Tryon v. Naegle

• Decision Date: 12 June 1973
• Docket Number: CA-CIV,No. 1,1
• Citation: Tryon v. Naegle, 510 P.2d 768, 20 Ariz.App. 138 (Ariz. App. 1973)
• Parties: George TRYON et al., Appellants, v. P. W. (Buster) NAEGLE and Marion Naegle, Appellees. 1900.
• Court: Arizona Court of Appeals

Page 768

510 P.2d 768

20 Ariz.App. 138

George TRYON et al., Appellants, v.P. W. (Buster) NAEGLE and Marion Naegle, Appellees.

No. 1 CA-CIV 1900.

Court of Appeals of Arizona, Division 1, Department B.

June 12, 1973.

Rehearing Denied July 10, 1973.

Philip M. Haggerty, Phoenix, for appellants.

Shimmel, Hill & Bishop, P.C., by James W. Hill, and Richard B. Johnson, Phoenix, for appellees.

JACOBSON, Chief Judge.

This appeal by the plaintiffs in a personal injury action presents for review the trial court's granting of an additur in lieu of a new trial and the alleged prejudicial effect of certain instructions on damages.

The action arose out of a rear-end automobile collision which resulted in injuries to plaintiffsLenore Tryon, the driver of the leading vehicle, and Karen Tryon, a front seat passenger.¹Liability is not in dispute, but rather the extent of damages.

After a three-day trial, the jury returned a verdict awarding $20,000.00 damages to Lenore Tryon and awarding $25.00 damages to her daughter Karen.A timely motion for new trial was made by plaintiffs.This motion was granted on the issue of damages, providing that the new trial would be held unless a statement accepting an additur of $7,000.00 for Lenore Tryon and $875.00 for Karen Tryon was filed by the defendants.This statement accepting the additurs as to both plaintiffs was filed with the trial court which then entered a formal judgment in the increased amounts, while denying a new trial.From this judgment and order denying a new trial the plaintiffs have appealed.

Plaintiffs-appellants' challenges to this judgment and order can be reduced to four principal issues:

(1) whether the jury's verdict was the result either of passion and prejudice or of a compromise which was not cured by the additur;

(2) whether certain instructions on damages were improper and therefore constituted reversible error;

(3) whether comment by defense counsel in closing argument concerning the defendants' financial ability to satisfy a judgment was improper and therefore constituted reversible error; and,

(4) whether the defendants' sole medical witness testified outside his area of medical expertise concerning plaintiffLenore Tryon's symptoms.

Appellants contend that since Lenore Tryon has been hospitalized for 112 days on six occasions with five surgical procedures, has incurred medical expenses in the amount of $17,000.00, has been treated by physicians for pain for over five years, and has sustained a 20% Permanent partial disability, and as medical specials for Karen Tryon in the amount of $300.00 were proven, a jury verdict for $20,000.00 and $25.00, respectively, indicates either a verdict which was the product of passion and prejudice or a compromise verdict.Appellants further contend that the additur granted as an alternative to a new trial on damages was insufficient as a matter of law to cure the tainted verdict.

Recently, the Arizona Supreme Court examined the case law from 1934 to the present in this state concerning review of the size of jury verdicts and the granting or refusing of a trial judge's adjustment of a verdict.Creamer v. Troiano, 108 Ariz. 573, 503 P.2d 794(1972), overrulingZadro v. Snyder, 11 Ariz.App. 363, 464 P.2d 809(1970).

Noting that that court had 'nearly forty years ago set out a rule which is still good today,' Chief Justice Hays reiterated the test in this jurisdiction for reviewing a trial judge's ruling on additur, remittitur, and new trial because of an inadequate or excessive verdict as follows:

'From what we have written, it is obvious that the test for reviewing the granting or refusing of a trial judge's adjustment of a verdict is complex and can only be solved by an ad hoc approach.Almost always when there is a conflict in the evidence, the trial judge should not interfere with what is peculiarly the jury's function, and if he does not, we will nearly always uphold him.If there is no conflict in the evidence on items that obviously were omitted from the verdict, the trial judge must adjust, and we will uphold him if he does.Behind all of these tests still stands the original doctrine--that if the verdict is supported by adequate evidence, it will not be disturbed, and the greatest possible discretion is in the hands of the trial judge.'108 Ariz. at 576--577, 503 P.2d at 797--798.

