City of Kingman v. Havatone

485 P.2d 574, 14 Ariz. App. 585, 1971 Ariz. App. LEXIS 648
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedJune 2, 1971
DocketNo. 1 CA-CIV 1426
StatusPublished
Cited by5 cases

This text of 485 P.2d 574 (City of Kingman v. Havatone) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
City of Kingman v. Havatone, 485 P.2d 574, 14 Ariz. App. 585, 1971 Ariz. App. LEXIS 648 (Ark. Ct. App. 1971).

Opinion

STEVENS, Presiding Judge.

Carter Havatone was injured, arrested and incarcerated by a police officer of the City of Kingman. He filed an action seeking recovery in damages. Four claims for relief were stated. At the time of the trial a directed verdict was granted in favor of Kingman in relation to two of the claims. The case was submitted to the jury on the remaining two claims, namely, assault and battery, and false arrest. The jury resolved the false arrest issue in favor of Kingman and the assault and battery issue in favor of Havatone, assessing his damages in the sum of $500.

Havatone filed a comprehensive motion for new trial which raised all of the matters which are the subject of this opinion, including the question of the inadequacy of the damages. There was a comprehensive response to the motion. The trial court entered its order granting the motion “on the ground that the damages awarded by the jury to the plaintiff are insufficient.” The order was conditioned that in the event Kingman filed a written consent to increase the verdict by a specified sum the motion for new trial would be denied. Kingman declined to do so and the order of the trial court granting a new trial on the issue of damages alone became effec[587]*587tive. Kingman perfected a timely appeal from the order. There was no cross-appeal. On the appeal, Havatone presented cross-questions in his brief, all of the cross-questions being within the grounds urged by him in his motion for new trial.

The trial was held in the fall of 1969 and the various Rules of Civil Procedure, 16 A.R.S., cited in this opinion will be in their form as those rules existed in 1969. Some of the rules were amended in 1970.

A brief statement of the factual background, recited in the light favorable to the judgment in favor of the plaintiff, will suffice for the purposes of this opinion.

Mr. and Mrs. Havatone had lived in the Kingman area since 1942 and had raised a family of five sons. Havatone was a carpenter by trade and his work carried him to various locations outside of Kingman. He was working in California when he sustained an industrial accident on 24 August 1966. He was then 49 years of age. As an outgrowth of that accident, his left foot was amputated, the point of the amputation being approximately six inches above the ankle. He returned to his home in Kingman in March 1967 fitted with an artificial limb. This impaired his mobility.

He was still receiving industrial compensation when the incident in question occurred on 12 May 1967.

On that date Mr. and Mrs. Havatone left their home in their automobile for the purpose of dining in Kingman. Havatone drove the car: Mrs. Havatone does not drive motor vehicles. A family argument ensued. They stopped at a service station and Mrs. Havatone obtained the keys to the car and procured the moving of the car to a point behind the service station for the reason that she did not want her husband to drive any more that evening. When the argument became heated, the police were called. Havatone had knowledge of that fact and advised those present that he would be at a tavern across the alley and a short distance from the service station. Shortly thereafter Officer Peterson of the Police Department of the City of Kingman arrived in a patrol car. Officer Peterson then drove into the alley. Havatone had not reached the tavern when Officer Peterson saw him and called to him. Shortly thereafter Officer Peterson hit Havatone on the head with his nightstick under circumstances in relation to which there was a conflict of testimony, a conflict resolved in favor of Havatone by the jury’s verdict.

Havatone began to experience double vision when he looked to the left. This was still present at the time of the trial. Doctor James Chapman Wootten, who had been Board certified “as an opthalmologist in opthalmology,” examined Havatone on 8 September 1967 and again on 19 January 1968. In his testimony he affirmed permanent damage and testified that he recommended surgery, a type of surgical procedure which he had performed. He testified:

“My anticipation would be that the surgery would improve the situation. It might increase the area where he sees singly. Maybe a 90% chance of increasing the area of single vision. In other words, putting it around the other way, decreasing the index in the order of 10%.”

Dr. Wootten further testified as to the limitations and the dangers which Havatone would experience in industrial employment directly related to the eye condition. Without objection the doctor testified that the estimated overall cost of the surgery, hospitalization and other incidents thereto would be $800. Thereafter Havatone was on the witness stand. He was not asked whether 'he would submit to the recommended surgery and so the record is silent in that respect. After the close of all of the evidence, the defense moved to strike that portion of the doctor’s testimony in relation to the cost of post-trial surgery. The motion was granted and the trial court instructed the jury to disregard that portion of the doctor’s testimony. Th^. Havatone medical expenses to the day of the trial were established to be in the [588]*588sum of $120. Over strenuous objection the deposition of Officer Peterson was presented to the jury by the defense. This matter will be discussed later in this opinion.

THE USE OF CROSS-QUESTIONS

Havatone urged cross-questions in his brief on appeal. The propriety of this procedure is questioned by Kingman, The issues covered by the cross-questions on appeal were presented to the trial court in the Havatone motion for new trial along with the question relative to the adequacy of the verdict. The trial court limited its stated reasons for the granting of the new trial to the inadequacy of the verdict. The propriety of the presentation of cross-questions was sustained by our Supreme Court in Santanello v. Cooper, 106 Ariz. 262, 475 P.2d 246 (1970).

In our opinion not only are cross-questions proper to provide additional support for the trial court’s action in granting a new trial, they are also proper in those instances where it is appropriate for the appellate court to give guidance to the trial court in conducting the new trial which has been granted. The main issues that are urged by the cross-questions which may affect the conduct of a new trial are the striking of that portion of the doctor’s testimony relating to the expenses of the future surgery and the use of Officer Peterson’s deposition.

Before we consider these matters, we express the view that we find no abuse of the trial court’s discretion in awarding a new trial on the issue of damages. We express no opinion as to the sum which would be adequate. We find the authority for the trial court’s order in Rule 59(i) (1) which we set forth in the footnote.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
485 P.2d 574, 14 Ariz. App. 585, 1971 Ariz. App. LEXIS 648, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/city-of-kingman-v-havatone-arizctapp-1971.