Durden v. Hydro Flame Corp.

1998 MT 47, 955 P.2d 160, 288 Mont. 1, 55 State Rptr. 198, 1998 Mont. LEXIS 38
CourtMontana Supreme Court
DecidedMarch 10, 1998
Docket97-187
StatusPublished
Cited by33 cases

This text of 1998 MT 47 (Durden v. Hydro Flame Corp.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Montana Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Durden v. Hydro Flame Corp., 1998 MT 47, 955 P.2d 160, 288 Mont. 1, 55 State Rptr. 198, 1998 Mont. LEXIS 38 (Mo. 1998).

Opinions

JUSTICE NELSON

delivered the Opinion of the Court.

¶1 This is an appeal by Chief Industries, Inc., d/b/a King of the Road (Chief) from the December 5, 1996 order of the Sixth Judicial District Court, Park County, granting the motion of Plaintiffs Jesse and Grace Ann Durden, individually and as guardians for their minor daughter, April Durden (Durdens) for judgment notwithstanding the verdict and for new trial. We reverse in part, affirm in part and remand for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

BACKGROUND

¶2 Because we are remanding this case for a new trial on the issues of causation and, if causation is proven, damages, we will limit our discussion of the background of this case to the extent necessary to address the dispositive legal issues.

¶3 Durdens filed a product liability action against Chief, a trailer manufacturer and against Hydro Flame Corporation, a component manufacturer of the trailer furnace. Durdens alleged that personal injuries to Mrs. Durden and to April were caused by defects in the heating system allowing carbon monoxide, or CO, to enter the trailer. Durdens settled with Hydro Flame prior to trial. Liability was conceded by Chief. Durdens’ action was tried against Chief on September 16 through 26,1996. The jury returned a verdict finding no causation and, thus, did not reach the issue of damages. Thereafter, Durdens moved for judgment as a matter of law1 based on insufficient evidence to support the verdict and for a new trial based on misconduct of defense counsel. The District Court granted both motions on Decem[5]*5ber 5,1996, and, by a subsequent opinion and order issued December 23,1996, sanctioned Chief by requiring it to pay Durdens’ reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs and expenses incurred during the first trial and in obtaining a new trial.

¶4 Chief appealed from the trial court’s December 5 and December 23 orders. Durdens cross-appealed from the court’s denial of their pretrial motion to strike the testimony of Chief’s medical expert, Dr. Donna Seger, on the grounds that Chief had failed to provide an adequate expert-witness disclosure pursuant to Rule 26(b), M.R.Civ.P.

ISSUES

¶5 At the outset, we note that, while Chief’s notice of appeal encompasses the District Court’s order of December 23, 1996, granting sanctions for defense counsel’s misconduct, that particular matter is neither briefed nor argued on appeal by Chief. Accordingly, we deem Chief’s appeal of the trial court’s imposition of sanctions waived, and we will not address this issue further. Rule 23, M.R.App.P.; In re Marriage of Lee (1997), 282 Mont. 410, 421, 938 P.2d 650, 657; DeVoe v. State (1997), 281 Mont. 356, 370, 935 P.2d 256, 265; Rieman v. Anderson (1997), 282 Mont. 139, 147, 935 P.2d 1122, 1126-27; Whalen v. Taylor (1996), 278 Mont. 293, 302, 925 P.2d 462, 467.

¶6 We will, however, address the following issues in this appeal:

¶7 I. Did the District Court err in granting Durdens’ motion for judgment as a matter of law?

¶8 II. Did the District Court err in granting Durdens’ motion for new trial?

¶9 By way of their cross-appeal, Durdens raise the issue of whether the District Court erred in allowing Chief’s medical expert, Dr. Donna Seger, to testify. We will also address this issue in turn.

DISCUSSION

I.

¶10 Did the District Court err in granting Durdens’ motion for judgment as a matter of law?

A.

¶11 Appealability .of the District Court’s order granting judgment as a matter of law

¶12 Before deciding the merits of this issue we must first address Durdens’ argument that an order granting judgment as a [6]*6matter of law is not an appealable order. As Durdens point out, Rule 1, M.R.App.P., enumerates the orders from which appeals may be taken, and this rule does not include an order granting judgment as a matter of law. Durdens also cite to our decisions in Weston v. Kuntz (1980), 187 Mont. 453, 610 P.2d 172, and Bostwick v. Department of Highways (1980), 188 Mont. 313, 613 P.2d 997, wherein we held that a court order determining liability only, and reserving the issue of damages is interlocutory, and thus, not an appealable order. Weston, 187 Mont. at 454, 610 P.2d at 172; Bostwick, 188 Mont. at 315, 613 P.2d at 998.

¶13 In response, Chief points out that for several decades this Court has accepted appeals of district court orders granting or denying judgments as a matter of law. In support of this argument, Chief cites Fox Grain and Cattle Co. v. Maxwell (1994), 267 Mont. 528, 885 P.2d 432; Kestell v. Heritage Health Care Corp. (1993), 259 Mont. 518, 858 P.2d 3; Greytak v. RegO Co. (1993), 257 Mont. 147, 848 P.2d 483; Simchuck v. Angel Island Community Ass’n (1992), 253 Mont. 221, 833 P.2d 158; Larson v. K-Mart Corp. (1990), 241 Mont 428, 787 P.2d 361; and Wilkerson v. School Dist. No. 15, Glacier Cty. (1985), 216 Mont. 203, 700 P.2d 617. These cases, however, are distinguishable.

¶14 In Fox Grain, the judgment as a matter of law eliminated a portion of the damages awarded to the defendant; we reversed and ordered the verdict reinstated. Fox Grain, 267 Mont. at 535, 885 P.2d at 437. In Kestell, the court denied the defendant’s motion for judgment as a matter of law and we affirmed. Kestell, 259 Mont. at 528, 858 P.2d at 9. In Greytak, the court denied the plaintiff’s motion for judgment as a matter of law, but ordered a new trial because of claimed instructional error. We reversed the order granting new trial. Greytak, 257 Mont. at 155-56, 848 P.2d at 489. Simchuck involved a case where the court granted judgment as a matter of law in favor of the defendant and denied the plaintiff’s motion for judgment as a matter of law on the issue of negligence. We reversed the court’s granting judgment as a matter of law, ordering the plaintiff’s verdict reinstated, and affirmed the court’s denial of the judgment as a matter of law on negligence. Simchuck, 253 Mont. at 227-28, 833 P.2d at 162. In Larson, we affirmed the court’s denial of the plaintiff’s motion for judgment as a matter of law. Larson, 241 Mont. at 433, 787 P.2d at 364. And, finally, in Wilkerson, we reversed the judgment as a matter of law for the defendant and ordered the plaintiff’s verdict reinstated. Wilkerson, 216 Mont. at 211, 700 P.2d at 623.

[7]*7¶15 Importantly, in each of the foregoing cases the order granting or denying judgment as a matter of law was in the context of a final, and thus appealable, disposition of the case. Accordingly, the cases cited by Chief do not support its argument here.

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Bluebook (online)
1998 MT 47, 955 P.2d 160, 288 Mont. 1, 55 State Rptr. 198, 1998 Mont. LEXIS 38, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/durden-v-hydro-flame-corp-mont-1998.