Court Opinion

ID: 9701314
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-25 22:15:16.556594+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:21:22.284927
License: Public Domain

COMBS, Judge,
concurring in part and dissenting in part:
This tragic case was carefully and for the most part correctly decided by the trial court. I agree with the sound legal analysis of the majority opinion and concur on all issues except the disposition of the award of damages for future medical expenses. I am compelled to agree with the hospital’s argument that that item of damages should be severed from the judgment. However, I would not disturb any other portion of the judgment.
Surely finality in judgments is a doctrine devoutly to be pursued in our handling of such issues, and thus we defer whenever possible to the sound discretion of the trial court with respect to post-judgment motions. In scanning several possible relevant provisions of CR 60.02, the majority opinion rejects reliance upon subsection (b) (newly discovered evidence) by noting that that provision normally pertains to evidence in existence but undiscovered at the time of trial rather than to evidence arising after trial.
This gravely impaired infant died very soon after trial — before the disposition of post-trial motions. The reality of imminent death was undoubtedly present and pending during the trial; however, the tragedy did not become manifest until the trial ended. No reasonable amount of diligence could have led to a discovery of a matter that lay exclusively within divine knowledge rather than human perception. Thus, I cannot agree with the majority opinion that subsection (b) is inapplicable.
Additionally, this case appears to fall squarely into exception (e) of CR 60.02, which permits a court to grant relief from a final judgment upon the ground that “it is no longer equitable that the judgment should have prospective application....” While this award of damages for Zachary’s future medical expenses was a final and liquidated sum, it would be patently unrealistic to deny that the timing of his death rendered impossible the use of any portion of the award for its intended purpose. Thus, it would be inequitable as contemplated by subsection (e) (and as a matter of common sense) to enforce an award of damages for future care when that possibility ended immediately after trial.
The unique circumstances of this case dictate the wisdom of resort to CR 60.02(b) and (e) in order to avoid the injustice that would inevitably result if this portion of the award were allowed to stand. I do not believe that we will open Pandora’s box (as counsel for appellees so effectively warned during oral argument before this panel). On the contrary, I believe that a realistic approach to the intended use of a damages award will safeguard the public purpose of matching adeqúate compensation for actual injury.