Olson v. Walker

781 P.2d 1015, 162 Ariz. 174, 12 A.L.R. 5th 1020, 37 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 27, 1989 Ariz. App. LEXIS 187
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedJune 27, 1989
Docket1 CA-CV 88-316
StatusPublished
Cited by12 cases

This text of 781 P.2d 1015 (Olson v. Walker) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Arizona primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Olson v. Walker, 781 P.2d 1015, 162 Ariz. 174, 12 A.L.R. 5th 1020, 37 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 27, 1989 Ariz. App. LEXIS 187 (Ark. Ct. App. 1989).

Opinions

OPINION

GRANT, Chief Judge.

. This appeal primarily concerns the award of punitive damages in a personal injury action. A secondary issue concerns the trial court’s refusal to strike certain expert testimony. For the reasons explained below, we affirm.

FACTS

We view the facts most favorably to upholding the jury verdict. Venerias v. Johnson, 127 Ariz. 496, 622 P.2d 55 (App. 1980). Thomas Allen Olson and Jerry H. Walker were involved in a motor vehicle accident at approximately 6:30 p.m. on October 30, 1985. Immediately prior to the accident, Walker spent approximately two hours at a bar with his accountant and one other acquaintance. During that time, the three men played pool and drank at least two pitchers of beer between approximately 4:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. When they left the bar, the accountant drove to a community college where he taught an accounting class. Walker drove east on Bell Road, which has a posted speed limit of 40 miles per hour. A witness testified that Walker was traveling at least 50-55 miles per hour, that he swerved in and out of traffic, that he cut the witness off, and that he lost control of his vehicle.

Meanwhile, Olson was driving his motorcycle to pick up a pizza. He was almost stopped in the left-hand turn lane on Bell Road, waiting for traffic to clear so he could turn left, when Walker’s vehicle rear-ended him. Walker did not immediately stop, but when he did get out of his car, he staggered, smelled strongly of alcohol, and had trouble standing. He had bloodshot eyes and slurred his speech. A witness testified that Walker attempted to leave the scene, but was stopped by two bystanders. Walker was arrested for driving while intoxicated. See A.R.S. § 28-692. As a result, he ultimately paid a fine of $372.50 and had his driver’s license temporarily suspended.

Based upon his blood-alcohol level approximately one hour after the accident, an expert toxicologist testified that Walker’s blood-alcohol level at time of the accident was .155 percent. He also testified that Walker must have consumed ten or more twelve-ounce cans of beer during the one-hour period he was drinking. There was also disputed testimony that Walker took 20 mg. of Valium approximately one-half hour before the accident. The toxicologist testified that the Valium and alcohol would have intensified the effect of each other.

A jury trial resulted in an award of $133,000 compensatory damages and $100,-000 punitive damages to Olson. After the trial court denied his motion for a new trial or, in the alternative, remittitur, Walker brought this appeal.

ISSUES

Walker raises the following issues:

(1) Whether the evidence at trial was insufficient to warrant punitive damages;
(2) Whether the $100,000 punitive damages award is excessive and the result of passion and prejudice;
(3) Whether the punitive damages award is unconstitutional because it violates Walker’s due process rights, is an excessive fine, or constitutes double jeopardy; and
(4) Whether the trial court erred by refusing to instruct the jury to disregard certain testimony regarding arthritic changes in Olson’s lower back.

Additional facts will be added as necessary for the discussion of each issue.

[177]*177I. PUNITIVE DAMAGES AWARD

Walker argues that the evidence at trial was insufficient to warrant a punitive damages instruction. Specifically, he argues that there was no evidence that Walker intended to injure Olson or that he knowingly and consciously disregarded a substantial risk of harm to Olson or others.

Although an award of punitive damages should be upheld if there is any reasonable evidence to support it, an award may be reversed when the punitive damages issue has been submitted to the jury on slight and inconclusive evidence. Filasky v. Preferred Risk Mutual Ins. Co., 152 Ariz. 591, 599, 734 P.2d 76, 84 (1987). To properly analyze Walker’s argument, we must examine the punitive damages standard that has evolved in recent years and then determine whether there was more than slight or inconclusive evidence to warrant an award.

A. Punitive Damages Standard

Punitive damages are awarded primarily to punish the wrongdoer and deter others from similar conduct. Linthicum v. Nationwide Life Ins. Co., 150 Ariz. 326, 330, 723 P.2d 675, 679 (1986). The award of punitive damages is limited to situations where these objectives can be furthered. Gurule v. Illinois Mutual Life and Casualty Co., 152 Ariz. 600, 601, 734 P.2d 85, 86 (1987). Punitive damages are therefore awarded only where the defendant’s wrongful conduct is the result of an “evil mind,” something more than the mere commission of a tort. Linthicum, 150 Ariz. at 330, 723 P.2d at 679. Accordingly, the primary inquiry is based on the wrongdoer’s state of mind or attitude. Id. An evil mind is found where the defendant intended to injure the plaintiff, or where the defendant, not intending to cause injury, “consciously pursued a course of conduct knowing that it created a substantial risk of significant harm to others.” Rawlings v. Apodaca, 151 Ariz. 149, 162, 726 P.2d 565, 578 (1986). An evil mind can be inferred when the defendant’s conduct is so outrageous or egregious that it can be assumed he intended to injure or that he consciously disregarded the substantial risk of harm created by his conduct. Gu-rule, 152 Ariz. at 602, 734 P.2d at 87; Rawlings, 151 Ariz. at 162-63, 726 P.2d at 578-79.

The Arizona Supreme Court first announced the standard described above in insurance bad-faith cases. See Rawlings; Linthicum. The court correspondingly imposed a more stringent standard of proof, thereby allowing the recovery of punitive damages only upon clear and convincing evidence of the defendant’s evil mind. Lin-thicum, 150 Ariz. at 332, 723 P.2d at 681; see also Gurule. These standards have since been applied to other types of cases, including products liability, see Volz v. Coleman Co., 155 Ariz. 567, 748 P.2d 1191 (1987) , and personal injury actions. See Ranburger v. Southern Pacific Transportation Co., 157 Ariz. 551, 760 P.2d 551 (1988) .

Previously, the question of punitive damages against intoxicated drivers was allowed to go to the jury upon a showing of gross or wanton negligence. E.g., Smith v. Chapman, 115 Ariz. 211, 564 P.2d 900 (1977); Rustin v. Cook, 143 Ariz. 486, 694 P.2d 316 (App.1984). The current standard for awarding punitive damages developed by recent case law applies to these types of cases and must be utilized in determining whether punitive damages are recoverable in this case.

B. Sufficiency of the Evidence

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Bluebook (online)
781 P.2d 1015, 162 Ariz. 174, 12 A.L.R. 5th 1020, 37 Ariz. Adv. Rep. 27, 1989 Ariz. App. LEXIS 187, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/olson-v-walker-arizctapp-1989.