Hewitt v. Felderman

• Decision Date: 11 December 2013
• Docket Number: 26667.,Nos. 26660,s. 26660
• Parties: Peggy HEWITT, Plaintiff and Appellant, v. Shelli Rae FELDERMAN, Defendant and Appellee.
• Court: South Dakota Supreme Court

841 N.W.2d 258

2013 S.D. 91

Peggy HEWITT, Plaintiff and Appellant,

v.Shelli Rae FELDERMAN, Defendant and Appellee.

Nos. 26660, 26667.

Supreme Court of South Dakota.

Argued Sept. 30, 2013.

Decided Dec. 11, 2013.

Stephanie R. Amiotte, Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Attorney for plaintiff and appellant.

Melanie L. Carpenter of Woods, Fuller, Shultz & Smith, PC Sioux Falls, South Dakota, Attorneys for defendant and appellee.

GILBERTSON, Chief Justice.

[¶ 1.] Peggy Hewitt appeals a jury verdict awarding no damages in a personal injury suit against Shelli Rae Felderman. Hewitt argues the evidence did not support the verdict, the court erred in denying a motion for directed verdict, and the court erred in denying attorney's fees and costs. Felderman challenges the court's denial of costs and disbursements and the admissibility of certain expert testimony offered at trial. We affirm.

Facts and Procedural History

[¶ 2.] Peggy Hewitt was involved in two separate rear-end collisions that were the subject of the trial court action below. Hewitt was in the front vehicle during both accidents. The first accident occurred in the morning hours of January 11, 2007. Hewitt was stopped at a stop sign off the Benson Road exit of I–229 in Sioux Falls when she was rear-ended by Dwight Berens. Berens admitted fault in the accident and is not a party to this appeal.

[¶ 3.] Following the first accident, Hewitt complained of pain and numbness in her head, neck, and left arm. She was diagnosed with spinal sprain and strain injuries. A chiropractor, a physical therapist, and other medical specialists treated Hewitt for loss of sensation, pain, headaches, and range of motion problems. Hewitt was receiving treatment on a regular basis at the time of the second accident.

[¶ 4.] The second accident occurred at approximately 7:30 a.m. on June 27, 2008. Hewitt's son, Micah Hewitt, was driving Hewitt's 2006 Grand Prix westbound in the passing lane on I–229 with Hewitt in the passenger seat. Near the 26th Street Bridge, a deer ran onto the interstate from a grassy area beside the road. Hewitt's son braked, but was unable to avoid a collision with the deer. While the Hewitt vehicle was slowing or stopped, it was struck on the passenger side of the rear bumper by a 2005 Ford Expedition driven by Shelli Rae Felderman.

[¶ 5.] Felderman was given a citation for following too closely and paid the fine without objection. Before and during trial, Felderman admitted to the uncontested citation, but maintained that she was not negligent in causing the accident. Hewitt filed suit against both Berens and Felderman for injuries sustained in the two accidents. The two lawsuits were combined in a single jury trial held December 10–14, 2012.

[¶ 6.] At the close of the case, Hewitt moved for a directed verdict against Felderman on the issue of negligence. The trial court denied the motion. The trial court noted that there were reasonable grounds for the jury to find that the sudden emergency doctrine excused any negligence on the part of Felderman.

[¶ 7.] The jury found Berens liable in the 2007 collision, and awarded Hewitt $60,000 against Berens for past and future medical expenses and pain and suffering arising from the first accident. The jury awarded no damages to Hewitt against Felderman for the 2008 collision. The jury's decision was rendered through special verdict. When asked “Was Shelli Felderman negligent in causing the June 27, 2008 collision?” the jury responded affirmatively. However, when asked “Was Shelli Felderman's negligence a legal cause of plaintiff's injuries or damages, if any?” the jury responded in the negative.

[¶ 8.] After trial, Hewitt filed a motion for a new trial on the issue of damages, arguing insufficiency of evidence to support the verdict and inadequate damages. Hewitt also filed a motion for attorney's fees and costs, arguing that Felderman's failure to admit negligence unnecessarily increased the time and cost associated with bringing the case to trial. The court denied these motions. Felderman moved as the prevailing party to recover specific costs and disbursements in the amount of $2,883.57. The court also denied this motion, finding that neither party prevailed.

[¶ 9.] The parties raise five issues in this appeal:

1. Whether the trial court abused its discretion by denying Hewitt's motion for directed verdict.

2. Whether the trial court abused its discretion by denying Hewitt's motion for a new trial on the issue of damages.

3. Whether the trial court abused its discretion by denying Hewitt's motion for attorney's fees and costs.

4. Whether the trial court abused its discretion by denying Felderman's motion for costs and disbursements as the prevailing party.

5. Whether the trial court erred in allowing testimony regarding future medical procedures.

Analysis and Decision

[¶ 10.] 1. Whether the trial court abused its discretion by denying Hewitt's motion for directed verdict.

