Clark v. Matthews

891 So. 2d 799, 4 La.App. 5 Cir. 848, 2005 La. App. LEXIS 6, 2005 WL 57299
CourtLouisiana Court of Appeal
DecidedJanuary 11, 2005
DocketNo. 04-CA-848
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 891 So. 2d 799 (Clark v. Matthews) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Louisiana Court of Appeal primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Clark v. Matthews, 891 So. 2d 799, 4 La.App. 5 Cir. 848, 2005 La. App. LEXIS 6, 2005 WL 57299 (La. Ct. App. 2005).

Opinion

[JAMES L. CANNELLA, Judge.

The Defendants, Herbert Matthews (Matthews) and Zurich American Insur-[802]*802anee Company (Zurich), appeal a Judgment Notwithstanding the Verdict (JNOV) in favor of the Plaintiff, Jeffrey W, Clark. The JNOV increased portions of the jury’s award for compensatory and punitive damages in an automobile accident case involving an intoxicated driver. We reverse in part, affirm in part, and amend in part.

, On March 24, 2001, the Plaintiff was traveling southbound on Powers Drive (Powers) in Metairie, Louisiana in a car owned by his employer, Canandaigua Wine Company. At the intersection of West Esplanade Avenue and Powers, he, stopped at a red signal light. When the light turned green, the Plaintiff started across the intersection, but was struck head-on by a vehicle driven by Matthews. Although the Plaintiff was wearing his seatbelt and his airbag deployed, his head struck the windshield. Matthews was intoxicated with cocaine and alcohol at the 13time. The Plaintiff was taken to a hospital emergency room and later released. He suffered a concussion, a chest contusion, a broken bone in the spinous process in the thoracic back, three ruptured discs, and other minor injuries. Two of the disc injuries were to the thoracic spine and one to the lumbar spine.

In May of 2001, the Plaintiff filed suit against Matthews, his insurer, Allstate Insurance Company (Allstate), and Zurich, the Plaintiffs employer’s underin-sured/uninsured (UM) motor insurance carrier. Liberty Insurance Company (Liberty), the Plaintiffs UM insurer was added as a Defendant in June of 2002. The Plaintiff included in the petition for damages a claim for punitive damages because of Matthew’s intoxication.

In December of 2001 and August of 2003, Zurich was dismissed, from the punitive damage part of the claim and from liability for interest on any punitive damage award. In August of 2002, Allstate was dismissed from the lawsuit. In March and August of 2003, Matthews, Zurich and Liberty filed stipulations into the record that Matthews was solely at fault in the accident.

A jury trial was held on damages on October 27, 28, 29 and 30 of 2003. The jury awarded the Plaintiff $12,500 for punitive damages, $60,000 for physical pain and suffering, $60,000 for mental pain and suffering, $15,279.86 for past medical expenses, $165,000 for future medical expenses, and $99,720.14 for past and future lost earning capacity, for. a total of $400,000. The judgment rendered on November 18, 2003, credited Zurich with payments of $140,000 paid prior to trial and the unconditional tender to Plaintiff of $265,000 made post-trial. Liberty was dismissed with prejudice.

The Defendants subsequently filed a motion for new trial and/or remittitur. The Plaintiff filed a motion for JNOV and/or New Trial. In March of 2001, the trial judge denied the Defendants’ motion and granted the Plaintiffs motion for 14JNOV, raising the awards for punitive damages from $12,500 to $200,000, (with a credit for $10,000 paid by Matthews insurer), for physical pain and suffering from $60,000 to $175,000 and for past and future lost earning capacity from $99,720.14 to $379,433. The other awards remained as awarded in the initial judgment. The increased awards raised the total to $794,712.86, with a credit to the Defendants for a stipulated payment made by Zurich to the Plaintiff of $140,000 prior to trial, and a stipulated unconditional tender made by Zurich of $265,000 after trial, but before the jury returned with a verdict. The judgment cast Zurich for judicial interest on $794,712.86 from date of judicial demand, subject to the above credits.

On appeal, the Defendants assert that the trial judge erred first- by precluding [803]*803the presentation of a surveillance video, thus necessitating a de novo review on appeal. The Defendants next contend that the trial judge erred by failing to apply the proper standard for a JNOV and by granting the JNOV on the pain and suffering award. The Defendants also assert that the jury erred in awarding the Plaintiff $165,000 in future medical expenses. Zurich further asserts that the trial judge erred by improperly assessing judicial interest on the entire JNOV judgment against it when Zurich had tendered a total of $405,000 by the time the judgment was signed. Zurich also appeals the assessment of costs. Matthews appeals the increase in punitive damages.

PENDING MOTION FOR NEW TRIAL

Upon reviewing the record, we first note that the trial judge failed to rule on the Plaintiffs motion for new trial after granting the JNOV, as required by La. G.C.P. art. 1811.1 Nevertheless, we decline to remand this particular matter to the | ^district court for it to rule on the motion for new trial because such an action would be contrary to the concept of judicial economy and the interest of the parties in having this lawsuit concluded. See: Trunk v. Medical Center of Louisiana at New Orleans, 04-0181 (La.10/19/04), 885 So.2d 534; Cao v. Schaffer, 04-242, p. 13 (La.App. 5th Cir.8/31/04), 881 So.2d 1277, 1285.2

SURVEILANCE VIDEO

The Defendants contend that the trial judge excluded the introduction of a surveillance video because the Plaintiff was not provided a copy in discovery proceedings. The Défendants contend that the trial judge erred in not admitting the tape because it was to be used for impeachment evidence, which does not have to be disclosed, and because the Plaintiff failed to ask for any video surveillance tapes in his discovery requests. The Defendants cite Detillier v. Smith, 94-34 (La.App. 5th Cir.5/31/94), 638 So.2d 445. The Plaintiff contends that surveillance tapes were included in his discovery request for the “production of investigator’s reports.”

Following the Plaintiffs objection to the admission of the tape during trial, the trial judge determined that the Plaintiffs request for investigative reports submitted to the Defendants’ prior to trial included the discovery of any video tapes of the Plaintiff. In addition, he concluded that, although counsel for Matthews did not per[804]*804sonally have the tape, he was shown the tape prior to trial and |fiused the information on it for cross-examination. The judge concluded that neither the information on the tape nor the tape could be used because they were not disclosed prior to trial.

In Detillier, the videotape was made during the trial. It was screened outside of the jury’s presence by the judge and the parties’ attorneys. It was admitted there because the video was impeachment evidence and because .the Plaintiff had not requested discovery of any surveillance. Here, the Plaintiff requested disclosure of investigative reports. Thus, Detillier is inapplicable to our facts.

La.C.C.P. art. 1422 provides that any relevant matter, not privileged, is discoverable. Even information which will be inadmissible at trial, but that is “reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence” is discoverable. Under this broad rule, surveillance videotape is discoverable material, which should be turned over a reasonable amount of time before trial. Wolford v. JoEllen Smith Psychiatric Hospital, 96-2460, p. 2 (La.5/20/97) 693 So.2d 1164, 1166. Video tapes are discoverable, whether or not they will be used at trial. Moak v. Illinois Cent R. Co., 93-0783, p. 6 (La.1/14/94), 631 So.2d 401, 405.

In Wolford,

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Bluebook (online)
891 So. 2d 799, 4 La.App. 5 Cir. 848, 2005 La. App. LEXIS 6, 2005 WL 57299, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/clark-v-matthews-lactapp-2005.