Yerrick v. East Ohio Gas Co.

198 N.E.2d 472, 119 Ohio App. 220, 27 Ohio Op. 2d 67, 1964 Ohio App. LEXIS 591
Ohio Court of Appeals·Decided January 29, 1964·No. 5389·Published·Cited by 17 cases

Opinion

Hunsicker, P. J.

Douglas Yerrick, a minor, 19 years of age, was driving Ms father’s automobile east on state route 619, in Stark County, Ohio. At the same time an employee of The East Ohio Gas Company was driving a motor vehicle, in the service of such company, in a westerly direction on state route 619. At or near the intersection of a connecting road, the employee of The East Ohio Gas Company drove over the center line of the highway, into the path of the automobile being operated by Douglas Yerrick.

The collision which occurred caused serious injuries to the face and left eye of Yerrick, necessitating extensive medical and hospital care, both in Stark County, Ohio, and Boston, Massachusetts. The result of the admitted negligent act of the employee of The East Ohio Gas Company is that Douglas Yerrick bears a scar upon his cheek near his left eye; the left eye is out of focus with the right eye, resulting in double vision; the left eye has negligible vision which cannot, because of the double vision, be corrected by the use of glasses; the left eye has a permanent scar that is a source of danger, for it may again precipitate a detached retina, which had occurred as a result of the accident, but which, by operative procedure, was reattached to the back of the eye. The other result of the detached retina is that Yerrick’s field of physical activity is limited. He may not subject himself to sudden shock, lift heavy articles, or engage in strenuous physical endeavor. A redetachment of the repaired retina of the left eye would result in total blindness in that eye. The doctors do not know for sure whether the retina will remain attached.

Douglas Yerrick, besides being limited in his physical activity, is required, in order to enjoy television with any degree of comfort, to place his body in a reclining position in front of the television, or cover his left eye and depend entirely on his right eye. A somewhat similar situation arises when Yerrick reads.

Liability was admitted by The East Ohio Gas Company. *222 The trial was largely devoted to testimony respecting his injuries, the medical and hospital procedures, and the degree of permanent physical disability which Yerrick now has.

The jury returned a verdict in the sum of $115,000; and to the judgment entered on that verdict, The East Ohio Gas Company has lodged an appeal to this court, saying:

“1. Appellant’s motion for new trial should have been sustained by the trial judge because the jury’s verdict was excessive and given under the influence of passion and prejudice.
“2. There was misconduct on the part of appellee’s counsel in the final argument to the jury which was prejudicial to the appellant.
“3. The final argument on behalf of appellee was prejudicial and the lower court erred in not admonishing counsel for the appellee promptly, and in failing to declare a mistrial on that account.
“4. The lower court erred in stating the amount of the prayer to the jury and in telling them that their verdict could not exceed the amount of such prayer.
“5. The charge as given in the lower court was misleading because it did not define adequately the measure of damages in this type of case.
“6. The charge in the lower court erred to the appellant’s prejudice in stating that it was ‘guilty’ of negligence as a matter of law. ’ ’

We shall direct our inquiry to the claims arising out of the final argument to the jury, as made by counsel for Douglas Yer-rick. We note here that no objection to the argument was made at the time it was delivered, and no request was made during or after the argument that the trial judge tell the jury to disregard such argument and any implications that might arise therefrom.

The appellant company insists that the size of the verdict, when considered in relation to the ; evidence produced at the trial, in and of itself shows such verdict to have been given as the result of passion and. prejudice, and hence; subject to the statutory rule announced in Section 2321.17 (D), Revised Code, requiring that a new trial be granted. •

Counsel for Yerrick once in his oral argument mentioned the number of days his client waited to- tell his story to the jury. There was no attempt to measure the daily, value of pain, suf *223 fering or disability, as was condemned in Boop v. Baltimore & Ohio Rd. Co., 118 Ohio App., 171. The mathematical formula argument was not used in the instant case.

Counsel is allowed a wide latitude in the presentation of his oral argument, even though he is at all such times under the supervision and control of the trial judge. In the case of Hayes v. Smith, 62 Ohio St., 161, the court, in paragraph eight of the syllabus, said:

“8. It is a duty of the trial court which is not merely discretionary, when counsel grossly abuses his privilege to the manifest prejudice of the opposite party, to interpose and admonish the offending counsel and to instruct the jury in regard thereto; and if it fail to do so, it is ground for a new trial.”'

See, also, Shapiro v. Kilgore Cleaning & Storage Co., 108 Ohio App., 402.

It is a general rule that misconduct of counsel, if such occurs, will not be considered by a reviewing court where no objection is taken at the time it occurs, or if the attention of the trial court is not directed to such alleged misconduct. Walsh v. J. R. Thomas’ Sons, 91 Ohio St., 210, at p. 217. This general rule is subject, however, to the exception found in Hayes v. Smith, supra.

We do not have in this case personal attacks, in the course of oral argument, directed against opposing counsel, or one of the parties, such as was condemned in Plas v. Holmes Construction Co., Inc., 157 Ohio St., 95. We have herein an oral argument that was directed at times to a subjective rather than an objective view of the matter. This form of argument is frequently called the “Golden Rule” argument. As to such argument the court, in Boop v. Baltimore & Ohio Rd. Co., supra, at pp. 174 and 175, said:

‘ ‘ This type of argument, where the jurors are asked to put themselves in the place of plaintiff, is commonly known as the ‘Golden Rule Argument’ and, upon objection being made, is normally considered objectionable and incompetent for the reason that it constitutes an. appeal ta the jury to abandon their position of impartiality and to exercise their discretion in the guise of an interested'party;
««*#■*
“As a general rule to preserve a question of this character *224 for appeal counsel must make objection at the time the alleged error occurs and may not sit idly by until judgment has been rendered against his client and then for the first time raise his. objection.

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Yerrick v. East Ohio Gas Co., 198 N.E.2d 472, 119 Ohio App. 220, 27 Ohio Op. 2d 67, 1964 Ohio App. LEXIS 591 (Ohio Ct. App. 1964).

198 N.E.2d 472 (Yerrick v. East Ohio Gas Co.) — published by Counsel Stack Legal Research, free access to 12M+ legal documents.

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