Court Opinion

ID: 9862226
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-09-25 01:04:17.433232+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T11:24:29.717522
License: Public Domain

JUSTICE HARRISON, dissenting: In nullifying the jury’s verdict and entering judgment for defendants, the majority refers to “the lack of evidence supporting th[e] agreement element of plaintiffs’ conspiracy claims” (188 Ill. 2d at 152) and opines that “the evidence *** cannot support the jury’s determination that plaintiffs proved agreement by clear and convincing evidence” (188 Ill. 2d at 152). These statements reflect two basic flaws in my colleagues’ analysis. First, the majority fails to adhere to the applicable standards for entry of judgment n.o.v. Under established law, which the majority correctly cites, then forgets, judgment n.o.v. may not be granted merely because a verdict is not supported by the evidence. If the verdict is contrary to the manifest weight of the evidence, the proper remedy is to order a new trial. A judgment n.o.v. should be entered only in those limited cases where all of the evidence, when viewed in its aspect most favorable to the opponent, so overwhelmingly favors movant that no contrary verdict based on that evidence could ever stand. Maple v. Gustafson, 151 Ill. 2d 445, 453 (1992). The second problem with the majority’s analysis is that it places undue emphasis on the existence of an agreement between the conspirators. Under Illinois law, “[c]ivil conspiracy consists of a combination of two or more persons for the purpose of accomplishing by some concerted action either an unlawful purpose or a lawful purpose by unlawful means. [Citation.] The function of a conspiracy claim is to extend liability in tort beyond the active wrongdoer to those who have merely planned, assisted or encouraged the wrongdoer’s acts.” Adcock v. Brakegate, Ltd., 164 Ill. 2d 54, 62 (1994). Although an agreement is a necessary and important element of a civil conspiracy claim, “it does not assume the same importance as in a criminal action. *** [T]he gist of a conspiracy claim is not the agreement itself, but the tortious acts performed in furtherance of the agreement.” Adcock, 164 Ill. 2d at 62-63. The existence of a conspiracy can rarely be established through direct evidence. Instead, it must be proven through circumstantial evidence and inferences drawn from evidence, coupled with commonsense knowledge of the behavior of persons in similar circumstances. Adcock, 164 111. 2d at 66. Sometimes evidence of parallel conduct will suffice. As the appellate court correctly noted in this case, if evidence of parallel conduct is sufficiently persuasive, there is no reason why a jury could not rely upon it to find that a conspiracy existed. 298 111. App. 3d at 598. In rejecting this view, the majority argues that there can be “many potential innocent explanations for parallel conduct by competitors” and that “[p]arallel conduct alone by manufacturers of the same or similar products is *** as consistent with innocence as with guilt.” 188 Ill. 2d at 140-41. While this assertion may be valid in the context of antitrust litigation, it makes no sense at all in cases such as this. The reason it makes no sense is that there is no possible innocent justification for what the defendants and the other manufacturers were shown to have done. See Burgess v. Abex Corp., 305 Ill. App. 3d 859 (1999). In the words of the appellate court, “[c]oncealing the dangers of asbestos does not carry with it any beneficial aspects.” 298 Ill. App. 3d at 597. Further confusing the majority’s analysis is its contention that rejection of parallel conduct as proof of civil conspiracy comports with the clear and convincing standard of proof required in Illinois for civil conspiracy. It is true that proof of civil conspiracy must be clear and convincing. As I have previously noted, however, and as our court has long recognized (see, e.g., Tribune Co. v. Thompson, 342 Ill. 503, 529 (1930)), the clear and convincing standard can be met solely through the use of circumstantial evidence. Because proof of conspiracy can be totally circumstantial, and because parallel conduct can be circumstantial evidence of a civil conspiracy, as even the majority itself acknowledges, there is no reason why a civil conspiracy cannot be established, in an appropriate case, based on the parallel conduct of the defendants, coupled with the jurors’ “commonsense knowledge of the behavior of persons in similar circumstances” (Adcock, 164 Ill. 2d at 66, citing Majewski v. Gallina, 17 Ill. 2d 92, 99 (1959)). Even if I could look beyond these problems, I still would not agree with the majority’s decision. A defendant is liable as a conspirator where he understands the general objectives of the conspiratorial scheme, accepts them, and agrees, either explicitly or implicitly, to do his part to further those objectives. Adcock, 164 Ill. 2d at 64. Based on the same evidence reviewed by the majority in its disposition, a different jury might possibly have found that Owens Corning and Owens-Illinois did not meet these criteria. What some other jury might have done, however, is irrelevant. What matters is what this jury did. This jury assessed the evidence, rejected defendants’ rationalizations for their behavior, and decided that defendants should be held liable as conspirators. It is not the province of our court to now reweigh the evidence and substitute its judgment for the jury’s, even if it would have reached a contrary conclusion. If there is any evidence, together with reasonable inferences to be drawn therefrom, demonstrating a substantial factual dispute, or where the assessment of credibility of the witnesses or the determination regarding conflicting evidence is decisive to the outcome, the court has no right to enter judgment n.o.v. Maple, 151 Ill. 2d at 453. The circuit and appellate courts applied this principle correctly, and their judgments should not be disturbed. For the foregoing reasons, I respectfully dissent.