Collins v. Jones

961 P.2d 647, 131 Idaho 556, 1998 Ida. LEXIS 82
CourtIdaho Supreme Court
DecidedJune 26, 1998
Docket23574
StatusPublished
Cited by14 cases

This text of 961 P.2d 647 (Collins v. Jones) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Idaho Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Collins v. Jones, 961 P.2d 647, 131 Idaho 556, 1998 Ida. LEXIS 82 (Idaho 1998).

Opinion

SILAK, Justice.

This case involves an appeal from the following post-trial orders after a civil jury trial in which judgment was entered for: an order granting a new trial or in the alternative an additur; and an order that the respondent was the prevailing party and that appellant would not be awarded costs under Idaho Rule of Civil Procedure 68. We affirm the orders of the district court.

I.

FACTS AND PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

Appellant Cynthia Ann Jones (Jones) was involved in a vehicle accident in which respondent Susan M. Collins (Collins) was injured. This was a low impact accident in which the vehicles collided at about two miles per hour. Collins’s bumper was replaced at a cost of '$198.60. Jones never contested liability but maintained that the injuries were preexisting and were not caused by the accident.

Collins sought compensation for medical expenses, future medical expenses, lost wages, and pain and suffering. There was medical evidence that Collins had medical conditions prior to the accident.

Prior to trial, Jones made an offer of judgment to Collins in the sum of $2,500.00 pursuant to I.R.C.P. 68. Collins rejected the offer. Following a jury trial, the jury awarded Collins the sum of $1,896.49. Upon a motion for a new trial or in the alternative for an additur, the district court granted an additur in the amount of $3,655.96, or in the alternative a new trial. The district court determined that with the additur, the judgment would be for $5,552.45 which exceeded the $2,500.00 offer and therefore, I.R.C.P. 68 would not apply to require the offeree (Collins) to pay the offeror’s (Jones) costs and attorney fees. Additionally, the district court found that with the additur, Collins was the prevailing party and therefore denied all costs and attorney fees to Jones. The dis *558 trict court did not award any attorney fees or costs to Collins. This appeal followed.

II.

ISSUES ON APPEAL

Jones raises the following issues on appeal:

(1) Whether the district court abused its discretion in awarding an additur or in the alternative a new trial.
(2) Whether the district court erred in concluding that Collins was the prevailing party.
(3) Whether the district court erred by determining that Jones was not entitled to costs under I.R.C.P. 68.
(4) Whether Jones is entitled to attorney fees on appeal.

Collins raises the following additional issue on appeal:

(5) Is Collins entitled to attorney fees on appeal pursuant to Idaho Code Section 12-121, Idaho Rule of Civil Procedure 54(e)(1), Idaho Appellate Rule 41, and existing case law?

III.

ANALYSIS

A. The District Court Did Not Err In Granting A New Trial Or In The Alternative An Additur.

Whether the trial court was correct in granting a new trial or in the alternative an additur is reviewed under an abuse of discretion standard. Pratton v. Gage, 122 Idaho 848, 850, 840 P.2d 392, 394 (1992). Orders granting new trials conditioned upon the acceptance or rejection of an additur are appealable as a matter of right, and the party appealing may appeal the order without accepting or rejecting the additur. I.A.R. 11(a)(5); I.R.C.P. 59.1(a). Such party shall not be required to accept or reject the additur until the appeal is determined. I.R.C.P. 59.1(a)

When the trial court believes that the jury award was based on substantial and competent evidence, but the damage award was based on passion and prejudice, a new trial or additur is appropriately granted under I.R.C.P. 59(a)(5). Sanchez v. Galey, 112 Idaho 609, 615, 733 P.2d 1234, 1240 (1986). When determining if the jury award was proper, the trial court is not to merely substitute its opinion for that of the jury, but is to look to the disparity and determine if the disparity shocks the conscience of the court. Id. This standard is subjective, based on the trial court’s belief that the amount of the award was inadequate or excessive. Pratton, 122 Idaho at 852, 840 P.2d at 396.

How substantial the disparity must be differs with each factual context and with the trial judge’s sense of fairness and justice. Quick v. Crane, 111 Idaho 759, 769, 727 P.2d 1187, 1197 (1986). It is the trial court’s duty to weigh the evidence and make an assessment of the credibility and weight of that evidence. Id. at 768-69, 727 P.2d at 1196-97 (quoting Dinneen v. Finch, 100 Idaho 620, 624-25, 603 P.2d 575, 579-80 (1979)). If in the trial judge’s determination his or her award differs so substantially from the jury’s award that the difference can only be explained because of unjust behavior, a new trial or additur should be granted. Id. at 769, 727 P.2d at 1197.

When granting or denying a motion for a new trial, the trial court must state its reasons unless the reasons are obvious from the record. Id. at 772, 727 P.2d at 1200. In Pratton, this Court stated that “a conelusory statement, unsupported by the identification of any factual basis, is not adequate to illuminate for this Court the rationale for” granting a new trial. Pratton, 122 Idaho at 853, 840 P.2d at 397.

The district court in this case adequately explained its reasoning for granting the additur or in the alternative a new trial. The district court determined that Collins had proven medical bills of at least $2,088.13. Additionally, the district court determined that Collins had lost wages and that some damages should have been awarded for pain and suffering. The district court stated that “the fact that the jury did not award any money for wage loss, ..., or for pain and suffering, suggests to the Court that the jury operated under the influence of passion or *559 prejudice.” Jones argues that the court failed to state with specificity why it granted an additur. We disagree, for the record reflects that the district judge analyzed each element of damages and the amount that he would have awarded.

Although the jury verdict was a lump sum, it can be presumed that if medical bills of $2,088.13 were proven, that the jury’s award of $1,896.49 did not include any damages for lost wages, loss of earning capacity, or pain and suffering. The district court determined that since the total amount the jury awarded was less than half of what he would have awarded, the award shocked the conscience of the court. Based on the detailed analysis and reasoning of the district court, we do not believe that the district court abused its discretion in granting the additur or in the alternative a new trial.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
961 P.2d 647, 131 Idaho 556, 1998 Ida. LEXIS 82, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/collins-v-jones-idaho-1998.