Smith-Booth-Usher Co. v. Detroit Copper Mining Co. of Arizona

220 F. 600, 136 C.C.A. 58, 1915 U.S. App. LEXIS 2484
Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit·Decided February 1, 1915·No. No. 2472·Published·Cited by 3 cases

Opinion

GILBERT, Circuit Judge

(after stating the facts as above). At the close of the plaintiff’s testimony, on the motion of the defendant that the jury be instructed to return a verdict in its favor, the court, in an extended instruction to the jury, reviewed and weighed the plaintiff’s evidence, and concluded by saying:

“I have carefully examined the evidence in this case, and I find that it fails to show that the plaintiff has established that said apparatus did meet each and all of the guaranties specified in said agreement, and the defendant’s motion to instruct the jury to return a verdict in its favor will be granted.”

The circumstances under which a court may withdraw a case from the jury are stated by Mr. Justice Harlan, sitting with Judge Lurton [602] and Judge Sage in the Circuit Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, in the leading case of Travelers’ Ins. Co. v. Randolph, 78 Fed. 754, 24 C. C. A. 305, in which he said:

“The rule upon that subject has been defined in recent adjudications. The thought intended to be expressed in them is that the jury should be permitted to return a verdict according to its own view of the facts, unless upon a survey of the whole evidence, and giving effect to every inference to be fairly or reasonably drawn from it, the case is palpably for the party asking a peremptory instruction. A mere scintilla of evidence in favor of one party does not entitle him, of right, to go to the jury. Improvement Co. v. Munson, 14 Wall. 442, 448, [20 L. Ed. 867]. On the other hand, a case cannot properly be withdrawn from the consideration of the jury simply because, in the judgment of the court, there is. a preponderance of evidence in favor of the party asking a peremptory instruction. If the facts are entirely undisputed or uncontra-dicted, or if, upon any issue dependent upon facts, there is no evidence whatever in favor of one party, or, what is the same thing, if the evidence is so slight as to justify the -court in regarding the proof as substantially all one way, then the court may direct a verdict according to its view of the law arising upon such a case. If a verdict is rendered contrary to the evidence, the remedy of the losing party is a motion for a new trial. In disposing of that motion, the court, in the exercise of a sound legal discretion, may interpose and prevent the injustice that may be done by such a verdict. While the court may instruct the jury as to the law arising upon a given or hypothetical state of facts, it is for the jury, if the facts are disputed, or if there is substantial evidence both ways, even if there be a preponderance of evidence one way, to say what facts are established. And this is what was meant by the observation in some cases that the court should not withdraw from the jury a case depending upon the effect or weight of testimony, unless the evidence should be of such conclusive character as to compel the court to set aside a verdict returned in opposition to it. Insurance Co. v. Doster, 106 U. S. 30, 32, 1 Sup. Ct. 18 [27 L. Ed. 65]. The court may be of opinion that, according to the weight of the testimony, a verdict should be returned for the party asking a peremptory instruction. But it may not, for that reason alone, give such an instruction. It may not take the case from the jury, on issues of fact, unless the evidence is so distinctly all one way that a different view of it would shock the judicial mind.”

In Mt. Adams & E. P. Inclined Ry. Co. v. Lowery, 74 Fed. 463, 477, 20 C. C. A. 596, 609, Judge Lurton said:

“We do not think, therefore, that it is a proper test of whether the court should direct a verdict that the court, on weighing the evidence, would, upon motion, grant a new trial. A judge might, under some circumstances, grant one new trial and refuse a second, or grant a second and refuse a third. In passing upon such motions, he is necessarily required to weigh the evidence, that he may determine whether the verdict was one which might reasonably have been reached. But, in passing upon a motion to direct a verdict, his functions are altogether different. In the latter case we think he cannot properly undertake to weigh the evidence. His duty is to take that view of the evidence most favorable to the party against whom it is moved to direct a verdict, and from that evidence, and the inferences reasonably and justifiably to be drawn therefrom, determine whether under the law a verdict might be found for the party having the onus.”

Again, in Rochford v. Pennsylvania Co., 174 Fed. 81, 98 C. C. A. 105, Judge Lurton said:

“A motion for an instructed verdict, upon an insufficiency in law of the evidence, presupposes that the witnesses testifying to the facts adduced to make a case for the party against whom the motion is made are worthy of credit. It is as if the party making the motion had demurred to the evidence, and is equivalent to saying: We concede the truth of the facts which are [603] relied upon to make a case for the plaintiff, or a defense for the defendant; but they are insufficient in law to support a verdict, which must be founded upon such facts.’ ”

The right to a jury trial is guaranteed by the Constitution, and it is not to be denied except in a clear case. The foregoing decisions, and many others that might be cited, have definitely arid distinctly established the rule that if there is any substantial evidence bearing upon the issue, to which the jury might properly give credit, the court is not authorized to instruct the jury to find a verdict in opposition thereto. Tested by these rules and on a careful consideration of the evidence in the case at bar, we are of the opinion that the cause should have been submitted to the jury.

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Smith-Booth-Usher Co. v. Detroit Copper Mining Co. of Arizona, 220 F. 600, 136 C.C.A. 58, 1915 U.S. App. LEXIS 2484 (9th Cir. 1915).

220 F. 600 (Smith-Booth-Usher Co. v. Detroit Copper Mining Co. of Arizona) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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