Court Opinion

ID: 9559181
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-21 17:24:01.186862+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T09:09:56.333226
License: Public Domain

JACOBSON, Presiding Judge
(dissenting) :
I must respectfully dissent from that portion of the majority opinion dealing with the prejudicial effect of the hypothetical question propounded to plaintiffs’ experts which ask them to assume facts not in evidence — that Butch’s Service Station and Scubic Brothers were competent, did the work they performed properly, were reputable people and that they used only the best materials. I do agree that these “facts” were immaterial to the experts in reaching their conclusions and therefore agree with the majority that the opinions expressed by the experts were properly admitted.
Where our disagreement arises is in the prejudicial effect of such testimony, not on the experts, but on the jury who heard it. The majority opinion, by a footnote, concludes that such an effect was “inconsequential”. I disagree.
I believe both the majority and myself agree that the inclusion of these unproven statements in the hypothetical question was improper. In my opinion, facts in hypothetical questions serve the purpose of not only making competent the opinions of the experts based on these facts, but also serve the important subsidiary functions of placing before the jury facts upon which the hypothetical is based. In dealing with this subsidiary purpose, the Arizona Supreme Court has noted that:
“[T]he trial court must use its discretion to prevent the abuse of the hypothetical question, and should interfere to prevent questions framed in such a way or using only such facts as are either intended or likely to mislead the jury.” Decker v. Ramenofsky, 91 Ariz. 97, 101, 370 P.2d 258,260 (1962).
In my opinion, the use of the assumption by plaintiffs’ counsel in this case was clearly intended to mislead the jury as to the only defense International had, and that is that it did not introduce the contaminants into the braking system — Butch’s or Scubic Brothers did. International introduced evidence as to Bendix Corporation’s method of manufacture, its checking procedures for cleanliness and that the “aluminum-like chips” could not have originated from this particular master cylinder. Plaintiffs’ expert, Mr. Allen, agreed that he found no evidence in this master cylinder of chipping, scoring or gouging which would account for the presence of these chips.
The jury was thus left, in the last analysis, with the choice of whether the contaminants were introduced by International in assembly or by Butch’s or Scubic Brothers in performing their operations. When the jury is told that both Butch’s and Scubic Brothers were competent, did the work properly, were reputable people and used only the best materials, the jury’s choices were narrowed considerably.
*418I do not believe any member of this Court, myself included, is able to say with any degree of certainty what evidence does or does not influence a jury’s verdict. A particular fact may weigh heavily on one reasonable mind, but may seem inconsequential in another reasonable mind. A judge, then, when faced with improper evidence being presented to a group of reasonable minds, must make the difficult determination of whether, considering the testimony as a whole, those reasonable minds upon which the testimony may weigh heavily, would reach the same conclusion if the improper testimony had not been introduced. In making this determination, the judge naturally allows his own reaction to mirror the reaction of others.
Because of the closeness of the issue— where did the chips come from? — my reaction is that this improper testimony was material in the jurors’ minds in determining this issue. Being, in my opinion, material, its introduction was prejudicial and regardless of whether these statements were material to the experts, its introduction requires reversal.
I would, therefore, reverse and remand for a new trial.