Walker v. Spina

359 F. Supp. 3d 1054
District Court, D. New Mexico·Decided January 11, 2019·No. No. CIV 17-0991 JB\SCY·Published·Cited by 7 cases

Opinion

JAMES O. BROWNING, UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE

*1060THIS MATTER comes before the Court on the Defendants' Motion to Exclude Expert Testimony of William Patterson, filed August 30, 2018 (Doc. 72)("Motion"). The Court held a hearing on November 21, 2018. The primary issues are: (i) whether the Court should allow William Patterson, an economic consultant from Albuquerque, New Mexico, see Curriculum Vitae at 1, filed September 6, 2018 (Doc. 75), to testify to the hedonic damages that Plaintiff Shirley Walker suffered from her automobile accident with Defendant Gregory J. Spina, who Defendant Valley Express, Inc. employed; and (ii) whether the Court should exclude the Patterson Report (dated June 6, 2017), filed August 30, 2018 (Doc. 72-1). The Court will grant the Motion in part and deny it in part. Pursuant to the United States of America Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and persuaded by other New Mexico federal district court opinions, the Court will preclude Patterson from quantifying S. Walker's hedonic damages or providing a benchmark figure for her hedonic damages. The Court will allow Patterson to testify generally about hedonic damages, including what they are and the factors considered in valuing them. The Court will preclude admission of the Patterson Report at trial.

FACTUAL BACKGROUND

The Court recited this case's facts and early procedural history in its Memorandum Opinion and Order, 347 F.Supp.3d 868, 872-73 (D.N.M. 2018). The Court incorporates that recitation here. The footnotes in the quotations are in the original.

The Court takes its facts from S. Walker's Complaint for Personal Injuries and Damages (First Judicial District Court, County of Santa Fe, State of New Mexico), filed December 23, 2016, filed in federal court September 29, 2017 (Doc. 1-1)("Complaint"). The Court provides these facts for background. It does not adopt them as the truth, and it recognizes that the facts are largely S. Walker's version of events.
On July 23, 2015, Defendant Gregory J. Spina was speeding on U.S. Highway 84/285 in a commercial vehicle that Defendant Valley Express, Inc. owned. See Complaint ¶¶ 6-7, at 2. As Spina approached a red light, he realized that he was going too fast to brake, so, instead of hitting the vehicles stopped side by side in front of him, he attempted to slip between them. See Complaint ¶ 7, at 2. Rather than avoiding the stopped vehicles, however, he sideswiped both of them, causing both cars to roll into the intersection. See Complaint ¶ 7, at 2-3. S. Walker was driving one of the sideswiped vehicles and, because of Spina's actions, suffered physical and emotional injuries. See Complaint ¶¶ 7, 11, at 2-4.

MOO, 347 F.Supp.3d at 872.

PROCEDURAL BACKGROUND

S. Walker sues Spina and Valley Express, asserting negligence,1 and sues *1061Defendant Dixon Insurance Company, asserting that she has a claim for benefits against it under the [New Mexico Financial Responsibility Act, N.M. Stat. Ann. §§ 66-5-201 to -239] and Raskob [ v. Sanchez, 1998-NMSC-045, 126 N.M. 394, 970 P.2d 580] for injuries that Spina's negligence caused. See [S. Walker's Complaint for Personal Injuries and Damages (First Judicial District Court, County of Santa Fe, State of New Mexico), filed December 23, 2016, filed in federal court September 29, 2017 (Doc. 1-1)("Complaint") ] ¶¶ 8-13, at 3-5. Spina and Valley Express removed the case to federal court on the basis of diversity jurisdiction. See Notice of Removal to the United States District Court for the District of New Mexico at 1, filed September 29, 2017 (Doc. 1)("Notice of Removal").

MOO, 347 F.Supp.3d at 872-73. The Amended Complaint terminated Defendant Dixon Insurance Company as a Defendant and added, in its place, Defendant Great West Casualty Company. See Amended Complaint at 1.

S. Walker "indicated in discovery responses that she may call Mr. Patterson to testify regarding economic damages, including loss of household services, future medical expenses, and loss of value of enjoyment of life." Motion at 2. See generally Patterson Report. On July 27, 2018, the Defendants filed the Defendants' Motion to Exclude Plaintiff's Expert Witnesses William J. Patterson, III, Keith W. Harvie, D.O., and Michael Rodriguez, filed July 27, 2018 (Doc. 58)("Disclosure Motion"), in which they seek to exclude Patterson because S. Walker did not "provide an expert disclosure." Motion at 2. The Court addresses the Disclosure Motion in a separate Memorandum Opinion and Order, filed January 9, 2019 (Doc. 111).

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Walker v. Spina, 359 F. Supp. 3d 1054 (D.N.M. 2019).

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