STATE OF LOUISIANA COURT OF APPEAL, THIRD CIRCUIT
05-0143
STEPHEN P. BASCO
VERSUS
LIBERTY MUTUAL INSURANCE COMPANY, ET AL.
************
APPEAL FROM THE NINTH JUDICIAL DISTRICT COURT, PARISH OF RAPIDES, NO. 209,398, HONORABLE F. RAE SWENT, DISTRICT JUDGE
JIMMIE C. PETERS JUDGE
Court composed of Jimmie C. Peters, Michael G. Sullivan, and Elizabeth A. Pickett, Judges.
AFFIRMED IN PART, REVERSED IN PART, AND RENDERED.
George A. Flournoy Flournoy & Doggett Post Office Box 1270 Alexandria, LA 71309 (318) 487-9858 COUNSEL FOR PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT: Stephen P. Basco
Michael H. Rubin Juston M. O’Brien McGlinchey Stafford, PLLC 14th Floor, One American Place Baton Rouge, LA 70825 (225) 383-9000 COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANTS/APPELLEES: Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., et al.
Edward E. Rundell Michael J. O’Shee Gold, Weems, Bruser, Sues & Rundell Post Office Box 6118 Alexandria, LA 71307-6118 (318) 445-6471 COUNSEL FOR DEFENDANTS/APPELLEES: Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., et al. PETERS, J.
This litigation arises from a two-vehicle accident which occurred on Interstate
10 (I-10) in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on September 24, 2001. The driver of one of
the vehicles, Stephen P. Basco,1 brought a suit for damages against Alma Hutson, the
driver of the other vehicle; Express Courier Services, Inc., Ms. Hutson’s employer;
and New Hampshire Insurance Company, the employer’s liability insurer.
At the jury trial on the merits, Ms. Hutson’s fault in causing the accident was
not at issue. Instead, the jury was required only to determine whether Mr. Basco
sustained injuries in the accident and, if so, the amount of damages he should be
awarded for those injuries. The jury answered the injury interrogatory in the
affirmative and awarded Mr. Basco general and special damages in certain categories
while denying him recovery in others. The trial court rendered a judgment
incorporating the jury’s verdict.
In appealing the judgment below, Mr. Basco does not dispute the sufficiency
of the amounts actually awarded. Instead, he asserts that the jury’s verdict is so
internally inconsistent that it constitutes an abuse of discretion and that he should be
awarded damages for those categories the jury rejected. For the following reasons,
we find merit in Mr. Basco’s appeal. Accordingly, we reverse the jury’s rejection of
his claim for damages for future loss of enjoyment of life, future medical expenses,
future loss of earnings, and future loss of fringe benefits, and we render judgment
awarding damages for each of those categories.
DISCUSSION OF THE RECORD
Mr. Basco was employed as a relay truck driver for Interstate Brands
Corporation (hereinafter referred to as Holsum Bakery), operating out of its facility
1 The original suit included a claim by Barbara Basco, Stephen P. Basco’s wife, and included other defendants. However, the only parties before us in this appeal are those listed herein. in Alexandria, Louisiana. On Monday, September 24, 2001, having completed a
delivery to Baton Rouge while on his daily route for Holsum Bakery, Mr. Basco was
traveling west on I-10 to reload in Lafayette. Ms. Hutson was also traveling west on
I-10. As Mr. Basco’s eighteen wheeler and Ms. Hutson’s Mitsubishi automobile were
traveling side by side, Ms. Hutson allowed her automobile to drift into Mr. Basco’s
lane of travel, resulting in an impact in which the hood of her automobile became
trapped under Mr. Basco’s trailer. When Mr. Basco realized what was happening, he
immediately engaged both his hand and foot brakes to effect an emergency stop. Mr.
Basco testified that, as he engaged the braking system, his trailer bounced on the
highway, dislodging the Hutson vehicle, and jerked him around inside the cab.
Initially, Mr. Basco believed that he had suffered no physical injuries in the
accident, although he was decidedly upset from the experience. However, according
to Mr. Basco, as he proceeded on to Lafayette following the accident, his neck began
to hurt and his arms began to burn. When Mr. Basco returned to Alexandria that
same evening, his employer required him to immediately see Dr. Brian Jobe, an
Alexandria occupational medicine physician, in connection with his complaints. Dr.
Jobe concluded that Mr. Basco had sustained a cervical strain in the accident,
prescribed medication, and restricted Mr. Basco to sedentary work.
