Campbell v. Temple University

78 Pa. D. & C.4th 1
CourtPennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County
DecidedNovember 10, 2005
Docketno. 2453
StatusPublished

This text of 78 Pa. D. & C.4th 1 (Campbell v. Temple University) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Pennsylvania Court of Common Pleas, Philadelphia County primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Campbell v. Temple University, 78 Pa. D. & C.4th 1 (Pa. Super. Ct. 2005).

Opinion

YOUNGE, J,

I. PROCEDURE

Plaintiffs, Juanita Davidson Campbell and William Campbell, appeal this court’s denial of their motion to enforce the settlement agreement. Defendant, Temple [3]*3University, appeals from this court’s granting of plaintiff’s motion for post-trial relief awarding a new trial limited to the issue of damages. Defendant also appeals this court’s denial of its motion for post-trial relief seeking a new trial on the issues of liability and damages.

The trial errors averred by plaintiff, William Campbell, will be incorporated into the discussion of the claims raised by plaintiff, Juanita Davidson Campbell, in that his cause of action rests in loss of consortium. The City of Philadelphia raises no claims on appeal because the jury found that it was not negligent. N.T., 11/18/04, 26. Prior to trial, the Honorable Sandra M. Moss signed an order releasing the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Transportation from this case by stipulation of the parties. Order (11/9/04).

II. FACTS

Plaintiff, Juanita Davidson Campbell, brought this action against the defendant, Temple University, for injuries suffered when she slipped and fell while crossing from the east side of North Broad Street to the west side.

The plaintiff received an invitation directly from the defendant to attend a graduation ceremony that was being held on September 6, 2001, in Mitten Hall located on defendant’s campus. N.T., 11/15/04, 63-64. September 6,2001 was a clear, sunny day, and the plaintiff drove her automobile to the ceremony and parked on the west side of Broad Street in front of McGonigle Hall. She walked north on Broad Street to the intersection of Broad and Berks Mall and crossed Broad Street from west to east to get to Mitten Hall, which is located on the opposite side of Broad Street. Id., 64. At the conclusion of the [4]*4ceremony, the plaintiffleft Mitten Hall and began to return to her car by walking in the opposite direction along the same route she previously used to get to Mitten Hall. When she reached the west side of Broad Street, the plaintiff alleged that she tripped over a dropped curb, that is, a curb that is sunken below the level of the sidewalk. Id., 66-67. This curb had dropped between an inch and an inch and three quarters below sidewalk. Id., 82.

The plaintiff’s most noteworthy injuries were a fracture to the right elbow and a fracture to the left wrist. The left wrist was fractured to the extent that the bone protruded upward but not through the skin. Both fractures required surgery and a T-buttress plate made out of titanium steel with five screws was placed in the plaintiff’s left wrist. Id., 67-68. The plaintiff lost time from work due to these injuries and needed a personal assistant for several weeks after the accident to take care of her daily needs. Id., 73. The plaintiff also received other injuries such as bruises to her face and forehead and minor cuts and scrapes. Id, 68. The plaintiff incurred $24,281.28 in medical expenses as a result of her fall. N.T., 11/18/04, 121. This dollar amount of medical expenses figured prominently in this court’s rulings on plaintiff’s motion for a new trial on damages.

At the time of trial, the plaintiff was still suffering from what she argued were permanent residual problems, such as lack of movement in her fingers and swelling in her hand. N.T., 11/15/04, 71. She was unable to close her left hand and make a fist. Id., 74. The defendant’s medical expert, Dennis McHugh M.D., admitted that the injury to plaintiff’s wrist was serious and necessitated a second surgery to remove the plate in her wrist. Id., 71.

[5]*5In defense of this action, the defendant argued that it did not cause the plaintiff’s injuries. Id., 84. It argued that the plaintiff had not tripped over the dropped curb, but fell elsewhere in the street. N.T., 11/17/04,88. It also argued that it was unaware of the dropped curb and that another entity might have caused the curb to drop suddenly by conducting construction activities in the area. N.T., 11/17/04, 90. The defendant also raised the issue of the plaintiff’s comparative negligence. It pointed out that the plaintiff would not have fallen if she had watched where she was walking. Id., 85. It also pointed out that the curb within the confines of the crosswalk was in perfect condition, and that if the plaintiff had remained within the crosswalk, she would not have tripped on the dropped curb. Id., 91. The defendant also attempted to have the jury instructed that the City of Philadelphia was responsible for the plaintiff’s injuries because it was primarily responsible for the maintenance and repair of the curb. Def.’s proposed points for charge nos. 26 and 27.

This court oversaw extensive settlement discussions between the parties prior to and during trial. The defendant made a $75,000 offer to settle the lawsuit prior to trial, but this offer was rejected. The defendant maintained the $75,000 offer at other points throughout the negotiations. Id., 16. On the second day of jury deliberations, the plaintiff accepted the defendant’s offer to settle the case; however, the defendant responded that the offer had lapsed as of the start of trial and was no longer available to be accepted. Id., 5. In contrast to the defendant’s argument, it was the understanding of this court and all of the attorneys involved in the litigation, with the exception of counsel for the defendant, that the defendant’s offer remained on the table as of the first [6]*6day of jury deliberations and that it was never withdrawn. Id., 5-6. This court declined to rule on whether it could enforce the settlement agreement until a later date and allowed the jury to render its verdict. Id., 6.

The jury found that the defendant was negligent and that such negligence was the factual cause of the plaintiff’s injuries. The jury also found that the plaintiff’s comparative negligence accounted for 50 percent of the accident. They initially awarded the plaintiff $ 12,140.64 for medical expenses and $12,140.64 for pain and suffering. The fact that this award equaled exactly one-half of the plaintiff’s medical expenses suggested that the jury might have reduced this award in accordance with its finding of comparative negligence. To protect the integrity of the jury verdict, this court instructed the jury to reconsider its ruling to ensure that it had not erroneously, and in violation of this court’s prior instruction, reduced the award in accordance with its finding of comparative negligence. Upon reconsideration, the jury returned to the courtroom, having increased each of the aforementioned categories by 100 percent, such that when this court molded the verdict in accordance with the amount of comparative negligence found, the final award equaled exactly the plaintiff’s requested amount for medical expenses.

Following trial, plaintiff filed a motion for post-trial relief wherein she sought a new trial on the issue of damages or in alternate additur. The plaintiff also filed a motion to enforce the settlement agreement that it alleged had been accepted prior to the jury rendering its verdict. The defendant opposed both of these motions and filed a motion for post-trial relief wherein it listed [7]*728 alleged trial errors and sought a new trial on the issue of liability and damages.

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Bluebook (online)
78 Pa. D. & C.4th 1, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/campbell-v-temple-university-pactcomplphilad-2005.