W. R. Skousen Contractors, Inc. v. Chatter

536 P.2d 722, 24 Ariz. App. 153, 1975 Ariz. App. LEXIS 664
CourtCourt of Appeals of Arizona
DecidedJune 10, 1975
DocketNo. 1 CA-CIV 1929
StatusPublished
Cited by1 cases

This text of 536 P.2d 722 (W. R. Skousen Contractors, Inc. v. Chatter) 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
W. R. Skousen Contractors, Inc. v. Chatter, 536 P.2d 722, 24 Ariz. App. 153, 1975 Ariz. App. LEXIS 664 (Ark. Ct. App. 1975).

Opinion

OPINION

EUBANK, Judge.

This appeal is from a jury verdict and judgment in favor of the appellees in a suit for personal injuries and wrongful death.

On June 30, 1964, the appellees, all Navajo Indians living on the Navajo Indian Reservation in Navajo County, Arizona, were returning home in a vehicle driven by appellee Edwin Morris. As their vehicle [155]*155proceeded north along Arizona State Route 87, approximately 23J4 miles north of its junction with U. S. Highway 66 (256 yards south of the old Dilcon crossing) they were involved in a head-on collision between their vehicle and a construction vehicle owned by the appellant and driven by its employee. The collision was caused by extreme dust generated from the road construction project being conducted at that point by the appellant and by the lack of proper traffic controls. The injuries to the appellees were extensive. The appellees filed suit, and, following a trial, the jury returned a verdict in their favor totaling $312,000. The appellant appeals from that judgment.

Appellant raises six questions on appeal. At oral argument the first question, involving the Heimke v. Munoz, 106 Ariz. 26, 470 P.2d 107 (1970) problem of the trial court restricting the jury in any manner regarding its determination of contributory negligence, was waived; thus only five questions remain for our consideration.

COUNSEL’S MISCONDUCT

Appellant’s second question is: “Can a verdict returned for [appellees] as a result of passion and prejudice, be allowed to stand where the record establishes that [appellees’] counsel argued his personal beliefs in his clients’ cause from the bench ?”

This contention is best summarized in appellant’s own words: “In numerous instances during the course of the trial, defense counsel found it necessary to object to the misconduct of plaintiffs’ counsel, and Mr. Lewis seemed totally unable to abide by rulings of the court”. Recognizing that it has the burden of persuasion on this point, appellant lists sixteen separate incidents of prejudice, a statement by counsel for the appellees in support of his argument that the bid price of the road contract was relevant evidence, and his statement to the jury that: “For seven years, four young children have lived without a mother and father and will continue to do so and live off charity, whether it be by the Mormon Church, or their grandmother.”

Concerning this latter statement, the record shows that evidence was before the jury relating to the care of the children by persons other than the deceased appelleeparents. In summation, appellant first raised the issue by questioning the motivation of the deceased father and mother in placing two children with Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis before their accident and death, apparently attempting to raise the inference that the children suffered very little damage from the loss of their parents because of their excellent foster parents. Under these circumstances we are of the opinion that the trial judge did not abuse her discretion in denying the motion for mistrial.

We have examined the remaining allegations of misconduct and although we agree that the evidence regarding the contract price of the road project was not relevant to any issue in the case and therefore properly excluded by the trial judge, we cannot say that the trial court abused its discretion in not granting appellant a new trial on the basis of appellees’ counsel’s alleged misconduct.

EXPERT WITNESS

The third question is whether the trial court abused its discretion in permitting appellees’ expert witnesses’ deposition testimony to be read into evidence. The record shows that Mr. F. E. Stearman, appellees’ expert witness on the issue of reasonable road construction safety procedures, had suffered a heart attack at the time of trial and that the appellees requested the trial court to permit Mr. John Cable to be substituted, as their expert witness, even though he had not been listed as a witness prior to trial as required by the Rules. Following extensive argument on the issue, the court permitted the substitution. Since Cable’s mother had died, and he had to leave town to attend her funeral, his testimony was taken by deposition and then read to the jury.

[156]*156Appellant complains that Rule XVI (c), Uniform Rules of Practice of the Superior Court, 17A A.R.S., was not complied with, in that good cause for the substitution was not shown because the appellees had listed their counsel’s father, who is also a civil engineer, as an expert witness for the same purpose as Mr. Stearman. Appellees’ counsel countered that it would have been prejudicial to his clients to have his father testify as his witness.

Under Rule XVI (c) the guide to decision is whether or not good cause was shown. It is our opinion that under the circumstances a sufficient good cause showing was made and the trial judge did not abuse her discretion by permitting Mr. Cable’s testimony to be read into evidence. See Plonkey v. Superior Court, 106 Ariz. 310, 475 P.2d 492 (1970).

UPDATING WRITTEN INTERROGATORIES

Next, appellant argues that appellees failed to comply with Rule 26(e), Rules of Civil Procedure, 16 A.R.S. by failing to update the interrogatories and answers filed by appellee Henry Parker on October 28, 1965, and by appellees Dennis Chatter, Nellie Chatter and Edwin B. Morris in March 1966, prior to trial. Rule 26(e) was amended in November of 1970 to include the updating requirement. This requirement was not a part of the Rules of Civil Procedure prior to this amendment; consequently, the requirement did not apply to these interrogatories.

In addition, the matters complained of, the degree and type of injuries, were made known to the appellant when the appellees provided their doctor and hospital records to appellant as a part of the pre-trial proceedings prior to the trial. Consequently, we fail to see how the appellant was prejudiced.

Next, appellees make out a good argument that appellant waived the failure to update the interrogatories if such was required by the Rules. Rule VI(a) (5), Uniform Rules of Practice of the Superior Court, 17A A.R.S. requires that attorneys for both sides affirm that all discovery is current to the date of the memoranda. The court ordered counsel to file a joint pretrial statement, which was filed, but which failed to comply with Rule VI(a)(5). No objection was made by appellant to this failure to comply with the Rule. In this situation we are of the opinion that the error, if any, was waived. Cf. Kelch v. Courson, 103 Ariz. 576, 447 P.2d 550; 7 Ariz.App. 365, 439 P.2d 528 (1968).

Finally, and for the above reasons, we do not consider the trial judge’s remarks and cautionary instruction to the jury, regarding the written interrogatories, as a comment on the evidence in violation of Article 6, § 27 of the Arizona Constitution, A.R.S., but as an attempt to declare the law. See State v. Barnett, 111 Ariz. 391, 531 P.2d 148 (1975).

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536 P.2d 722, 24 Ariz. App. 153, 1975 Ariz. App. LEXIS 664, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/w-r-skousen-contractors-inc-v-chatter-arizctapp-1975.