Court Opinion

ID: 9637489
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 15:07:44.166529+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:09:56.531372
License: Public Domain

Reiber, J.,
¶ 22. dissenting. I agree with the majority that the trial court applied an erroneous definition of “insanity” under 12 V.S.A. § 551. I respectfully disagree, however, with the majority’s holding that the trial court erred as matter of law when it held that insufficient evidence existed to send the issue to the jury under Vermont Rule of Civil Procedure 50. Other than the periods of hospitalization, plaintiff did not submit enough evidence to warrant consideration by the jury. To the contrary, the record demonstrates that she understood legal issues involving paternity, child support, Medicaid, and adoption; made doctor appointments; found an apartment; and attended a community college. I agree with the majority that the standard here for the trial court to apply was whether plaintiff’s disability made her unable to manage her affairs or to comprehend her legal rights. Goode v. State, 147 Vt. 646, 514 A.2d 322 (1986) (mem.) (Goode I). But, because the evidence here was insufficient to require the trial court to submit the issue to the jury, I would affirm.
¶ 23. In reviewing the decision of the trial judge on the Rule 50 motion, and applying the correct standard to the evidence submitted by plaintiff at trial, the majority draws an inference of disability from plaintiff’s periods of hospitalization and concludes that this evidence was sufficient to warrant submission of the question of insanity to the jury. Although plaintiff is entitled to every reasonable inference drawn *335from the record, Lockwood v. Lord, 163 Vt. 210, 212, 657 A.2d 555, 557 (1994), any inference we make must be based on the evidence in the record and cannot be based on speculation. See McGreevy v. Daktronics, Inc., 156 F.3d 837, 840-41 (8th Cir. 1998) (“A reasonable inference is one which may be drawn from the evidence without resort to speculation. When the record contains no proof beyond speculation to support the verdict, judgment as a matter of law is appropriate.” (internal quotations omitted)). In reviewing a Rule 50 motion, therefore, we cannot assume facts that are not in the record, nor can we make unreasonable inferences.
¶ 24. Here, while there was testimony regarding plaintiff’s periods of hospitalization, the inference that plaintiff was unable to manage her business affairs or estate, or to comprehend her legal rights and liabilities while not hospitalized, is based on speculation. In the aggregate, plaintiff was hospitalized four and one-half months over four years. It was not disputed at trial that plaintiff was not competent during these periods. For the remaining time, plaintiff had the burden of introducing sufficient evidence of insanity to warrant the trial court submitting the issue to the jury. Without additional evidence, the hospitalizations alone were insufficient to support inferences of insanity for the periods of nonhospitalization. The majority asserts that the periods of hospitalization create an “equally plausible inference” of chronic distress affecting plaintiff’s competency during the time when she was not in the hospital. Ante, ¶ 16. However, without more, such equivalency is insufficient to sustain plaintiff’s burden .on this record. Without other evidence, such as opinion testimony, plaintiff’s time in the hospital is insufficient proof by itself to create the inference that she was insane during the periods of nonhospitalization.
¶ 25. The cases relied upon by the majority illustrate this point. In Harrington v. County of Ramsey, 279 N.W.2d 791, 796-97 (Minn. 1979), the court held that genuine issues of material fact existed regarding the plaintiff’s insanity. Unlike the present case where plaintiff introduced no evidence of mental disability for her time outside the hospital, the plaintiff in Harrington introduced an affidavit from a doctor stating that her disorder made her unable to institute a legal claim. In Doe v. Roe, 955 P.2d 951, 964 (Ariz. 1998), another case relied upon by the majority, the court required “hard evidence” of the plaintiff’s condition. Doe involved a plaintiff who delayed bringing a case due to allegedly having repressed her memory of severe sexual abuse. In holding that genuine issues of material fact existed regarding whether the plaintiff had an unsound mind and was unable to underT *336stand her legal rights, the court reviewed and relied on scientific literature that explained how sexual abuse could cause a person, like the plaintiff, to repress memories and prevent her from even knowing that such events' took place. Id. at 956-58, 965, 968. Here, plaintiff submitted no opinion evidence to support her claim that she was insane while not hospitalized. To the contrary, the proof at trial, described below, demonstrates that she was' aware of her circumstances and the choices available to her even while she was a patient at SMI. See Nolde v. Frankie, 964 P.2d 477, 483 (Ariz. 1998) (holding that, based on Doe, plaintiffs’ claim of insanity could not withstand summary judgment because plaintiffs’ and experts’ affidavits regarding plaintiffs’ abilities to manage their affairs and to understand their legal rights were merely conclusory, and plaintiffs made no other claim to justify the delay in filing).
¶ 26. The record reveals the following facts. First, plaintiff provided the sole testimony regarding her claimed mental illness for the periods of nonhospitalization between her discharge from SMI in October 1996 to March 7, 2001. Alone, her testimony is insufficient to create a question of fact under, the Goode I standard. See Goode v. State, 150 Vt. 651, 652, 553 A.2d 142, 143 (1988) (mem.) (noting that plaintiff’s only evidence was his own testimony, and in light of the evidence, plaintiff failed to meet his burden of proof). Second, plaintiff testified that she suffered from depression, yet provided no other evidence to confirm her self-diagnosis. Moreover, depression does not necessarily rise to the level of insanity. See Boos v. Runyon, 201 F.3d 178, 185 (2d Cir. 2000) (discussing equitable tolling under the Rehabilitation Act and concluding that the plaintiff’s statement that she was suffering from “paranoia, panic attacks, and depression” was insufficient); Swartz v. Berkshire Life Ins. Co., No. 99 Civ. 9462, 2000 WL 1448627, at *5 (S.D.N.Y. Sept. 28, 2000) (stating that severe depression does not rise to the level of insanity for purposes of New York's tolling provision). Finally, in 1998, plaintiff was competent enough to enroll for one month in a nursing program at a community college.
¶ 27. In addition, at trial there were facts adduced surrounding the time she was hospitalized that reflect that plaintiff understood her rights. While plaintiff resided at SMI in 1996, she discussed the legal consequences of establishing paternity, abortion, adoption, and child support. At trial, her case manager at SMI testified that “[s]he was an adult and she was competent” but that she “was vulnerable to making poor decisions on her own behalf.” While at SMI, plaintiff was able to find, and later to live in, an apartment, contact social workers, arrange *337doctor appointments, and comprehend the legal consequence of serving a minor alcohol when her case manager informed her.about the child’s father’s suspension from SMI.
¶ 28.. In light of the foregoing, an inference of insanity is not -supported under our standard for periods of nonhospitalization arising out of the times during which plaintiff was hospitalized. Our standard of review requires us to determine whether plaintiff adduced sufficient evidence, drawing every reasonable inference in her favor. Our Court and the trial court, however, can make inferences only based upon evidence in the record and cannot assume facts. Here, plaintiff failed to meet her burden of proof because she submitted insufficient evidence of her condition during her periods of nonhospitalization, and we cannot make the inferential leap for her. For failure to sustain her burden, I would conclude that her negligence claim against SMI is time barred.