Derry v. Blackman

CourtDistrict Court, M.D. Pennsylvania
DecidedApril 24, 2023
Docket3:21-cv-01744
StatusUnknown

This text of Derry v. Blackman (Derry v. Blackman) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, M.D. Pennsylvania primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Derry v. Blackman, (M.D. Pa. 2023).

Opinion

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT MIDDLE DISTRICT OF PENNSYLVANIA MARY DERRY,

Plaintiff, CIVIL ACTION NO. 3:21-CV-01744

v. (MEHALCHICK, M.J.)

ADAM R. BLACKMAN,

Defendant.

MEMORANDUM Before the Court are motions in limine filed by Plaintiff Mary Derry (“Derry”) (Doc. 17; Doc. 19; Doc. 21; Doc. 23; Doc. 25) and by Defendant Adam R. Blackman (“Blackman”) (Doc. 30). Responses have been filed and the motions are now before the Court. I. BACKGROUND AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY As the Court writes primarily for the parties, the background and history are limited to the immediately relevant circumstances of the pending motions. This case stems from a motor vehicle accident that occurred on December 9, 2019, involving Plaintiff Mary Derry and Defendant Adam R. Blackman. (Doc. 1). As a result of the subject accident, Derry commenced this action by filing a complaint against Blackman on October 13, 2021, asserting negligence claims and seeking an award of monetary damages for loss of past earnings, medical expenses, property damage, and pain and suffering. (Doc. 1). At the conclusion of discovery, Blackman has agreed to accept liability for causing the accident; however, the nature, extent, and causation of Derry’s injury clams remain in dispute for purposes of trial. (Doc. 28, at 1). The parties have each filed motions in limine in anticipation of trial. Plaintiff Derry seeks to preclude the following matters pursuant to Rule 403 of the Federal Rules of Evidence: (1) evidence or testimony of Derry’s prior driving history; (2) evidence or testimony of Derry’s personal financial information; (3) evidence or testimony of Social Security Disability, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, and/or Medicaid; (4) evidence or testimony of a prior mouse infestation of Derry’s home, her lawsuit arising out of the mouse infestation, a

mouse bite Derry received, and any medical issues Derry suffered from that mouse bite; and (5) evidence or testimony of Derry’s medical history. (Doc. 17; Doc. 19, at 21; Doc. 23; Doc. 25). Defendant Blackman seeks to bar any photographs, pictures, or vehicle estimates of damages of the vehicles involved in the subject December 9, 2019, motor vehicle accident. (Doc. 30). II. STANDARD OF REVIEW The court is vested with broad inherent authority to manage its cases, which carries with it the discretion to rule on motions in limine prior to trial. See Luce v. United States, 469 U.S. 38, 41 n.4 (1984); In re Japanese Elec. Prods. Antitrust Litig., 723 F.2d 238, 260 (3d Cir. 1983), rev'd on other grounds sub nom., Matsushita Elec. Indus. Co. v. Zenith Radio Corp., 475 U.S.

574 (1986) (noting that the court exercises its discretion to rule in limine on evidentiary issues “in appropriate cases”). Courts may exercise this discretion in order to ensure that juries are not exposed to unfairly prejudicial, confusing or irrelevant evidence. United States v. Romano, 849 F.2d 812, 815 (3d Cir. 1988). Courts may also do so in order to “narrow the evidentiary issues for trial and to eliminate unnecessary trial interruptions.” Bradley v. Pittsburgh Bd. of Educ., 913 F.2d 1064, 1069 (3d Cir. 1990) (citation omitted). In considering motions in limine, which call upon the court to engage in preliminary evidentiary rulings under Rule 403 of the Federal Rules of Evidence, the Court begins by recognizing that these “evidentiary rulings [on motions in limine] are subject to the trial judge's discretion and are therefore reviewed only - 2 - for abuse of discretion . . . . Additionally, application of the balancing test under Federal Rule of Evidence 403 will not be disturbed unless it is ‘arbitrary and irrational.’” Ely v. Cabot Oil & Gas Corp., No. 3:09-CV-2284, 2016 WL 454817, at *2 (M.D. Pa. Feb. 5, 2016) (citing Abrams v. Lightolier Inc., 50 F.3d 1204, 1213 (3d Cir. 1995) (citations omitted)); see Bernardsville Bd. of

Educ. v. J.H., 42 F.3d 149, 161 (3d Cir. 1994) (reviewing in limine rulings for abuse of discretion). The Federal Rules of Evidence provide that relevant evidence is generally admissible.1 FED. R. EVID. 402. Evidence is “relevant” if its existence simply has “any tendency to make a fact more or less probable than it would be without the evidence” and “the fact is of consequence in determining the action.” FED. R. EVID. 401(a)-(b). However, relevant evidence may be excluded “if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice.” FED. R. EVID. 403. The balancing test under Rule 403 provides as follows: [t]he court may exclude relevant evidence if its probative value is substantially outweighed by a danger of one or more of the following: unfair prejudice, confusing the issues, misleading the jury, undue delay, wasting time, or needlessly presenting cumulative evidence.

FED. R. EVID. 403.

1 The Federal Rules of Evidence can aptly be characterized as evidentiary rules of inclusion, which are designed to broadly permit fact-finders to consider pertinent factual information while searching for the truth. Ely, 2016 WL 454817, at *3. The grounds for exclusion of evidence under Rule 403 are described as an exception to the general rule favoring admission of relevant evidence, and by permitting the exclusion of relevant evidence only when its probative value is “substantially outweighed” by other prejudicial factors, the Court’s discretion in considering evidentiary rulings should consistently be exercised in a fashion which resolves all doubts in favor of the admission of relevant proof in a proceeding, unless the relevance of that proof is substantially outweighed by some other factors which caution against admission. Ely, 2016 WL 454817, at *3. - 3 - In keeping with this framework, the Court turns to each of the motions in limine filed by the parties. III. DISCUSSION A. EVIDENCE AND TESTIMONY OF DERRY’S PRIOR DRIVING HISTORY. First, Derry argues that evidence or testimony regarding her prior driving history should be precluded as irrelevant and unduly prejudicial. (Doc. 17, at 1; Doc. 18, at 4).

Specifically, Derry submits that evidence of her prior car crash should be precluded as irrelevant because it occurred 40 years before the subject accident, she only suffered minor injuries in the prior crash, and there is no evidence that the prior injuries are related to the injuries Derry suffered in the subject crash. (Doc. 18, at 4). Next, Derry contends evidence that her New Jersey license was previously revoked should be precluded as irrelevant because Derry has a driver’s license at the time of the subject crash. (Doc. 18, at 4).

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Related

Luce v. United States
469 U.S. 38 (Supreme Court, 1984)
United States v. Lin M. Romano
849 F.2d 812 (Third Circuit, 1988)
Abrams v. Lightolier Inc.
50 F.3d 1204 (Third Circuit, 1995)
Moidel v. Peoples Natural Gas Co.
154 A.2d 399 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1959)
Pusl v. Means
982 A.2d 550 (Superior Court of Pennsylvania, 2009)
Lobalzo v. Varoli
185 A.2d 557 (Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, 1962)
Simmons v. Cobb
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Derry v. Blackman, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/derry-v-blackman-pamd-2023.