Court Opinion

ID: 9639042
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 16:02:17.551527+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:10:11.623922
License: Public Domain

HESTER, Judge,
dissenting:
The majority concludes that appellants failed to demonstrate that the trial court’s erroneous charge concerning the applicability of the defense of comparative negligence prejudiced their case. In support of this decision the court relies *270upon an instruction given during the course of closing arguments that correctly set forth the law on the subject. Since I would find that the conflict between the two instructions regarding this vital matter established the requisite prejudice, I dissent.
It is clear that in this commonwealth, the defense of comparative negligence is not available in strict liability actions. Staymates v. ITT Holub Industries, 364 Pa.Super. 37, 527 A.2d 140 (1987). Thus, during the course of closing arguments, when counsel for Controlled Motion, Inc. allegedly brought this issue before the jury by referring to Mr. Leaphart’s conduct, appellants objected. See Trial court opinion, at 11. In response to that objection the court correctly instructed the jury:
Counsel can comment on what he feels the facts show as to what caused this accident. I will ultimately charge you that any wrong-doing or negligence that you may find Mr. Leaphart did that resulted in his accident is not a defense in this case with any of these defendants and I’ll explain that to you when I charge you.
Id. Later, during the course of the charge, the trial court erroneously stated that “even wrongful or negligent conduct by a defendant is not a defense.” Notes of Testimony (“N.T.”), 10/1/87, at 946 (emphasis added). When apprised of this glaring mistake, the court refused to correct it.
In Smith v. Chardak, 291 Pa.Super. 173, 435 A.2d 624 (1981), this court considered an analogous situation. In that case, the trial court initially gave a proper charge concerning the issue contributory negligence. Later, however, in the course of answering a question propounded by the jury, it gave an erroneous instruction on the matter. Holding that this isolated error required reversal, we stated:
[W]e are unable to ascertain, under the circumstances, whether the jury was misled by the erroneous instruction on such a vital matter as appellant’s negligence. Our Supreme Court in Pedretti v. Pittsburgh Railways Co., 417 Pa. 581, 209 A.2d 289 (1965) made some observations regarding erroneous instructions which are equally applicable here, viz.:
*271“ ‘Where an erroneous instruction consists of a palpable misstatement of the law, it is not cured by a conflicting or contradictory one which correctly states the law on the point involved, for the jury, assuming, as is their duty, that the instructions are all correct, may as readily have followed the incorrect as the correct one and it is impossible to know which they accepted, [citing cases]. See also: Stegmuller v. Davis, 408 Pa. 267, 182 A.2d 745 [ (1962) ]; Lieberman v. Philadelphia Transp. Co., 410 Pa. 179, 186, 188 A.2d 719 [(1963)].” Id. [417 Pa.] at 586, 209 A.2d at 292, quoting Hisak v. Lehigh Valley Transit Co., 360 Pa. 1, 6, 59 A.2d 900, 903 (1948).
Smith v. Chardak, supra, 291 Pa.Super. at 181-82, 435 A.2d at 629 (emphasis in original).
In the present case, the trial court’s charge contains a palpable misstatement of the law. The court refused to correct that misstatement. This error is not cured by the court’s previous instruction on the matter since it is impossible to ascertain which instruction the jury actually followed.
As the above discussion clearly demonstrates, the principles enumerated in Smith are dispositive of this issue. Consequently, I would reverse and remand for a new trial.