Mr. Basco returned to limited duty on Wednesday and completed the work
week, but in severe pain. Having continued to experience severe pain, Mr. Basco
presented himself to the emergency room at Christus St. Frances Cabrini Hospital in
Alexandria on Saturday. According to Mr. Basco, the emergency room physician
released him, advising him to refrain from working for a few days.
2 Nevertheless, Dr. Jobe released Mr. Basco to return to full duty approximately
two weeks after the accident. Mr. Basco continued to work until mid-December of
2001, at which time his employer placed him on light duty because he informed his
supervisor that he could no longer lift his left arm and could not fully perform his
employment duties.
On December 17, 2001, Mr. Basco saw Dr. Riad Hajmurad, an Alexandria
neurologist, with complaints of severe pain in his neck and upper extremities. Mr.
Basco had come under the care of Dr. Hajmurad over two years before the September
24, 2001 accident in connection with numbness and tingling in his upper extremities.
Diagnostic testing performed prior to the accident revealed a herniated cervical disc
at C5-6, but with no radiculopathy. In fact, diagnostic testing performed just under
four months prior to the accident revealed no changes from previous testing that
might suggest a worsening of Mr. Basco’s condition. However, diagnostic testing
performed after the accident revealed the presence of radiculopathy. Further, prior
to the accident, Dr. Hajmurad had treated Mr. Basco conservatively with medication,
having determined that Mr. Basco was not a candidate for surgery. However, by May
of 2002, Dr. Hajmurad was of the opinion that Mr. Basco’s condition required
surgery. Dr. Hajmurad was also of the opinion that the September 24, 2001 accident
had worsened Mr. Basco’s preexisting condition.
In the meantime, two orthopedists evaluated Mr. Basco in February of 2002.
Specifically, Dr. Gordon Gidman, a Lafayette orthopedist, saw Mr. Basco at the
request of Holsum Bakery for the purpose of providing the employer with a second
opinion concerning what effect that the accident might have had, if any, on Mr.
Basco’s preexisting herniated disc. After examining Mr. Basco and evaluating Dr.
3 Hajmurad’s test results, Dr. Gidman likewise concluded that Mr. Basco’s complaints
of neck and left arm and hand pain, tingling, and burning had been exacerbated by the
September 24, 2001 accident. Further, Dr. Clark Gunderson, a Lake Charles
orthopedic surgeon, evaluated Mr. Basco and agreed with Dr. Hajmurad’s medical
findings as well as his conclusions that Mr. Basco’s preexisting cervical condition
had been exacerbated by the accident and that this exacerbation had resulted in the
need for surgical intervention.
Accordingly, Dr. Gunderson performed an anterior cervical discectomy and
fusion on Mr. Basco in July of 2002. Dr. Gunderson followed Mr. Basco’s post-
operative recovery, and, when he last saw the patient on June 20, 2003, Mr. Basco
was still having neck, shoulder, and arm pain. At that time, Dr. Gunderson was of the
opinion that Mr. Basco had reached maximum medical improvement, that further
surgery was not an option, and that Mr. Basco’s decreased range of motion and
weakness in his left arm and hand resulted in a permanent impairment of ten to fifteen
percent. Dr. Gunderson determined that Mr. Basco’s disability precluded him from
performing any overhead work, lifting anything over forty pounds, and returning to
any type of employment involving driving a truck.
Thereafter, Mr. Basco began treating with Dr. Robert K. Rush, an Alexandria
occupational medicine physician. In his initial examination of Mr. Basco in October
of 2003, Dr. Rush confirmed the findings of the other physicians. He continued to
treat Mr. Basco, having seen him as late as one week prior to trial. At that time, Mr.
Basco still had neck and upper extremity complaints as well as headaches. Dr. Rush
was also of the opinion that Mr. Basco had reached maximum medical improvement
and that he would be limited to light-duty work for the remainder of his life.
4 Additionally, the lay testimony and Mr. Basco’s work history illustrate and
support the disability and causation findings of these physicians. Mr. Basco and his
wife testified that his postaccident pain and discomfort was significantly worse than
his pre-accident condition. Also, Mr. Basco, his wife, and his brothers testified that
Mr. Basco had enjoyed squirrel and deer hunting and fishing prior to the accident and
that after the accident his participation in these activities had been greatly reduced.
Mr. Basco altogether ceased participating in other activities he had previously
enjoyed, such as dancing and volunteering with the fire department. Moreover, Mr.
