Jones, M. v. Corna, M., Appeal of: Jones, M.

Superior Court of Pennsylvania·Decided January 20, 2015·No. 1501 WDA 2013·Unpublished

Opinion

NON-PRECEDENTIAL DECISION - SEE SUPERIOR COURT I.O.P. 65.37

MELISSA JONES, INDIVIDUALLY AND AS IN THE SUPERIOR COURT OF PARENT AND NATURAL GUARDIAN OF PENNSYLVANIA HAILIE HOLSING, A MINOR AND BRENNA MCGINLEY, A MINOR, AND BERNARD MCGINLEY, HER HUSBAND

Appellee

v.

MICHELLE E. CORNA

APPEAL OF: MELISSA JONES, AS PARENT AND NATURAL GUARDIAN OF HAILIE HOLSING, A MINOR

Appellant No. 1501 WDA 2013

Appeal from the Judgment Entered September 13, 2013 In the Court of Common Pleas of Allegheny County Civil Division at No(s): GD 11-006907

BEFORE: DONOHUE, J., OTT, J., and MUSMANNO, J. MEMORANDUM BY OTT, J.: FILED JANUARY 20, 2015 Melissa Jones (“Mother”), individually and as parent and natural guardian of Hailie Holsing, a minor, (“Minor”) (collectively “Plaintiff”) appeals from the judgment of the Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas dated September 13, 2013, in favor of Jones and against Michelle E. Corna in the amount of $500.00. Mother, and her daughter, Minor, were in a vehicle that was struck by Corna. Plaintiff filed suit against Corna based on injuries sustained by Minor. On appeal, Plaintiff claims she was entitled to a new trial based on the following: (1) the jury returned a verdict awarding zero

dollars for damages that was against the weight of the evidence; (2) the jury returned a verdict that was not inconsistent or incomplete and the trial court improperly recharged the jury with instructions to award some dollar amount; (3) the jury returned a verdict awarding the nominal amount of $500.00 for damages, which was against the weight of the evidence; and (4) the court improperly precluded evidence relating to the timing of Corna’s stipulation of liability and the fact that she ran a red light. See Plaintiff’s Brief at vii. Based on the following, we vacate the judgment and remand for a new trial.

On March 30, 2012, Plaintiff filed a complaint against Corna for negligence stemming from an automobile accident, which took place on April 27, 2009 in Tarentum, Pennsylvania, in which Minor was a back-seat passenger in her mother’s car.1 Prior to opening statements, Corna admitted she entered an intersection, in which Mother had the right-of-way, colliding with Mother’s car. Corna hit the car in a broadside T-bone collision on the side where Minor was sitting. Minor suffered injuries as a result of the accident, specifically a scar on her elbow. Corna also admitted that her actions were the legal cause of Minor’s injuries. The case proceeded to a jury trial on the issues of damages.

1 Minor was nine-years-old at the time of the accident.

The evidence at trial revealed the following. Minor suffered bruising on her face and cheek, and a laceration on her left elbow. At the emergency room, hospital staff cleaned the cut on her elbow, and sutured the laceration with approximately 10 to 13 stitches. She did not have any broken bones. Minor subsequently went and saw a plastic surgeon, Dr. Joseph Falcon, M.D., who instructed Minor to put lotion and sunscreen on the scar, and massage it. Dr. Falcon did not recommend surgical intervention. 2 Minor also attended physical therapy three times a week for three weeks for stiffness in her arm. She missed school for a week and a half and did not engage in extracurricular activities, including soccer and gymnastics, for a little over a month.

After the close of evidence, the court instructed the jury, in pertinent part, as follows:

It has already been determined that [Corna] was negligent in the operation of her motor vehicle. Also, it has already been determined that the negligence of [Corna] was the legal cause of the Plaintiff’s injuries and harm.

Your function, ladies and gentlemen, as a jury is to determine the nature and extent of the injury and harm suffered by the Plaintiff and assign a dollar value as to damages.

2 Dr. Falcon testified: “So I told them this scar is widening, I wouldn’t do anything surgical, I think to put a 9 year old through an operation to try to get a little bit better improvement of a scar doesn’t make any sense at this point.” Video Deposition of Joseph Falcon, M.D., 3/19/2013, at 17 (video played for jury during trial).

The Plaintiff must prove to you that [Corna’s] conduct caused the Plaintiff damages. This is what is referred to as factual cause. The question is, was [Corna]’s negligent conduct a factual basis in bringing about Plaintiff’s harm?

The conduct is a factual cause of harm when the harm would not have occurred absent the act, and as a factual cause and outcome if in the absence of the act the outcome would not have occurred.

The damages recoverable by the Plaintiff in this case are as follows: pain and suffering, present, past and future embarrassment and humiliation and loss of the pleasures of life and disfigurement.

If you find, ladies and gentlemen, in favor of the Plaintiff, you must add these sums of damages together and return a verdict in a single lump sum.

N.T., 3/25/2013-3/26/2013, at 156-157.

Neither Plaintiff’s nor Corna’s counsel objected to the verdict slip, which read:

QUESTION NO. 1

State the total amount of damages, in one lump sum, sustained by [Minor] as a result of the accident for:

a. Past, present and future pain and suffering;

b. Past, present and future embarrassment and humiliation;

c. Past, present and future loss of enjoyment of life; and d. Disfigurement.

TOTAL DAMAGES $ ________ Verdict Slip, 3/26/2013, at 1.

The jury awarded Plaintiff zero dollars in damages. The following discussion was then held at side bar.

[Corna’s counsel]: Pursuant to the discussion we had in chambers with the verdict being like it is, I submit that what needs to be done is that the jury needs to be charged at least to a limited extent to go back and bring back a verdict because they have to award at least a dollar.

THE COURT: The reason for this, as we discussed in chambers, is because there’s no dispute as to the scarring portion if nothing else. There is obviously no dispute on liability, but there’s no dispute as to the scarring, the mere fact that this scarring was produced by a cut or something, whatever caused it, isn’t [sic]

enough to show some pain and suffering regardless, so you’re --

[Corna’s counsel]: Request.

THE COURT: -- request is we send them back.

[Corna’s counsel]: Yes, sir.

[Plaintiff’s counsel]: Judge, I don’t believe the jury has a verdict. It is an inconsistent verdict. They either chose to ignore your instructions on it and did what they wanted to do, but by sending them back with an inconsistent verdict and recharging –

THE COURT: That means I declare a mistrial.

[Plaintiff’s counsel]: -- is simply going to prejudice the Plaintiff.

They will come back with a dollar because clearly that was their intent, not to follow the instructions, and I believe under the law sending them back can’t cure the verdict once it is complete.

They didn’t have a question about it.

[Corna’s counsel]: I don’t believe there is any case law to support that position. I think they have to go back.

THE COURT: Again, I think that there is no -- I don’t know of any case law, especially in this particular situation where there is a scarring, period.

If this were a pain and suffering, I would go along with it.

I would agree with the position because it can be declared a mere rub of life, I think they called it, but there is a scar. I mean, period.

[Plaintiff’s counsel]: I believe in this case Plaintiff is entitled to a new trial on damages.

N.T., 3/25/2013-3/26/2013, at 165-167. A discussion was held off the record between the parties and court.

The court then recharged the jury as follows:

Ladies and gentlemen, the Court and counsel have made a determination here that the verdict slip as you had filled it out is incomplete. Therefore, we are sending you back upstairs to deliberate further with a new verdict slip.[3]

I remind you at this time part of my charge in this case was as follows: It has already been determined that [Corna]

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