Court Opinion

ID: 9748462
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-27 16:02:23.753609+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T07:25:35.535928
License: Public Domain

*109PAUL W. GREEN, Justice,
dissenting.
Because the jury’s answers are inconsistent and cannot be reconciled, a new trial should be ordered. The majority instead affirms the judgment. Therefore, I respectfully dissent.
The contested issue at trial was whether Martinez was injured in the accident made the basis of the lawsuit. Martinez claims the accident caused him to be totally disabled; the defendants blame any disability on Martinez’s pre-accident history of back problems. The jury answers failed to clearly resolve the issue.
On the one hand, the verdict implies that Martinez was injured. The jury awarded Martinez damages for past and future medical expenses and lost earnings, as well as for future physical impairment. However, the verdict also indicates the jury did not believe Martinez was injured. The jury awarded Martinez no damages for past and future physical pain and mental anguish, or for past physical impairment. These jury answers are factually inconsistent and cannot coexist and be the basis of any judgment.
The majority attempts to reconcile these inconsistent findings by arguing that the jury could have believed the injury sustained by Martinez was “progressive” in nature-that is, it was one of those injuries that does not exhibit symptoms today but manifests itself at some time in the future. While that may be hypothetically possible, it is not a reasonable conclusion in this case given the jury’s answers. The jury evidently did not believe Martinez would suffer any physical or mental pain in the future as a result of this accident. And if not by physical pain or mental anguish, how would this “progressive” injury manifest itself? In the absence of physical pain or mental anguish, what then does the majority consider to be the basis for Martinez’s award of future medical expenses, lost earning capacity, and physical impairment?
Martinez had the burden of proving he had been injured as a result of the accident in question. The verdict is internally inconsistent on this most salient question. I see no rational way to reconcile the verdict to support any judgment. We should order a new trial.