Basco had been employed with Holsum Bakery for nineteen years at the time of the
accident, and there is no evidence that he had any problems performing his duties
prior to the accident. In fact, Mr. Basco’s shipping supervisor at Holsum Bakery,
who was not even aware that Mr. Basco had a preexisting condition, testified that
prior to the accident Mr. Basco exhibited no physical impairment that kept him from
performing his duties and that Mr. Basco even volunteered to help others at the
loading dock when the need arose. Mr. Basco’s shipping supervisor noticed a marked
difference following the accident, as Mr. Basco would hold his arm and neck and
carry his arm “like as if he had it in a sling without a sling.” Additionally, following
the accident and Mr. Basco’s relegation to light-duty work, Holsum Bakery
terminated his employment on April 12, 2002, because it had no light-duty work
available. Currently, Mr. Basco’s neck and arm continue to hurt on a daily basis, he
cannot move his neck or lift his arm, and he has to hold his arm in a certain position
to relieve some of the pain.
Nevertheless, contrary to the findings of the physicians who actually treated
Mr. Basco and contrary to the lay testimony and history presented, Dr. Donald Smith,
5 a Shreveport neurosurgeon, found no evidence of any measurable injury to Mr. Basco
as a result of the accident. Dr. Smith, who examined Mr. Basco at the request of the
defendants for the purpose of this litigation, also found no anatomical basis for the
left extremity sensory losses Mr. Basco exhibited in the physical examination.
However, Dr. Smith acknowledged that he did not fully review the medical records
provided to him and conceded that he had previously expressed the opinion that the
September 24, 2001 accident had worsened or aggravated Mr. Basco’s preexisting
condition. He also conceded that Dr. Hajmurad, having treated Mr. Basco both
before and after the accident, would have been in a better position to have determined
the effect of the accident on Mr. Basco’s condition. Interestingly, Dr. Smith offered
no medical basis for disagreeing with the opinions of Dr. Hajmurad, Dr. Gidman, and
Dr. Gunderson concerning the worsening of Mr. Basco’s condition. Despite his
opinion regarding causation, Dr. Smith was nevertheless of the opinion that Mr.
Basco had sustained a permanent physical impairment of twenty-five percent in
connection with his surgery.
The defendants also presented the testimony of Timothy Harrigan, an expert
in biokinesiology, mechanical engineering, and biomechanics, in an effort to
demonstrate that the accident was a minor one that could not have caused Mr. Basco’s
injuries. Also contrary to the findings of the physicians who actually treated Mr.
Basco and the lay testimony and history presented, Mr. Harrigan concluded that the
forces exerted on Mr. Basco during the accident could not have caused Mr. Basco’s
injuries, as the forces were significantly less severe than those exerted by a cough, by
a sneeze, or by simply plopping in a chair. However, Mr. Harrigan did concede that,
6 if Dr. Jobe had found that Mr. Basco had a neck strain and soreness within hours of
the accident then the accident probably caused those conditions.
Following the presentation of the evidence, the jury answered the injury
interrogatory in the affirmative and the quantum interrogatory in the following
manner:
2. What amount do you find will compensate the plaintiff, Stephen P. Basco, for any injury or loss he sustained as a result of the incident in question?
(A) Physical and mental pain and suffering
(1) Past $ 10,000 (2) Future $ 140,000
(B) Loss of enjoyment of life
(1) Past $ 4,000 (2) Future $ 0
(C) Medical expenses
(1) Past $ 36,897 (2) Future $ 0
(D) Loss of earnings
(1) Past $ 57,060 (2) Future $ 0
(E) Loss of fringe benefits
(1) Past $ 7,170 (2) Future $ 0
The trial court rendered a judgment incorporating the jury verdict. Mr. Basco
has appealed that judgment only to the extent of challenging the jury’s failure to make
awards for all but one of the categories for future damages. The defendants have
neither appealed nor answered the appeal.
7 OPINION
Review of a jury verdict is often made more difficult because, unlike a bench
trial,2 the evidentiary record contains nothing to establish the exact factual findings
by the jury or the reasoning behind an apparent factual finding or award. However,
in the matter before us, the overall factual conclusions of the jury are made clear by
the awards rendered.
