Court Opinion

ID: 9671504
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-24 03:37:48.570614+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:16:10.256512
License: Public Domain

RICKHOFF, Justice,
concurring.
This case is just the latest example of why the Texas Supreme Court should revisit the very basic issue of whether juries should be advised of the effect of their answers in civil cases.
Under current law, civil juries are not allowed to know the effect of their answers. Tex.R.Civ.P. 277. Since law school, I have viewed this prohibition as an odd dichotomy, considering we are the only jurisdiction that allows complete sentencing in criminal cases. Thus, we ask jurors to resolve life’s most difficult issues in criminal cases, but in civil cases we shield them from knowing the effect of their answers to the submitted issues, apparently distrusting their integrity and demeaning their intelligence.
Here the jury clearly thought Texas Dental engaged in reprehensible conduct by their award of $100,000 in punitive damages. Yet, because they were not told that Texas law requires them to find actual damages in order to support an award of punitive damages, the will of this jury is completely thwarted.
It is not for an intermediate appellate court to alter consistently applied precedent. Such an alteration would require an in-depth analysis and resolution of the implications of such a change beyond this case. With these *807few additional comments, I join the majority opinion.