Monroig v. RMM Records & Video Corp.

196 F.R.D. 214, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13486, 2000 WL 1336336
District Court, D. Puerto Rico·Decided September 7, 2000·No. No. CIV. 97-2764 SEC JA·Published·Cited by 1 cases

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

ARENAS, United States Magistrate Judge.

On June 19, 2000, the defendants RMM and Ralph Mercado filed both an original motion for a new trial pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 59(a) and an amended motion for new trial, based on three arguments. (Docket Nos. 77 and 78, respectively.) The defendants allege (1) that the district court committed reversible error in denying defendants’ motion for a mistrial without conducting an investigation regarding jurors’ comments; (2) that the court committed reversible error by permitting the plaintiff to perform the song “Yo Soy” to the members of the jury; and (3) that the jury’s verdict is “grossly excessive” and “shocking to the conscience” of the court, and that upholding it would constitute a miscarriage of justice. (Defendants’ Amended Motion for a New Trial, Docket No. 78, at 1.)

I. Standard for Motions Pursuant to Rule 59(a)

Pursuant to Rule 59(a)1 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, a jury’s verdict on the facts should only be overturned under the most compelling of circumstances. Velazquez v. Figueroa-Gomez, 996 F.2d 425, 427 (1st Cir.), cert, denied, 510 U.S. 993, 114 S.Ct. 553, 126 L.Ed.2d 454 (1993); Wells Real Estate, Inc. v. Greater Lowell Bd. of Realtors, 850 F.2d 803, 811 (1st Cir.), cert, denied, 488 U.S. 955, 109 S.Ct. 392, 102 L.Ed.2d 381 (1988). A trial judge may not upset a jury’s verdict by granting a new trial merely because he or she might have decided the case differently. See Velazquez v. Figueroa-Gomez, 996 F.2d at 428. A new trial should only be granted if the court believes that “the outcome is against the clear weight of the evidence such that upholding it will result in a miscarriage of justice,” and this decision lies strictly within the discretion of the court. Allied Chem. Corp. v. Daiflon, Inc., 449 U.S. 33, 36, 101 S.Ct. 188, 66 L.Ed.2d 193 (1980); Velazquez v. Figueroa-Gomez, 996 F.2d at 428.

With this in mind, I consider the issues raised by the defense.

II. Did the district court err in denying defendants’ motion for a mistrial based on jurors’ comments?

A trial judge has both a great responsibility and a wide discretion to give meaning to the guarantee of an impartial jury panel. United States v. Hendrix, 549 F.2d 1225, 1227 (9th Cir.), cert, denied, 434 U.S. 818, 98 S.Ct. 58, 54 L.Ed.2d 74 (1977). A district court has broad, though not unlimited, discretion to determine the extent and nature of its inquiry into the allegations of juror bias. United States v. Corbin, 590 F.2d 398, 400 (1st Cir.1979); United States v. Doe, 513 F.2d 709, 712 (1st Cir.1975).

In determining whether a jury has been biased or tainted, the trial court has discretion to fashion any appropriate procedure to determine whether the misconduct has actually occurred and whether it was prejudicial. United States v. Ortiz-Arrigoitia, 996 F.2d 436, 443 (1st Cir.1993), cert, denied, 511 U.S. 1003, 114 S.Ct. 1368, 128 L.Ed.2d 45 (1994). It is within the trial court’s discretion whether to and when to hold an evidentiary hearing, either strictly structured or otherwise, on allegations of juror misconduct or bias. United States v. Boylan, 898 F.2d 230, 258-59 (1st Cir.), cert, denied, 498 U.S. 849, 111 S.Ct. 139, 112 L.Ed.2d 106 (1990); United States v. Hendrix, 549 F.2d at 1227. Its primary obli[217]*217gation is not to conduct such a hearing, but rather to fashion a responsible procedure for ascertaining whether misconduct actually occurred, and if so, whether it was prejudicial. United States v. Boylan, 898 F.2d at 258. The court is neither shackled to a rigid set of rules and procedures that compel any particular form or scope of inquiry, nor does due process require a new trial every time it is alleged that a juror has been placed in a compromising situation. Smith v. Phillips, 455 U.S. 209, 217, 102 S.Ct. 940, 71 L.Ed.2d 78 (1982); United States v. Ortiz-Arrigoitia, 996 F.2d at 443. The scope of such an inquiry should be limited to what is absolutely necessary. See United States v. Boylan, 898 F.2d at 258.

As a matter of common sense, a trial judge making this type of decisions will necessarily be directed by the content of the allegations. United States v. Hendrix, 549 F.2d at 1227-28.

On Thursday, May 25, 2000, the parties learned through a note from the jury that one of the jurors had to be excused because he had contracted conjunctivitis. (Defendants’ Motion Requesting New Trial, Docket No. 78, at 2.) At this point the alternate jurors had already been dismissed. Id. After the court gave the parties the option of briefly halting the jury deliberations until the juror could come back or to continue the deliberations with only seven jurors, both parties agreed to continue with the remaining seven jurors and the jury was excused for deliberations. Id. The jury deliberated on Thursday until the close of the working day. Id. The next day, Friday, May 26,2000, the jury forewoman, contacted the court stating that the jury would like to have the excused juror reincorporated as a member of the jury. Id. The plaintiffs, as well as the defendants, informed the court that they would have no objection to the jury’s request. Id. at 3, 4.

During the reinstatement proceedings, and after all jurors had agreed to the reentry of the excused juror, certain members of the jury stated that “the excused juror’s medical condition was an allergic condition and that the same would not [represent] a risk to the health of the other jurors.” Id. at 4. At the time, defendants’ counsel did not object. The entire set of jury instructions was then re-read.

Defendants’ counsel later requested the court to approach the bench and raised his concern regarding the abovementioned jurors’ comment, alleging that it was evident that there had been communication between the jury and the excused juror regarding his medical condition. Id. at 5. The defendants also stated that they “had no choice but to move for a mistrial,” and that, upon their mention of this matter, the plaintiffs’ counsel “reacted abruptly.” Id. The court informed the defendants that it “did not see how those statements would affect in any way defendants’ substantive rights.” Id.

When a non-frivolous, colorable claim is made that a jury may be biased or tainted, the district court must determine the type of investigation, if any, which must be mounted to determine (1) whether an alleged incident occurred and, if so, (2) whether it was prejudicial. United States v.

Free access — add to your briefcase to read the full text and ask questions with AI

Monroig v. RMM Records & Video Corp., 196 F.R.D. 214, 2000 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 13486, 2000 WL 1336336 (prd 2000).

196 F.R.D. 214 (Monroig v. RMM Records & Video Corp.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

Related

Torres v. KMart Corp.
233 F. Supp. 2d 273 (D. Puerto Rico, 2002)