Previously in that opinion after examining 'a representative rather than an exhaustive list of our cases on the subject of the size of jury verdicts,' Chief Justice Hays pointed out that:

'It is interesting to note that in every single one of these caseswe affirmed the trial court's order.That in itself should carry a strong inference that one of the key factors in our decisions is to give the trial judge the benefit of the doubt.Like the jury, he has had the opportunity to observe the witnesses' demeanor on the stand, and his ruling on additur, remittitur, and new trial, because of an inadequate or excessive verdict, will generally be affirmed, because it will nearly always be more soundly based than ours can be.'108 Ariz. at 575, 503 P.2d at 796.

We are of the opinion that the granting of the additurs in the instant case'is supported by adequate evidence' and an 'unjust result' did not occur.Nor, in our opinion, was the jury's verdict so inadequate as to manifestly indicate passion, prejudice, mistake or a complete disregard of the evidence.Creamer v. Troiano, Supra;Larriva v. Widmer, 101 Ariz. 1, 415 P.2d 424(1966);Wry v. Dial, 18 Ariz.App. 503, 503 P.2d 979(1972);Braun v. Moreno, 11 Ariz.App. 509, 466 P.2d 60(1970);Hardy v. So. Pac. Empls. Ass'n, 10 Ariz.App. 464, 459 P.2d 743(1969).

While appellants point to the extent of plaintiffLenore Tryon's hospitalizations, as noted above, the evidence also shows the following as far as she was concerned.

Dr. Carl Bjorklund, who treated Lenore Tryon during her first hospitalization, testified that Mrs. Tryon following the accident was having a 'nervous reaction to her injury,' that she improved and was improving gradually during this hospitalization, and that she was suffering mild distress as opposed to acute or no distress.

Dr. Alvin L. Swenson, who treated Lenore Tryon orthopedically while she was hospitalized and after discharge until February 1966, testified that after February 1966'as far as therapy treatment from an orthopedic standpoint they seemed to have done all they could and continuation of exercises and continuation under the care of (Mrs. Tyron's) family physician would be helpful.'Doctors Swenson, George T. Hoffman and Abraham Ettleson all testified that Mrs. Tryon had underlying psychological problems which resulted in emotional disturbances the interfered with her recovery.However, they all agreed that organically her complaints were unsubstantiated.

While the psychological problems being experienced by Mrs. Tryon may have been the proper subject matter of consideration by the jury in awarding damages, assuming these were causally connected to the defendants' acts, the amount of such damages is normally entirely within the province of the jury.

As to Karen Tryon's injuries, Dr. Swenson testified that by the time he last saw her on February 5, 1966, Karen,

'had made a satisfactory recovery as far as her neck was concerned and as far as the cervical spine was concerned, and I further felt that her back was improved.It was a little too early to say that she was completely recovered from her back as I did about her neck, but at least in her back there was no evidence of nerve root pressure, and I felt again that if she would continue on the exercise program and continue to try to sleep on her side and her back and with further passing of time and with the exercises that she should recover quite satisfactorily and recover as far as her back was concerned, too.'

Concerning Karen Tryon, Dr. Hoffman, testified as follows:

'A. . . .I saw her on one occasion, November 20, 1967.

'Q.Now, doctor, could you tell us what your findings were and what treatment, if any, you gave for her?

'A.At that examination I was unable to find any objective findings, unable to demonstrate any of the abnormality which she complained of.I indicated further I felt it would be worthwhile to re-examine her at a later date.

'Q.Doctor, based upon the facts that she gave you and from your examination, could you tell us with a reasonable degree of medical certainty whether or not the things she described and the pain and symptoms she described were a direct cause of the accident she described to you?

'A.This could relate to the history which she gave me (including the accident) but I was unable to find any objective findings upon examination.'(Emphasis added.)

This examination's...