It is clear from the jury’s verdict that the jury found that the September 24,
2001 accident aggravated or worsened Mr. Basco’s preexisting condition, rejecting
the conclusions of the defendants’ expert witnesses to the contrary. Thus, causation
of Mr. Basco’s current condition is not at issue. It is also clear that the jury found that
the injuries Mr. Basco sustained in the accident resulted in pretrial pain and suffering
and loss of enjoyment of life, necessitated pretrial medical expenses, and resulted in
pretrial loss of earnings and fringe benefits. What is not clear from the jury verdict
is its reasoning regarding future damages. Had the jury awarded no amounts for
future damages, then we could have concluded that the jury found that Mr. Basco’s
pain, suffering, impairment, and economic losses were minimal and temporary and
did not extend past the date of trial. However, the jury’s generous award for future
pain and suffering, juxtaposed with its relatively insignificant award for past pain and
suffering, indicates that it concluded that Mr. Basco’s pain and suffering is currently
more severe than before trial or will extend for a significant period of time into the
future or both. That being the case, in light of the uncontradicted evidence regarding
Mr. Basco’s disability and economic losses, the only possible issue with which the
jury could have reasonably grappled was the extent of Mr. Basco’s future losses, not
2 Even without formal reasons for judgment, the record of a bench trial ordinarily contains comments or rulings from the bench suggesting the trial court’s findings on points at issue.
8 whether he sustained any future losses, in the categories it denied. It is from this
posture that we begin our analysis.
Future Loss of Enjoyment of Life
Loss of enjoyment of life is a component of general damages. Thibeaux v.
Trotter, 04-482 (La.App. 3 Cir. 9/29/04), 883 So.2d 1128, writ denied, 04-2692 (La.
2/18/05), 896 So.2d 31. It is well settled that, in reviewing an award of general
damages, the role of an appellate court is to review the exercise of discretion by the
trier of fact. Coco v. Winston Indus., Inc., 341 So.2d 332 (La.1976). Importantly, on
review, an appellate court should rarely disturb an award of general damages because
“the discretion vested in the trier of fact is ‘great,’ and even vast.” Youn v. Maritime
Overseas Corp., 623 So.2d 1257, 1261 (La.1993), cert. denied, 510 U.S. 1114, 114
S.Ct. 1059 (1994). It is only when the trier of fact has abused its much discretion that
the appellate court may disturb the award, but then only to the extent of lowering it
to the highest point or raising it to the lowest point which was reasonably within the
discretion of the trier of fact. Id. However, this principle of appellate review applies
only when a litigant “questions the adequacy of a monetary award in a case which is
otherwise uncomplicated by factual errors relating to the cause or duration of the
plaintiff’s disability.” Mart v. Hill, 505 So.2d 1120, 1128 (La.1987). More
specifically, the principles stated in Coco and reiterated in Youn “are not applicable
when a res nova review of quantum must be made to compensate a plaintiff for
damages which the trial court did not believe were causally related to the accident.”
Id. In the instant case, Mr. Basco is not questioning the adequacy of a monetary
award for future loss of enjoyment of life; instead, he is questioning the jury’s failure
9 to make any award for that item of damages. Thus, should we find error, we are not
bound by the highest/lowest constraints in recognition of the jury’s discretion.
We also recognize that, as pointed out in Wainwright v. Fontenot, 00-492 (La.
10/17/00), 774 So.2d 70, an award in one category of damages does not automatically
require an award in others. In that case, a jury awarded the plaintiffs medical
expenses they incurred but failed to award general damages. The supreme court
refused to hold that, as a matter of law, such a verdict must always be erroneous.
Rather, the supreme court stated that “it would be inconsistent with the great
deference afforded the factfinder by this court and our jurisprudence to state that, as
a matter of law, such a verdict must always be erroneous.” Id. at 76. Instead, the
reviewing court “must ask whether the jury’s determination that plaintiff is entitled
to certain medical expenses but not to general damages is so inconsistent as to
constitute an abuse of discretion.” Id. If the reviewing court reaches that conclusion,
it must then “conduct a de novo review of the record.” Id.3
In the instant case, although not involving the failure to award special but not
general damages, the jury has rendered a verdict that is so internally inconsistent that
it cannot be reconciled. Specifically, in making a generous award for future pain and
suffering while at the same time making a blanket denial of awards in every other
category for future loss, the jury abused its discretion.
3 We note that the supreme court in Wainwright equates the failure to award any damages in that case as a question of abuse of discretion. However, it is clear from the decision that the underlying analysis requires an evaluation of the jury’s findings of fact under a manifest error or clearly wrong standard. If the factual findings are manifestly erroneous or clearly wrong, such that the plaintiff is entitled to an award for a particular category of damages, and the jury fails to make such an award, the reviewing court is to perform a de novo review as contemplated by Mart, 505 So.2d 1120, and not simply to raise the award from zero to the lowest acceptable award as contemplated by Coco, 341 So.2d 332, and Youn, 623 So.2d 1257. Therefore, despite the use of the language concerning abuse of discretion, we find no divergence in the decision from the preexisting jurisprudential rules of review.
