Giddens v. Kansas City Southern Railway Co.

29 S.W.3d 813, 2000 Mo. LEXIS 61, 2000 WL 1528962
CourtSupreme Court of Missouri
DecidedOctober 17, 2000
DocketSC 82602
StatusPublished
Cited by119 cases

This text of 29 S.W.3d 813 (Giddens v. Kansas City Southern Railway Co.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Supreme Court of Missouri primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Giddens v. Kansas City Southern Railway Co., 29 S.W.3d 813, 2000 Mo. LEXIS 61, 2000 WL 1528962 (Mo. 2000).

Opinions

PER CURIAM.1

In 1989 Garry V. Giddens was injured while working for his employer, Kansas City Southern Railway Company (KCS). The injury occurred when a chain attached to a crane broke causing a track assembly to fall on Giddens’ hand. Treatment for the hand injury included eight surgeries. Despite the treatment, Giddens was unable to return to work. He then filed suit against KCS under the Federal Employer’s Liability Act (FELA). In this third trial of the suit, the trial court entered a $1,520,000 judgment for Giddens.2 KCS appeals the judgment, asserting six claims of error. Finding that the trial court committed no prejudicial error, the judgment is affirmed.

Considered in the light most favorable to the verdict, the evidence at trial showed: In 1989, Giddens was a foreman for KCS’ maintenance-of-way department, which constructs and maintains the railroad’s roadbeds and right-of-way. In May 1989, heavy rains in Louisiana caused “washouts,” i.e., areas where the ballast under the ties and the rail are washed away, leaving the rail and ties suspended without roadbed support. Wash-out repair was not within Giddens’ general duties, but KCS assigned him and his crew to washout repair.

On May 18, 1989, Giddens’ supervisor, Larry Dobson, instructed him to begin repair work at milepost 612 and told him that a KCS locomotive crane would be there. Giddens and his crew were told to use the chains located on the crane to lift the tracks out of the way while cross-tie supports were inserted underneath the tracks.

On May 19, Giddens and his crew began to repair the wash-out damage at milepost 612. Giddens had never before performed wash-out repair by using a crane. At the work site, a division engineer instructed Giddens to use a backhoe to move all of the old fill and mud in the surrounding area underneath the suspended track. This would build a foundation more quickly than would stacking the cross-tie support. The engineer said that, if the old mud did not completely refill the hole under the tracks, Giddens and his crew could “shim” [817]*817the landfill by taking ties and budding a box structure on top of the fill.

Giddens and his crew climbed up the sides of the mud-filled foundation in order to build up a mini-crib on top of the mud. As Giddens inserted a tie underneath the track, he placed his left hand on top of the tie to steady himself. While his hand was on top of the tie, the chain from the crane holding the track assembly broke, causing the suspended track to drop and pin Gid-dens’ left hand between the tracks and the tie at the top of the crib. After approximately three to five minutes, those at the scene were able to attach the chain back to the crane and lift the track off Giddens’ left hand.

Giddens received hospital emergency treatment and was subsequently treated by a hand specialist. He suffered crush-type fractures of the middle, ring, and small fingers of his left hand. Several reconstructive surgeries were performed on his left hand to repair the damage. While Giddens was receiving the initial treatment for his hand injury, he was not permitted to return to work. He remained on KCS’ payroll through its wage continuation program.

Giddens’ injury was sufficiently severe that he was not released to return to work for KCS until June 1990. In December 1990, Giddens left work for vacation and additional tendon surgery. He returned to work in May 1991. In December 1991, Giddens again took a vacation and underwent additional surgery. Two months later, Giddens attempted to return to work, but a KCS physician disqualified him from work because of safety concerns regarding his ability to lift heavy objects. Subsequent surgeries followed. In the summer of 1992, Giddens attempted to return to work again, but failed a KCS field test. At this time, Giddens was notified that he would be taken off the wage continuation program as of October 1992.3

Giddens filed this suit in November 1992. He filed interrogatories and a request for production asking for the names of persons who had obtained written statements from Giddens, including a video or motion picture of him, and for copies of those statements and videotapes. No videotapes were taken at that time.

Before the third trial, KCS hired an investigator to watch Giddens. The investigator made videotapes of his surveillance in April 1997. These were sent to counsel for KCS on May 16 and June 3. The videotapes showed Giddens performing various activities, including raking leaves, sweeping and clearing natural debris, breaking tree branches and sticks, carrying tree limbs, gathering trash, and mowing the lawn with a push mower. In some parts of these videotapes, Giddens appeared to be using his injured hand to hold or push items.

On July 3, KCS conducted a supplemental deposition of Giddens. The existence of the videotapes had not been disclosed to Giddens. At the deposition, counsel for KCS again questioned Giddens concerning the physical limitations associated with his injured hand-this time specifically addressing the types of activities captured on the video surveillance. KCS asserts that Gid-dens’ answers as to his ability to perform various activities were seriously at odds with what the videotapes showed he could do in at least ten respects. According to Giddens, his testimony and the videotapes are not inconsistent, since the questions were vague or dealt with abilities not depicted in the videotapes in various respects.

On July 8, KCS served an amended discovery response advising Giddens of the existence of the videotape surveillance. Giddens’ attorneys subsequently deposed the investigator who performed the video surveillance. He explained when and how he obtained the videotapes and sent them to counsel for KCS.

[818]*818Giddens then filed a motion to exclude the video surveillance tapes from evidence on the basis that KCS failed seasonably to divulge information regarding the videotapes by keeping them secret until after Giddens’ supplemental deposition. The motion also requested such other relief as the court deemed proper, including striking KCS’ pleadings or imposing other sanctions.

Giddens’ motion was not ruled until the day of trial January 13, 1998. The judge held that KCS had violated discovery rules by failing seasonably to supplement its interrogatory answers concerning its videotape “statements” of Giddens. The judge did not exclude the videotapes as a sanction for the discovery violation, however, because he believed the tapes might be needed so that the jury could see what activities Giddens could perform. Instead, he sanctioned KCS by prohibiting use of Giddens’ post-surveillance deposition testimony, even for impeachment purposes.

At trial, Giddens testified about his physical condition and limitations. His answers were consistent with what the videotape surveillance showed about his condition. His prior trial testimony was not used to impeach him. His testimony was not fully consistent with portions of his excluded deposition testimony, which indicated a more limited physical capacity.

Giddens’ also provided testimony from three expert witnesses, including: (1) a railroad specialist who testified as to the alleged deficiencies in KCS’ operations; (2) a psychologist-rehabilitation specialist who testified as to his injuries and his rehabilitation; and (3) an economist who testified as to his lost wages.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
29 S.W.3d 813, 2000 Mo. LEXIS 61, 2000 WL 1528962, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/giddens-v-kansas-city-southern-railway-co-mo-2000.