Motorola Inc. v. J.B. Rogers Mechanical Contractors, Inc.

177 F. App'x 754
Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit·Decided April 27, 2006·No. Nos. 04-16408, 05-15110·Published

Opinion

MEMORANDUM **

Defendant-Appellant J.B. Rogers Mechanical Contractors, Inc. (“JBR”) appeals the district court’s denial of its Motion for New Trial, its Motion for Relief from [756] Judgment, and the award of attorneys’ fees in favor of Plaintiff-Appellee Motorola, Inc. We affirm.

STANDARD OF REVIEW

The district court’s determination of whether a jury’s verdict is irreconcilably inconsistent with its answers to special interrogatories is reviewed de novo. Wilks v. Reyes, 5 F.3d 412, 415 (9th Cir.1993). All other trial and post-trial error alleged by JBR is reviewed for abuse of discretion. See Pierce Packing Co. v. John Morrell & Co., 633 F.2d 1362, 1364 (9th Cir.1980) (admissibility of evidence); Jones v. Williams, 297 F.3d 930, 934 (9th Cir.2002) (rejection of a proposed jury instruction); Landes Constr. Co. v. Royal Bank of Can., 833 F.2d 1365, 1372 (9th Cir.1987) (new trial because the verdict is against the clear weight of the evidence); De Saracho v. Custom Food Mach., Inc., 206 F.3d 874, 881 (9th Cir.2000) (newly-discovered evidence); Vess v. Ciba-Geigy Corp. USA 317 F.3d 1097, 1102 (9th Cir.2003) (fee award pursuant to state law).

ANALYSIS

1. Reconciling the Jury’s Verdict

JBR argues that a new trial is required because the jury’s special verdict was irreconcilably inconsistent. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 51 requires that objections to jury instructions must be made “before the jury is instructed and before final jury arguments.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 51(c)(2)(A). “Rule 51 includes objections to the form of the verdict as well as to any instructions about the use by the jury of the form.” Ayuyu v. Tagabuel, 284 F.3d 1023, 1026 (9th Cir.2002). To the extent that alleged errors “are not claims about the way the jury answered the form’s interrogatories, [but] are allegations that errors were built into the form itself,” they are waived if no objection is raised “until after the jury had rendered its verdict and [is] discharged.” Yeti by Molly, Ltd. v. Deckers Outdoor Corp., 259 F.3d 1101, 1109 (9th Cir.2001).

JBR did not object to the form of verdict; indeed, JBR’s counsel participated in its drafting. JBR has waived objections to the form of verdict and, consequently, to any resulting errors that were built into the form itself.

A court “must attempt to reconcile the jury’s findings, by exegesis if necessary,” before ordering a new trial, since “it is the duty of the courts to attempt to harmonize the answers, if it is possible under a fair reading of them.” Gallick v. Balt. & Ohio R.R. Co., 372 U.S. 108, 119, 83 S.Ct. 659, 9 L.Ed.2d 618 (1963).

To the extent that the jury’s verdict was inconsistent or ambiguous, the district court properly reconciled its findings and reduced them to a judgment. It is a fair reading of the verdict form to hold that the jury found the damages due to breach of contract to be $2,071,658 and found the damages due to negligence to be the same $2,071,658 reduced by the amount of contributory negligence. This reading is fair because sufficient evidence to allow such a verdict was presented, and the verdict reflects no contrary intent. The district court’s judgment constitutes a permissible reconciliation of the jury’s verdict.

2. Admission of Gerry McCusker’s Opinion Testimony

JBR argues that the district court abused its discretion in admitting Gerry McCusker’s testimony regarding accepted plumbing practices. “By failing to object to evidence at trial and request a ruling on such an objection, a party waives the right to raise admissibility issues on appeal.” Marbled Murrelet v. Babbitt, 83 F.3d 1060, 1066 (9th Cir.1996). “[A] party fails to preserve an evidentiary issue for appeal not only by failing to make a specific objection, but also by making the wrong spe[757] cific objection.” United States v. Gomez-Norena, 908 F.2d 497, 500 (9th Cir.1990) (citations omitted).

A review of the record shows that JBR waived its objection. When McCusker began describing the overall plan of the Motorola plant, including a detailed description of its cooling system, JBR’s counsel objected, stating that McCusker’s testimony was outside the scope of “claims and damages,” the subject matter disclosed in Motorola’s Rule 26(a)(1) disclosure. He stated that if he had known McCusker would be testifying about the size, complexity, and operation of the Motorola plant, he would have deposed McCusker. The court overruled JBR’s objection.

Later in his testimony, McCusker was asked for his opinion several times. JBR did not object, but now complains that the district court should have excluded McCusker’s opinions because they were not proper lay witness opinion testimony, and McCusker was not disclosed as an expert. JBR failed to object at trial; any objection to the admissibility of McCusker’s opinion testimony on the ground that it is undisclosed expert testimony or that it exceeds the permissible scope of lay-witness opinion testimony is waived.

3. Assumption of the Risk

JBR argues that the district court abused its discretion in failing to instruct the jury on assumption of the risk. In Arizona, “[t]he elements of assumption of the risk are (1) a risk of harm to the plaintiff caused by a condition of the defendant’s property, (2) plaintiffs actual knowledge of the risk and appreciation of its magnitude, and (3) plaintiffs voluntary choice to accept the risk given the circumstances.” Gonzales v. Arizona Pub. Serv. Co., 161 Ariz. 84, 89, 775 P.2d 1148, 1153 (Ariz.Ct.App.1989). A plaintiff “impliedly assumes the risk when he is aware of a risk already created by the negligence of the defendant and proceeds to encounter it as where he has been supplied with a chattel which he knows to be unsafe, and proceeds to use it after he has discovered the danger.” Hildebrand v. Minyard, 16 Ariz.App. 583, 494 P.2d 1328, 1331 (1972).

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Motorola Inc. v. J.B. Rogers Mechanical Contractors, Inc., 177 F. App'x 754 (9th Cir. 2006).

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Related

Gallick v. Baltimore & Ohio Railroad
372 U.S. 108 (Supreme Court, 1963)
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908 F.2d 497 (Ninth Circuit, 1990)
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5 F.3d 412 (Ninth Circuit, 1993)
Marbled Murrelet v. Babbitt
83 F.3d 1060 (Ninth Circuit, 1996)
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Vess v. Ciba-Geigy Corp. USA
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Hildebrand v. Minyard
494 P.2d 1328 (Court of Appeals of Arizona, 1972)
Gonzales v. Arizona Public Service Co.
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Yeti by Molly Ltd. v. Deckers Outdoor Corp.
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Jones v. Williams
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