10 Initially, we note that the third circuit has recognized that not only is loss of
enjoyment of life a component of general damages, it is also a separate element unto
itself. See Andrews v. Mosley Well Serv., 514 So.2d 491 (La.App. 3 Cir.), writ
denied, 515 So.2d 807 (La.1987).4 The jury acknowledged the separate nature of that
element of damages in its award of $4,000.00 for past loss of enjoyment of life.
Further, we note that damages for loss of enjoyment of life are recoverable
upon proof that the party’s lifestyle has been detrimentally altered or that the injured
party has been forced to give up activities because of his injury. Simms v.
Progressive Ins. Co., 38,804 (La.App. 2 Cir. 9/29/04), 883 So.2d 473, writ denied,
04-2871 (La. 1/8/05), 893 So.2d 78. The undisputed medical evidence was that Mr.
Basco has a permanent residual impairment, with Dr. Gunderson opining that Mr.
Basco has a permanent impairment of ten to fifteen percent and Dr. Smith, the
physician who examined Mr. Basco on behalf of the defendants, opining that Mr.
Basco has a permanent impairment of twenty-five percent—Dr. Smith simply
questioned causation, which question the jury answered in favor of Mr. Basco and
which determination is not at issue on appeal. Additionally, the undisputed lay
testimony was to the effect that Mr. Basco has limitations in his neck and arm
movements, that his hunting and fishing activities have been greatly reduced, and that
his dancing and volunteer activities have altogether ceased. The jury chose to credit
this undisputed medical and lay testimony, as evidenced by its award for past loss of
enjoyment of life, and we find no manifest error in this determination. Having
credited this testimony, the jury was clearly wrong in failing to find that the loss of
4 Four of the five circuit courts of appeal in this state have recognized loss of enjoyment of life as a separate element of damages. See Matos v. Clarendon Nat’l Ins. Co., 00-2814 (La.App. 1 Cir. 2/15/02), 808 So.2d 841; Simms v. Progressive Ins. Co., 38,804 (La.App. 2 Cir. 9/29/04), 883 So.2d 473, writ denied, 04-2871 (La. 1/8/05), 893 So.2d 78; Andrews, 514 So.2d 491; Poche v. Allstate Ins. Co., 04-1058 (La.App. 5 Cir. 3/1/05), 900 So.2d 55.
11 enjoyment of life extended into the future, as there was no evidence presented to the
contrary and as the jury acknowledged that Mr. Basco will continue to have pain and
suffering into the future. Accordingly, we reverse the rejection of this element of
damages and award Mr. Basco $40,000.00 for future loss of enjoyment of life.
In reversing the jury and rendering an award, we are not unmindful of our
decision in Myers v. Broussard, 96-1634 (La.App. 3 Cir. 5/21/97), 696 So.2d 88,
which the defendants urge mandates that we affirm the jury’s zero award for future
loss of enjoyment of life in that the $140,000.00 award for future physical and mental
pain and suffering is a lump sum award sufficient to compensate Mr. Basco for future
loss of enjoyment of life. In other words, according to the defendants, viewing the
damage award as a whole, it is sufficient to compensate Mr. Basco for his future loss
of enjoyment of life even though the award did not include a separate award for future
loss of enjoyment of life.
Without questioning at this juncture the approach we took in Myers, we note
that it is distinguishable from the facts of this case. In Myers, the jury awarded the
plaintiff $300,000.00 for “[p]ain, suffering, and disability, both physical and mental
(past, present and future),” but made no award for “[l]oss of enjoyment of life.” Id.
at 95. On appeal, the defendants asserted that the general damage award was
excessive, and the plaintiff answered the appeal, asserting that she should be given
an award for loss of enjoyment of life. Thus, this court was called upon to determine
whether the plaintiff received an excessive award for physical and mental pain,
suffering and disability and, at the same time, to determine whether the jury erred in
failing to award her damages for loss of enjoyment of life.
