Stevenett v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.

1999 UT App 80, 1999 UT App 080, 977 P.2d 508, 365 Utah Adv. Rep. 10, 1999 Utah App. LEXIS 30, 1999 WL 144499
CourtCourt of Appeals of Utah
DecidedMarch 18, 1999
Docket981013-CA
StatusPublished
Cited by19 cases

This text of 1999 UT App 80 (Stevenett v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Court of Appeals of Utah primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Stevenett v. Wal-Mart Stores, Inc., 1999 UT App 80, 1999 UT App 080, 977 P.2d 508, 365 Utah Adv. Rep. 10, 1999 Utah App. LEXIS 30, 1999 WL 144499 (Utah Ct. App. 1999).

Opinion

OPINION

WILKINS, Presiding Judge:

¶ 1 Defendant Wal-Mart Stores Inc. appeals from a final judgment amending a jury verdict in favor of plaintiff Allyson Stevenett arising from a personal injury action. Wal-Mart claims that the trial court made erroneous rulings regarding the admissibility of certain evidence and the award of costs to plaintiff which warrant reversal for a new trial. In addition, plaintiff cross-appeals, arguing that the court improperly reduced the jury’s award of special damages. We affirm.

BACKGROUND

¶2 We recite the facts in a light most favorable to the jury’s verdict. Plaintiff was injured while jogging through defendant’s parking lot when she tripped and fell over a metal rod protruding from a cart rack. After the incident, plaintiff sought medical attention from a chiropractor, and later from Dr. Howard Reichman, a neurosurgeon. Dr. Reichman tried to alleviate plaintiffs symptoms by removing two herniated disks from her spine and performing two thoracic outlet surgeries. Plaintiff later brought a personal injury action against defendant for her injuries.

¶ 3 Eight months before trial, defendant notified plaintiff of its intent to call Dr. A. Creig MacArthur as an expert witness. Less than three weeks later, plaintiff underwent an independent medical examination (IME) by Dr. MacArthur. Dr. MacArthur prepared his IME report and a supplemental report the same day. The reports omitted any opinion regarding the cause of plaintiffs injuries. However, in his deposition three days before trial, Dr. MacArthur testified in detail about his IME report, and added his opinion that there was only a one-percent chance that plaintiffs fall in the parking lot could have caused her cervical and thoracic injuries. The deposition was taken immediately before trial as a result of Dr. MacArthur’s unwillingness to be deposed earlier, as requested by plaintiff.

¶ 4 One day before trial, plaintiff presented a motion in limine seeking to exclude Dr. MacArthur’s opinion regarding the cause of her injuries on three grounds: First, that Dr. MacArthur failed to provide a detailed conclusion as to causation in his IME report in violation of Utah Rule of Civil Procedure 35. Second, that Wal-Mart failed to supplement interrogatories regarding affirmative defenses in violation of Utah Rule of Civil Procedure 26. Third, that the revelation of this previously unknown opinion was a violation of Utah Rule of Evidence 403’s prohibitions against unfair surprise. The court agreed in “all respects,” ruling that defendant could not use any of Dr. MacArthur’s testimony as to causation to rebut the testimony of plaintiffs expert, Dr. Reichman. Despite this *511 ruling, however, Dr. MacArthur testified at trial that in his opinion plaintiffs fall was not the type of fall which could cause a whiplash injury of the type sustained by plaintiff.

¶ 5 On the third day of trial, plaintiffs counsel recalled plaintiff as a witness and tided to introduce four medical bills totaling $10,551.81, which plaintiff had not provided to defendant before trial. Over defendant’s objections for lack of foundation and unfair surprise, the court admitted these additional medical expenses through plaintiffs testimony.

¶ 6 At the end of trial, plaintiff requested past special damages in the amount of $85,-184.51. The jury returned a verdict exceeding this amount, awarding plaintiff $93,000 in past special damages. On July 8, 1997, the court entered its judgment reflecting $93,000. Nine days later, defendant submitted Motions to Alter or Amend the Judgment (pursuant to Utah Rule of Civil Procedure 59(e)) and to obtain Relief from Judgment (pursuant to Utah Rule of Civil Procedure 60(b)) based upon a mathematical mistake in the verdict. Following this, the court remitted the award of past special damage from $93,-000 to $84,184.51 based upon insufficient evidence under Utah Rule of Civil Procedure 59(a)(6) and (e). Thereafter, plaintiff filed a motion for costs totaling $10,244.60. The court awarded plaintiff $2,663.40 of that request.

ISSUES AND STANDARDS OF REVIEW

¶ 7 On appeal, Wal-Mart raises three claims of error: First, that the trial court erred in limiting the testimony of Dr. MacArthur. Second, that the trial court erroneously admitted the four previously undisclosed medical bills into evidence. Third, that the trial court erred in awarding some of the claimed costs to plaintiff. In addition, Stev-enett cross-appeals, challenging the court’s remittitur of her special damages award.

¶ 8 Two standards of review exist for reviewing questions regarding the admissibility of evidence. See Utah Dep’t of Transp. v. 6200 South Assocs., 872 P.2d 462, 465 (Utah Ct.App.1994). “With respect to the trial court’s selection, interpretation, and application of a particular rule of evidence [or procedure], we apply a correction of error standard. When the rule ... requires the trial court to balance specified factors to determine admissibility, ‘abuse of discretion or reasonability is the appropriate standard.’ ” Id. (citation omitted); see also Stevensen v. Goodson, 924 P.2d 339, 347 (Utah 1996) (stating trial court “is allowed considerable ... discretion in the admissibility of expert testimony, and in the absence of a clear showing of abuse, this court will not reverse”). However, “even where error is found, reversal is appropriate only in those cases where, after review of all of the evidence presented at trial, it appears that ‘absent the error, there is a reasonable likelihood that a different result would have been reached.’ ” Utah Dep’t of Transp., 872 P.2d at 465 (citation omitted). Moreover, the person asserting error has the burden to show not only that the error occurred but also that it was substantial and prejudicial. See Ashton v. Ashton, 733 P.2d 147, 154 (Utah 1987).

¶ 9 Whether an exhibit should have been excluded on the basis that it lacked adequate foundation is primarily within the sound discretion of the trial court, which ruling we will not overturn absent an abuse of discretion. See Klinger v. Rightly, 889 P.2d 1372, 1376 (Utah Ct.App.1995); see also Erdmann v. Thomas, 446 N.W.2d 245, 246 (N.D.1989).

¶ 10 A court’s award of costs is also within its sound discretion which ruling we will not disturb absent an abuse of discretion. See Morgan v. Morgan, 795 P.2d 684, 686 (Utah Ct.App.1990).

¶ 11 We review a court’s decision to remit a damages award based upon insufficiency of evidence under Utah Rule of Civil Procedure 59 for an abuse of discretion. See Crookston v. Fire Ins. Exch., 817 P.2d 789, 803-04 (Utah 1991).

ANALYSIS

I. Exclusion of Expert Witness Testimony

¶ 12 We turn first to the court’s exclusion of Dr.

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Bluebook (online)
1999 UT App 80, 1999 UT App 080, 977 P.2d 508, 365 Utah Adv. Rep. 10, 1999 Utah App. LEXIS 30, 1999 WL 144499, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/stevenett-v-wal-mart-stores-inc-utahctapp-1999.