Shared Medical Systems v. Ashford Presbyterian Community Hospital

212 F.R.D. 50
CourtDistrict Court, D. Puerto Rico
DecidedDecember 2, 2002
DocketCivil No. 97-2175 (JAG)
StatusPublished
Cited by4 cases

This text of 212 F.R.D. 50 (Shared Medical Systems v. Ashford Presbyterian Community Hospital) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, D. Puerto Rico primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Shared Medical Systems v. Ashford Presbyterian Community Hospital, 212 F.R.D. 50 (prd 2002).

Opinion

OPINION AND ORDER

GARCIA-GREGORY, District Judge.

On August 4, 1997, plaintiff Shared Medical Systems Corp. (“SMS”) brought suit against Ashford Presbyterian Community Hospital (the “Hospital”) for collection of money and breach of contract under Puerto Rico law (Docket No. I).1 On September 11, 2002, a jury returned a verdict for plaintiff in the amount of $575,000.00 (Docket No. 157), and the Court entered judgment for plaintiff (Docket No. 159). Pending before the Court are the Hospital’s post-verdict motions for judgment as a matter of law pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 50 (Docket No. 162), or, in the alternative, for a new trial pursuant to Fed. R.Civ.P. 59 (Docket No. 163); SMS’s bill of costs seeking the taxation upon the Hospital of $128,487.00 as costs (Docket No. 161); and SMS’s motion for attorney’s fees, as well as pre-judgment interest, pursuant to Rules 44.1(d) and 44.3(b) of the Puerto Rico Rules of Civil Procedure (“P.R.R.Civ.P.”), 32 P.R. Laws Ann. Ap. Ill, R. 44.1(d) and 44.3(b) (Docket No. 186). For the reasons discussed below, the Court denies the Hospital’s post-verdict motions and SMS’s motion for attorney’s fees and pre-judgment interest. Furthermore, the Court modifies and grants SMS’s bill of costs in the amount of $5,414.30.

DISCUSSION

A. The Hospital’s PostAVerdict Motions

1. Motion for Judgment as a Matter of Law under Rule 50

Rule 50 allows a party during a jury trial to move the Court for entry of judgment as a matter of law if the opposing party “has been fully heard on an issue and there is no legally sufficient evidentiary basis for a reasonable jury to find for that party on that issue____” Fed.R.Civ.P. 50(a)(1). If for any reason the Court denies the motion, “[t]he movant may renew its request for judgment as a matter of law by filing a motion no later than 10 days after entry of judgment----” Fed.R.Civ.P. 50(b). “[T]he party renewing a motion for judgement as a matter of law pursuant to Rule 50(b) ‘is required to have moved for judgment as a matter of law at the close of all evidence.’ ” Taber Partners I v. Insurance Co. of North America, Inc., 917 F.Supp. 112, 115 (D.P.R.1996) (quoting Keis-ling v. SER-Jobs for Progress, Inc., 19 F.3d 755, 758 (1st Cir.1994)).

“A motion for judgment as a matter of law, like a motion for summary judgment, questions whether a reasonable jury could reach only one result based upon the evidence.” Id. (citing Anderson v. Liberty Lobby, Inc., 477 U.S. 242, 251, 106 S.Ct. 2505, 91 L.Ed.2d 202 (1986)). Pursuant to Fed.R.Civ.P. 50, the Hospital’s “motion for judgment cannot be granted unless, as matter of law, [SMS] failed to make a case and, therefore, a verdict in movant’s favor should have been directed.” Montgomery Ward & Co. v. Duncan, 311 U.S. 243, 251, 61 S.Ct. 189, 85 L.Ed. 147 (1940).

In support of its motion, the Hospital raises four main arguments: (1) that issues that had been decided at previous stages were reopened and revisited at trial; (2) that the jury’s verdict is contrary to the good-faith principles that permeate our entire legal system; (3) that, notwithstanding the doctrine of judicial estoppel, SMS brought conflicting [53]*53causes of action; and (4) that the Court’s denial of the Hospital’s motion in limine permitted the jury to hear confusing testimony regarding SMS’s damages.

Upon review of the Hospital’s motion, however, the Court finds that its arguments lack merit and finds no reason to upset the jury’s verdict. The controversy in this case arose out of different interpretations of what was said or left unsaid at a meeting between the parties on July 15, 1994; namely, whether the 1993 agreement between SMS and the Hospital had been cancelled or merely postponed. The outcome depended heavily upon the credibility of each party’s witnesses. In this case, the jury chose to believe SMS’s witnesses over the Hospital’s, thus rendering a verdict in their favor. Therefore, the motion must be denied and the jury’s verdict allowed to stand.

2. Motion for New Trial under Rule 59

Rule 59 allows the Court to order a new trial, upon a party’s or its own motion, “for any of the reasons for which new trials have heretofore been granted.” Fed.R.Civ.P. 59(a); See also Taber Partners I, 917 F.Supp. at 116.

The motion for a new trial may invoke the discretion of the court in so far as it is bottomed on the claim that the verdict is against the weight of the evidence, that the damages are excessive, or that, for other reasons, the trial was not fair to the party moving; and may raise questions of law arising out of alleged substantial errors in admission or rejection of evidence or instructions to the jury. Montgomery Ward & Co., 311 U.S. at 251, 61 S.Ct. 189.

The Court may grant a new trial although it has denied entry of judgment as a matter of law under Fed.R.Civ.P. 50, China Resource Products (U.S.A) Ltd. v. Fayda Intern., Inc., 856 F.Supp. 856, 862 (D.Del.1994), or even when substantial evidence supports the jury’s verdict, Lama v. Borras, 16 F.3d 473, 477 (1st Cir.1994). A new trial, however, “should only be granted where a ‘miscarriage of justice would result if the verdict were to stand,’ the verdict ‘cries out to be overturned,’ or where the verdict ‘shocks our conscience.’ ” Smith v. Delaware Bay Launch Service, Inc., 842 F.Supp. 770, 778 (D.Del.1994) (quoting Cudone v. Gehret, 828 F.Supp. 267, 269 (D.Del.1993)).

The Hospital argues that there is uncon-troverted testimony which would lead a reasonable juror to find in its favor. The Court disagrees. As stated above, this ease turns on a factual dispute regarding whether the contract between the parties had been can-celled or merely postponed,' and the jury resolved this question in SMS’s favor. The Hospital’s only new argument is that SMS did not live up to its obligations under the contract.2 If the contract had been postponed until the Hospital found itself in a better financial situation such that their relationship was governed by the terms of the 1988 agreement, then SMS had no reason to install the software or hardware. Both parties presented testimony in support of their contention and the jury chose to believe SMS’s position that the contract had been merely postponed.

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Cite This Page — Counsel Stack

Bluebook (online)
212 F.R.D. 50, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/shared-medical-systems-v-ashford-presbyterian-community-hospital-prd-2002.