W.3d 39, 45 (Mo.App.1999)(quoting State v. Jackson, 969 S.W.2d 773, 775 (Mo.App.1998)).
“Nondisclosure, whether intentional or unintentional, can occur only after a clear’ question is asked on voir dire.” Brines v. Cibis, 882 S.W.2d 138, 139 (Mo. banc 1994). “Intentional nondisclosure occurs: 1) where there exists no reasonable inability to comprehend the information solicited by the question asked of the prospective juror and 2) where it develops that the prospective juror actually remembers the experience or that it was of such significance that his purported forgetfulness is unreasonable.” Williams v. Barnes Hosp., 736 S.W.2d 33, 36 (Mo. banc 1987). “The determination of whether concealment is intentional or unintentional is left to the sound discretion of the trial court.” Id. The trial court’s determination is given great weight and will not be disturbed on appeal absent an abuse of discretion. Brines, 882 S.W.2d at 139.
There is nothing in the record on appeal to indicate the trial court abused its discretion in granting the motion for a new trial or in finding intentional nondisclosure. The majority opinion does not decide the question of whether the trial court abused its discretion in finding that the juror’s nondisclosure of collection suits by major corporations was intentional. Instead, the majority determines as a matter of law that the question asked of the juror about claims was unclear. The majority applies a standard of whether a lay person would reasonably conclude that the undisclosed information was solicited by the question. Without determining whether this is the proper standard, the record does not support the majority’s conclusion that the question was unclear. The question specifically asked:
I have asked you about claims any of you have brought. Let me ask next if there are any instances where claims have been brought against you. Has anyone claimed you did something wrong that you are responsible for, an injury or something else, and filed a claim or a suit against you?
The juror did not testify that the question was unclear to him, or that he did not understand it included collection suits or claims. Instead, the juror testified that when he answered the question on voir dire, he did not remember these claims for debts. Specifically, he responded: “I didn’t remember at the time there was some claims for debts back in the '80s that I took care of most of them. And when I got later on, then I paid them off and I *729had to file bankruptcy....” He later testified:
Q .... you did say you did hear the question; is that correct?
A. Yes, I heal’d the question, but I didn’t — I don’t remember. I don’t know if it was current or back many years or what.
Q. And you didn’t raise your hand to ask whether or not they were talking about recently or back so many years; is that correct?
A. No, I didn’t.
Q. So you were aware of these claims at the time the voir dire was going on?
A. I don’t remember them. I just thought you was talking about the last couple of years or something. I didn’t know it would be going back 10 years or 5 years or what or more.
Q. But you didn’t ask, though?
A. No.
Q _you were aware all the questions that were asked was asked of each and every juror and you were supposed to respond?
A. Yes.
Q. And you did not respond to that question?
A. I didn’t remember the lawsuits because after that long a period, I more or less didn’t. I did the best I could do to answer.
How the juror subjectively interpreted a question should not be dispositive on the issue of whether the question was clear. But it is apparent from the juror’s testimony at the post-trial hearing that his nondisclosure had nothing to do with whether the question applied to collection claims as opposed to personal injury claims. He testified that his nondisclosure was because he didn’t remember these claims and because he didn’t know if the question asked for current or back claims. The trial court specifically found that testimony not credible and was “so evasive that there remained little doubt that this was an intentional nondisclosure of claims by the juror.” I would defer to the trial court’s determination of credibility because the trial judge was better able to observe the juror’s demeanor during voir dire and the evidentiary hearing. The record supports the trial court’s finding of intentional nondisclosure, which prejudiced the defendant. I find no abuse of discretion and would affirm the judgment of the trial court.