Buff v. SOUTH CAROLINA DEPT. OF TRANSP.
Decision Date | 18 September 2000 |
Docket Number | No. 25195.,25195. |
Citation | 537 S.E.2d 279,342 S.C. 416 |
Court | South Carolina Supreme Court |
Parties | Gary E. BUFF, Petitioner, v. SOUTH CAROLINA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, Respondent. Southeastern Freight Lines, Petitioner, v. South Carolina Department of Transportation, Respondent. |
Gary W. Popwell, Jr., of Lee, Eadon, Isgett & Popwell, and Pope D. Johnson III, of McCutchen, Blanton, Rhodes & Johnson, both of Columbia, for petitioners.
James D. Nance, of Nance & McCants, of Aiken, for respondent.
Petitioner Gary E. Buff was injured in an automobile accident while driving a truck for Petitioner Southeastern Freight Lines. Buff and Southeastern Freight Lines (Buff) brought these negligence actions against Respondent South Carolina Department of Transportation (DOT).1 The jury awarded damages to Buff. DOT appealed. Finding the trial judge improperly sent the jury back to deliberate after it had twice stated it was deadlocked, the Court of Appeals reversed. Buff v. South Carolina Dep't of Transp., 332 S.C. 472, 505 S.E.2d 360 (Ct.App.1998) (Anderson, J., dissenting). We granted a writ of certiorari to review this decision.
The jury began deliberations at 4:25 p.m. Through a note, the jury requested a copy of a deposition. At 5:00 p.m., the jury returned to the courtroom; the trial court informed the jury it could not have the deposition. The jury returned to deliberate at 5:03 p.m.
The jury sent a second note requesting a definition of proximate cause. At 5:25 p.m., the jury returned to the courtroom and was instructed. The jury returned to deliberate at 5:45 p.m.
At 8:00 p.m., the jury returned to the courtroom. The trial judge stated he had received a third note which stated: "we are deadlocked." The trial judge inquired if the jury was making progress. The foreperson responded: After giving an Allen charge,2 the trial judge instructed the jury to return at 9:00 the following morning to resume deliberations.
At some point after resuming deliberations the following morning, the jury sent a fourth note which stated: "we are deadlocked 11-1 with no chance of reaching an agreement." At 10:50 a.m., the jury returned to the courtroom. The trial judge stated:
(Emphasis added).
The jury returned to the jury room. DOT moved for a mistrial, arguing a mistrial was appropriate after the jury twice stated it was deadlocked. The trial judge refused to grant a mistrial but stated he would declare a mistrial if the jury was again unable to reach a verdict.
At some point thereafter, the jury sent a note stating "we are making progress." At 11:50 a.m. the jury returned to the courtroom and delivered a unanimous verdict.
Did the Court of Appeals err by holding the trial court abused its discretion by failing to grant a mistrial after the jury twice indicated it was unable to reach a verdict?
DISCUSSION
South Carolina Code Ann. § 14-7-1330 (1976) provides: When a jury, after due and thorough deliberation upon any cause, returns into court without having agreed upon a verdict, the court may state anew the evidence or any part of it and explain to it anew the law applicable to the case and may send it out for further deliberation. But if it returns a second time without having agreed upon a verdict, it shall not be sent out again without its own consent unless it shall ask from the court some further explanation of law.
(Emphasis added).3
The Court of Appeals held § 14-7-1330 permits a jury to resume deliberations after it has twice stated it is unable to reach a verdict only if the trial judge informs the jury it may choose whether to continue deliberations. It found the trial judge's final words to the jury, "[s]o I'm going to continue the trial in the other case and ask you to make a continued effort to reach a unanimous verdict and let me know," ordered the jury to continue deliberations until it reached a verdict and the jury's silence after the instruction could not be construed as consent. Buff, 332 S.C. 472, 505 S.E.2d 360. We disagree.
The purpose of § 14-7-1330 is "to prevent forced verdicts, and to prevent undue severity of jury service." State v. Freely, 105 S.C. 243, 247, 89 S.E. 643, 644 (1916).4 In Freely, the trial judge did not advise the jury it could not be required to deliberate a third time without its consent. On appeal, the Court held the question is whether, under all the circumstances, it appeared to the trial judge the jury consented to deliberate a third time. Affirming the trial court, the Court noted: "[t]he exercise of such a discretion at so delicate stage of a trial ought not to be disturbed unless it was obviously wrongly exercised." Id. In State v. Rowell, 75 S.C. 494, 56 S.E. 23 (1906), the jury twice stated it was unable to reach a unanimous verdict. The trial court sent the jury back to deliberate for a third time; it did not inform the jury its consent was necessary in order to pursue further deliberations. The Court held there was no abuse of discretion in returning the jury to deliberate a third time where there was no indication of unwillingness on the part of the jury to retire.
In State v. Drakeford, 120 S.C. 400, 113 S.E. 307 (1922), the trial judge gave the foreman instructions on how to deliver the verdict when reached. The foreman inquired, "[s]uppose we can't agree?" and the trial judge responded, "[o]h, but you must agree; we wouldn't consider a mistrial in this case." The next morning, upon questioning by the trial judge, the jury stated it had not reached a verdict. After giving an Allen charge, the trial judge instructed the jury to "make one more effort." Thereafter, the jury returned with a verdict. The Court held, even if the jury had twice indicated it was unable to reach a verdict,5 the statute was not violated because "[t]here was no insistence here that a verdict could not be agreed on and no objection or complaint ... on the part of the jury as to retiring for further deliberations." Id. at 406, 113 S.E. at 310.
In Edwards v. Edwards, 239 S.C. 85, 121 S.E.2d 432 (1961), in returning the jury to the jury room to deliberate a third time, the trial judge stated:
I'm going to ask you in all seriousness, Gentlemen, to make one more attempt at this case. When you tell me you can't do it, that's going to be the end of it, because I'm not going to send you back again. So, I'm putting it right straight up to you, see what you can do with it, Gentlemen. Was there any question any of you Gentlemen wanted to ask?
In determining whether the jury was returned with its consent as required by statute, the Supreme Court held:
On other hand, where the...
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