[¶ 11.] Hewitt first argues that the trial court abused its discretion by denying Hewitt's motion for a directed verdict on the issue of Felderman's negligence. However, after the motion was denied, the jury rendered a verdict that did find Felderman negligent under the circumstances. “An appeal will be dismissedas moot where ... the actual controversy ceases and it becomes impossible for the appellate court to grant effectual relief.” Cody v. Edward D. Jones & Co., 502 N.W.2d 558, 563 (S.D.1993) (citation and internal quotation marks omitted). A case is moot when the issue presented is academic or nonexistent and when “judgment, if rendered, will have no practical legal effect upon the existing controversy.” Investigation of the Highway Constr. Indus. v. Bartholow, 373 N.W.2d 419, 421 (S.D.1985) (quoting Maxwell v. State, 261 N.W.2d 429, 432 (S.D.1978)).

[¶ 12.] Hewitt urges this Court to find there was no legally sufficient evidentiary basis for a reasonable jury to find for Felderman on the issue of negligence. The controversy Hewitt puts before this Court—whether Felderman acted negligently—was already resolved by the jury in favor of Hewitt. It becomes a purely academic exercise for this Court to determine whether the question of negligence should have been submitted to the jury. Because this Court has no “effectual relief” to grant, the issue is moot.

[¶ 13.] 2. Whether the trial court abused its discretion by denying Hewitt's motion for a new trial on the issue of damages.

[¶ 14.] Hewitt next argues that the trial court erred by denying her motion for a new trial on the issue of damages. A trial court's denial of a motion for a new trial is reviewed under an abuse of discretion standard. Alvine Family Ltd. P'ship v. Hagemann, 2010 S.D. 28, ¶ 18, 780 N.W.2d 507, 512–13 (citation omitted). This Court will uphold a jury verdict “if the jury's verdict can be explained with reference to the evidence,” viewing the evidence in a light most favorable to the verdict. Id. ¶ 18 (citing Itzen v. Wilsey, 440 N.W.2d 312, 314 (S.D.1989)). This Court should only set a jury's verdict aside in “extreme cases” where the jury has acted under passion or prejudice or where “the jury has palpably mistaken the rules of law.” Roth v. Farner–Bocken Co., 2003 S.D. 80, ¶ 10, 667 N.W.2d 651, 659 (quoting Biegler v. Am. Family Mut. Ins. Co., 2001 S.D. 13, ¶ 32, 621 N.W.2d 592, 601). In its order denying the motion for new trial, the trial court found “the verdict can be explained with reference to the evidence [.]” We agree.

[¶ 15.] Hewitt argues that the jury ignored uncontested causation and damages evidence in this case,¹ and that the trial judge's explanation of the jury verdict using the sudden emergency doctrine ² would not support the jury's award of zero damages. Although the trial judge did focus on the sudden emergency doctrineas supporting the verdict, ³ we need not follow that same rationale to uphold the jury verdict in this case. If the verdict is susceptible to more than one construction, this Court applies the construction which will uphold the verdict. Morrison v. Mineral Palace Ltd. P'ship, 1998 S.D. 33, ¶ 11, 576 N.W.2d 869, 872 (citation omitted).

[¶ 16.] “In order to prevail in a suit based on negligence, a plaintiff must prove duty, breach of that duty, proximate and factual causation, and actual injury.” Highmark Fed. Credit Union v. Hunter, 2012 S.D. 37, ¶ 9, 814 N.W.2d 413, 415 (citation omitted). In this case, the jury was asked in Special Verdict Form 2, “Was Shelli Felderman's negligence a legal cause of plaintiff's injuries or damages, if any?” The jury responded, “no.” By this response the jury indicated that Hewitt failed to establish the causation element of her negligence case against Felderman. Viewing the evidence in the light most favorable to the verdict, we conclude that this verdict can be explained with reference to the evidence presented.

[¶ 17.] To prove causation, Hewitt relied heavily on the testimony of her doctors. Hewitt argues that she presented undisputed “medical legal causation” evidence at trial. Although the jury heard expert testimony stating that Hewitt likely sustained a mild cervical sprain or aggravation during the crash, “the jury is not obligated to accept an expert's opinion and may disregard the testimony if it desires.” Andreson v. Black Hills Power & Light Co., 1997 S.D. 12, ¶ 10, 559 N.W.2d 886, 889 (citing State v. McCord, 505 N.W.2d 388, 394 (S.D.1993)). “[T]he purpose of expert testimony is to assist the jury as the trier of fact and not to supplant it.” Bridge v. Karl's, Inc., 538 N.W.2d 521, 525 (S.D.1995) (citation omitted). “This state is not a trial-by-expert jurisdiction.” Id.

[¶ 18.] The jury had several reasons to reject the expert testimony presented. First, most of the medical expert testimony offered in this case was based on Hewitt's subjective complaints of pain. The jury was presented with significant evidence calling into question the credibility of these complaints. Hewitt's...