12 As to the plaintiff’s argument in Myers, we recognized the separate nature of
the loss-of-enjoyment-of-life element, but further noted that “even though awards for
certain elements of damages may be inadequate or excessive, if the total sum awarded
is neither inadequate nor excessive, then the award should not be disturbed on
appeal.” Id. at 97. In doing so, we concluded that the $300,000.00 sum awarded by
the jury adequately compensated the plaintiff for all general damages she sustained.
We arrived at this conclusion in Myers in the context of a plaintiff whose credibility
was questionable. While the plaintiff testified as to her loss of enjoyment of life,
there was evidence in the record that she traveled twice to Gulf Shores, Alabama,
without stopping, and she even admitted to flying nonstop to Turkey and participating
in sightseeing excursions while there. Thus, in Myers, unlike in the instant case, the
evidence on the loss-of-enjoyment-of-life issue was conflicting. Due to the
conflicting evidence in Myers, the jury could have reasonably concluded that, while
the plaintiff did sustain pain and suffering, she failed to prove more probably than not
that she suffered loss of enjoyment of life, as her actions indicated otherwise.
Further, in Myers, unlike in the instant case, the jury categorically declined to award
damages, whether past or future, for loss of enjoyment of life, evidencing a
consistency in the jury’s thought process for that element of damages.
Implicit in the Myers decision was this court’s recognition that the positions
of both the defendants and the plaintiff had merit. That is to say, the $300,000.00
award was excessive and the failure to award anything for loss of enjoyment of life
was error. Instead of reducing the $300,000.00 award and then awarding a separate
amount for loss of enjoyment of life which, if combined with the reduced award
totaled $300,000.00, the court recognized that the separate elements were adequately
13 compensated for by the total general damage award. In the instant case, the
excessiveness of the award for future physical and mental pain and suffering is not
at issue. That is to say, by not questioning that award on appeal, the litigants
acknowledge that it is sufficient for that element of damages. Were we to apply
Myers as suggested by the defendants, we would be giving no credit to that award.
In fact, we would be considering the sufficiency of an award to the benefit of a
defendant where the defendant has not raised that issue on appeal.
Future Medical Expenses
In a suit for damages, the trier of fact should make damage awards based on the
facts or circumstances specific to the case. Iwamoto v. Wilcox, 04-1592 (La.App. 3
Cir. 4/6/05), 900 So.2d 1047. Future medical expenses are a component of special
damages. Thibeaux, 883 So.2d 1128. The plaintiff bears the burden of proving
special damages by a preponderance of the evidence. Iwamoto, 900 So.2d 1047.
Importantly, an appellate court reviews an award of special damages pursuant to the
manifest error standard of review, unlike an award of general damages, which an
appellate court reviews under the abuse of discretion standard. Id. In meeting his
burden of proof on the issue of future medical expenses, the plaintiff must show that,
more probably than not, these expenses will be incurred and must present medical
testimony that they are indicated and the probable cost of these expenses. Veazey v.
State Farm Mut. Auto Ins., 587 So.2d 5 (La.App. 3 Cir. 1991).
The medical evidence establishes that Mr. Basco will suffer intermittent pain
in the neck, shoulder, and left arm for the remainder of his life and that he will simply
have to live with this pain, controlled only by medication. Dr. Rush suggested that
Mr. Basco would need Bextra or a similar medication to control the inflammation,
14 soreness, and pain associated with his condition “from now on,” and the record
establishes that a month’s supply of Bextra costs $115.99. Mr. Basco argues that we
should annualize that cost over his life expectancy and award that amount for this
loss.
Given the jury’s award for future pain and suffering and the medical testimony
indicating that Mr. Basco’s only hope of relief from the pain and suffering is
medication, the evidence reveals that the medication is indicated. Further, the
evidence establishes the future cost of this medication. While the evidence indicated
that Mr. Basco’s pre-accident condition was also controlled by the use of similar pain
medication on an as-needed basis, the evidence is clear that the accident caused an
aggravation of his condition, which aggravation the jury has recognized in its verdict.
Accordingly, it was manifest error for the jury to fail to award any damages for future
medical expenses.
If we were to accept that Mr. Basco must take Bextra daily and that his life
expectancy is 28.6 years,5 the total cost of future medication is $39,807.77. However,
that does not take into account the discounted value of the amount, the fact that Mr.
Basco was taking some medication before the accident, and the fact that he does not
require daily medication at this time. Taking those factors into account, we find that
the appropriate award for future medical expenses is $10,000.00.
Future Loss of Earnings and Fringe Benefits
Loss of earnings and loss of fringe benefits are both recognized as proper
elements of damages. Goodwyne v. People’s Moss Gin, Inc., 96-1340 (La.App. 3 Cir.
