Children's Medical Center, P.A. v. Jakyung Kim

221 So. 3d 664, 2017 WL 2664687, 2017 Fla. App. LEXIS 8989
CourtDistrict Court of Appeal of Florida
DecidedJune 21, 2017
DocketNo. 4D16-4319
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 221 So. 3d 664 (Children's Medical Center, P.A. v. Jakyung Kim) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court of Appeal of Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Children's Medical Center, P.A. v. Jakyung Kim, 221 So. 3d 664, 2017 WL 2664687, 2017 Fla. App. LEXIS 8989 (Fla. Ct. App. 2017).

Opinion

May, J.

The defendants in a medical malpractice action seek certiorari review of a.post-trial order granting juror interviews following a defense verdict. The trial court granted the plaintiffs’ motion based on the alleged failure of two jurors to disclose litigation history in their responses to the jury questionnaire. The defendants argue the trial court departed from the essential requirements of the law because the plaintiffs failed to establish the three requirements for granting juror interviews. We agree, grant the petition, and quash the order.

The plaintiffs filed a medical malpractice action against the defendants, alleging a-failure to diagnose their infant son’s skull fracture and brain bleed that were allegedly related to his birth. Their child was delivered with the assistance of a vacuum extraction device. Two weeks after his birth, the child experienced a severe brain bleed. The child underwent a craniotomy, but still suffered permanent brain-related and neurological injuries. The plaintiffs alleged the four defendant' pediatricians should have diagnosed the child’s condition. Following a three-week trial, the jury returned a defense verdict.

The plaintiffs moved to interview three jurors: L.H,, E.T., and the alternate.1 They alleged L.H, and E.T. failed to disclose their litigation history in responding to the following question on the jury questionnaire.

Have you or any family member ever been sued or have you sued someone else? (This includes suits which were settled after being filed.) If so, please explain.

Jurors L.H. and E.T. both answered “No” to the question. However, public records searches revealed that two individuals with the same names (or similar marital names) had previous encounters with the legal system. Records revealed that L.H. sought to register a restraining order against her ex-husband in California in 2008. The docket characterized the nature of the case as “domestic violence with children.” ■ -

The plaintiffs asserted that thé concealment of that information provided grounds to interview L.H. because “[a] salient, if not dispositive-issue” in their case-was whether the proximate cause of their child’s injury was “child abuse or so-called ‘non-accidental trauma.’ ” The plaintiffs claimed the defendants theorized pre-trial that the child’s injury was caused by abuse. They cited the defense expert’s deposition testimony. They noted the trial court had. ruled in limine that the expert could not testify at trial that the child’s injuries resulted from a drop or knock on the head.

Records also revealed that E.T. was the respondent in numerous “domestic violence” actions. The most recent injunction was entered against E.T. in 2001. And a 2015 stalking case had been dismissed.2

■The plaintiffs alleged the alternate “may have significant information with respect to discussions amongst the jurors contrary to this court’s instructions.”

[668]*668Plaintiffs’ counsel submitted two affidavits, attesting to his public records search, and that the individuals in those records were L.H. and E.T. The affidavits did not state that he would have exercised peremptory strikes on L.H. and E.T. had the information been disclosed.

The plaintiffs also moved for a new trial, arguing juror misconduct, and the verdict was contrary to the weight of the evidence. The defendants responded that the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate entitlement to juror interviews because the alleged non-disclosures were not material, the information had not been concealed, and plaintiffs’ counsel was not diligent in his inquiry during voir dire.

At the hearing on the motion for juror interviews, plaintiffs’ counsel argued he would have used his remaining peremptory challenges on L.H. and E.T. had he known about the jurors’ domestic violence cases— assuming the cases involved a child. The defendants argued the prior litigation was too remote in time and it was not clear that the individuals in those cases were the two jurors. The trial court reserved ruling.

A few weeks later, the trial court granted interviews of jurors L.H. and E.T., but denied an interview of the alternate juror. From this order, the defendants petitioned this court.

The defendants argue the trial court departed from the essential requirements of law by granting the interviews when the plaintiffs failed to demonstrate the three elements necessary to warrant post-trial juror interviews: materiality, concealment, and diligence. See De La Rosa v. Zequeira, 659 So.2d 239, 241 (Fla. 1995). The plaintiffs respond that they satisfied all three requirements, and the petition should be denied.

Certiorari has been used to review orders allowing post-trial juror interviews. See, e.g., Naugle v. Philip Morris USA, Inc., 133 So.3d 1235, 1236 n.1 (Fla. 4th DCA 2014); Parra v. Cruz, 59 So.3d 211, 212 (Fla. 3d DCA 2011).

“A party who believes that grounds for legal challenge to a verdict exist may move for an order permitting an interview of a juror or jurors to determine whether the verdict is subject to the challenge.” Fla. R. Civ. P. 1.431(h). Nevertheless, “[pjost-trial juror interviews should be ‘rarely granted and the sanctity of the jury process as well as the privacy rights of the jurors themselves should be closely guarded and protected.’ ” Sterling v. Feldbaum, 980 So.2d 596, 599 (Fla. 4th DCA 2008) (citation omitted). Rule 1.431(h) “is a shield to prevent disgruntled parties and attorneys from harassing jurors after a verdict.” Naugle, 133 So.3d at 1238.

“Although generally post-verdict juror interviews are disfavored, where there is adequate proof that a juror may have failed to disclose material information on voir dire, a party is entitled to conduct an interview of the juror.” Hillsboro Mgmt., LLC v. Pagono, 112 So.3d 620, 624 (Fla. 4th DCA 2013). To be entitled to interview a juror, the movant must satisfy the De La Rosa three-part test. Pembroke Lakes Mall Ltd. v. McGruder, 137 So.3d 418, 427 (Fla. 4th DCA 2014); see also Penalver v. Masomere, 178 So.3d 533, 536 (Fla. 3d DCA 2015) (quashing order granting juror interview where one prong of De La Rosa test was not met).

The three-part test requires proof that:

(1) The concealed information was relevant and material to jury service in the case;
(2) The juror concealed the information during questioning; and
(3) The failure to disclose the information was not attributable to the [669]*669complaining party’s lack of diligence.

McGruder, 137 So.3d at 427 (emphasis added). The trial court must analyze the “totality of the circumstances to determine whether a juror interview ... is warranted.” Pagono, 112 So.3d at 625.

I. Relevance & Materiality

The plaintiffs needed to show that L.EL’s and E.T.’s prior litigation history was relevant and material to the case. “Nondisclosure is considered material if it is substantial and important so that if the facts were known, [the moving party] may have been influenced to peremptorily challenge the juror from the jury.” Roberts v. Tejada, 814 So.2d 334, 341 (Fla. 2002) (citation omitted).

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221 So. 3d 664, 2017 WL 2664687, 2017 Fla. App. LEXIS 8989, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/childrens-medical-center-pa-v-jakyung-kim-fladistctapp-2017.