4/30/97), 694 So.2d 1101, writ denied, 97-2041 (La. 11/21/97), 703 So.2d 1309.
5 The reason for this assumed life expectancy will be explained in the section of this opinion addressing the issue of future loss of earnings and fringe benefits.
15 Further, they are special damages. Thibeaux, 883 So.2d 1128. As is the case with
other damages, the plaintiff bears the burden of proving his claim for these elements.
Driscoll v. Stucker, 04-0589 (La. 1/19/05), 893 So.2d 32. “In determining the proper
amount to be awarded, the trier of fact should consider the injured person’s age, life
expectancy, work life expectancy, investment income factor, productivity increase,
prospects for rehabilitation, probable future earning capacity, loss of future earning
capacity, loss of earning ability, and inflation.” Myers, 696 So.2d at 98.
It is undisputed that Mr. Basco has sustained a permanent disability, is currently
limited to light-duty work, and is no longer able to perform his employment with
Holsum Bakery. At the time of trial, he was a forty-nine-year-old high school graduate
whose only meaningful job experience was as a truck driver for Holsum Bakery, which
job he had performed for nineteen years before the accident. Following termination of
his employment with Holsum Bakery due to his limitations caused by the accident, Mr.
Basco began working for his brother, who owns a small carpet cleaning business. Mr.
Basco’s job duties in his brother’s business include preparing estimates on fire and
water damage jobs, supervising workers who actually performed the cleaning activities,
and running errands. He earns $8.50 per hour and receives no fringe benefits. Mr.
Basco’s hourly rate at the carpet cleaning business was less than he had made at
Holsum Bakery, and he had received fringe benefits at Holsum Bakery. Mr. Basco was
still employed by his brother when the case was tried.
Both sides presented vocational rehabilitation testimony regarding Mr. Basco’s
prospects for future employment. Mr. Basco presented the testimony of Bob Gisclair,
a licensed rehabilitation counselor, who was of the opinion that Mr. Basco’s current
employment was the best that he could perform given his work limitations.
16 The defendants presented the testimony of Harris Rowzie, a vocational
rehabilitation counselor, who testified that Mr. Basco was employable as a service
writer at an automobile shop or as a parts clerk for an equipment company. According
to Mr. Rowzie, either of these positions would pay Mr. Basco the same salary/fringe
benefits as or greater than he received at Holsum Bakery. Mr. Rowzie based these job
prospects on discussions he purportedly had with Jerry Christopher, the service
manager at Walker Automotive in Alexandria, and Frank Voelker of E. S. Voelker John
Deere Equipment Company of Alexandria.
However, both Mr. Christopher and Mr. Voelker testified at trial and flatly
contradicted Mr. Rowzie’s testimony. Not only did Mr. Christopher not remember
speaking with Mr. Rowzie, but he also testified that, given Mr. Basco’s experience of
nineteen years as a truck driver with no computer skills and no customer relations
skills, he would not hire him as a service writer. Mr. Voelker acknowledged talking
to Mr. Rowzie for about five minutes before Mr. Rowzie testified, but Mr. Voelker
asserted that Mr. Rowzie never asked him to describe the job skills required of a parts
clerk and did not ask him whether he would consider hiring Mr. Basco. Mr. Voelker
testified that he would not hire a person as a parts clerk who could not lift more than
forty pounds and who had no computer skills. Equally important, Mr. Voelker testified
that, even if Mr. Basco were qualified for the position, the starting pay would be only
$7.00 per hour, less than he was earning at the time of trial. Mr. Gisclair testified that
he was aware of the respective duties of a service writer and parts clerk and that it was
his opinion that Mr. Basco was not qualified for either job.
Mr. Rowzie also suggested that Mr. Basco could work as a dispatcher for a truck
line or concrete company but gave few details of the work requirements for these jobs.
17 Additionally, he admitted that he had not been furnished with the reports of Dr. Rush
and was not aware that the doctor had restricted Mr. Basco to light-duty work. He also
acknowledged that he had previously opined that if Mr. Basco was limited to light duty,
his employment with his brother’s business was the best he could do.
As with the other zero awards previously discussed, the jury’s award of zero for
future lost earnings and future fringe benefits cannot be explained. It suggests that the
jury believed that Mr. Basco would not suffer any future loss of earnings/fringe
benefits and that somehow immediately after trial he would be employable at a position
that would pay him the equivalent of or more than that which he was paid at Holsum
Bakery and that his capacity to earn in the future had not diminished at all. However,
in light of the undisputed medical testimony, the undisputed lay testimony concerning
Mr. Basco’s former and current employment, Mr. Gisclair’s testimony, and the serious
flaws in Mr. Rowzie’s testimony, the jury was clearly wrong to find that Mr. Basco
sustained no future loss of earnings/fringe benefits. Moreover, under the specific facts
of this case, the jury’s failure to award future loss of earnings/fringe benefits is clearly
inconsistent with its awards for past loss of earnings/fringe benefits. Accordingly, we
reverse the jury’s failure to make awards for those categories of damages.
We now conduct a de novo review of the record regarding the calculation of
these categories of damages. Two experts testified regarding Mr. Basco’s loss of past
and future income and fringe benefits. Dr. G. Randolph Rice, chairman and professor
emeritus of the Louisiana State University Department of Economics in Baton Rouge,
testified for Mr. Basco, and Dan M. Cliffe, a certified public accountant specializing
in economic analysis and loss, testified for the defendants. Both men based their
18 calculations on the assumption that Mr. Basco was incapable of earning any more than
his current salary at his brother’s carpet cleaning business.
In reaching his conclusions, Dr. Rice used a life expectancy of 28.98 years and
a work-life expectancy of 13.58 years and applied a net discount rate of 1.25%.
Calculating thus, Dr. Rice concluded that Mr. Basco’s future earning capacity loss
would be $317,904.00. He based these conclusions on his projection of annual
earnings of $43,707.45 had Mr. Basco remained employed with Holsum Bakery, less
a present annual income of $18,175.00 with his brother’s carpet cleaning business.
Recognizing that Mr. Basco’s current employment offered no fringe benefits, Dr.
Rice’s loss of future fringe benefits calculation was $144,054.00.
Mr. Cliffe used a life expectancy of 28.6 years and a work-life expectancy of
12.75 years and applied a net discount rate of 1.5%. Mr. Cliffe’s calculations also
differed from Dr. Rice’s in that he set Mr. Basco’s base wage at Holsum Bakery at
$38,070.00, deducting for the significant overtime pay Mr. Basco had received, and he
calculated Mr. Basco’s current wages at the carpet cleaning business to be $18,684.00.
Calculating thus, Mr. Cliffe concluded that Mr. Basco’s future loss of earnings would
be $227,435.00 and loss of fringe benefits would be $149,220.00.
As set forth above, both Dr. Rice and Mr. Cliffe based their calculations on
basically the same set of assumed facts, which included the fact that Mr. Basco’s
permanent disability precluded him from returning to his former employment and that
his current income was the most he could expect in the future. The evidence
establishes that these assumptions were indeed proven facts. The difference in future
loss of earnings (which each expert described as loss of earning capacity) is traceable
to the different Holsum Bakery wage base each used. The lower figure of Mr. Cliffe
19 was based on Mr. Basco’s actual income at Holsum when he left, while Dr. Rice’s
calculation took into account pay increases that other relay drivers had enjoyed since
Mr. Basco stopped working there as well as union contract expectations for future pay
increases.
We note that the jury awarded Mr. Basco $57,060.00 in past loss of earnings, the
exact amount of Mr. Cliffe’s calculations in that regard, and neither party has raised
any argument on appeal that the award was either excessive or inadequate. Mr. Cliffe’s
calculations of both past and future earnings losses were based on the same underlying
factual data and as a result were both lower than the calculations of Dr. Rice for those
losses. We will accept the jury’s reliance on Mr. Cliffe’s calculations for earnings
losses and find that an award of $227,435.00 for future loss of earnings and
$149,220.00 for future loss of fringe benefits will do substantial justice, and we render
judgment in those amounts.
DISPOSITION
For the foregoing reasons, we reverse the trial court judgement insofar as it fails
to award damages for future loss of enjoyment of life, future medical expenses, future
loss of earnings, and future loss of fringe benefits. We render judgment awarding the
plaintiff, Stephen P. Basco, the sum of $40,000.00 for future loss of enjoyment of life,
$10,000.00 for future medical expenses, $227,435.00 for future loss of earnings, and
$149,220.00 for future loss of fringe benefits, together with legal interest from date of
judicial demand until paid in full. We affirm the remaining portions of the judgment
and tax all costs of this appeal to the defendants, Alma Hutson, Express Courier
Services, Inc., and New Hampshire Insurance Company.