Yinger v. Secord

119 N.W.2d 577, 369 Mich. 364, 1963 Mich. LEXIS 476
CourtMichigan Supreme Court
DecidedFebruary 7, 1963
DocketCalendar 76, Docket 48,803
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 119 N.W.2d 577 (Yinger v. Secord) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering Michigan Supreme Court primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Yinger v. Secord, 119 N.W.2d 577, 369 Mich. 364, 1963 Mich. LEXIS 476 (Mich. 1963).

Opinions

[365]*365Otis M. Smith, J.

Appeal is taken from an order denying motion for a new trial in this automobile accident case. A jury verdict was returned in favor of defendant and judgment entered accordingly.

Proceeding in her car westerly on US-112, a 2-lane highway, in the city of Coldwater at approximately 10 p.m. on September 22, 1958, plaintiff, Melba Yinger, decelerated her ear to a minimal speed and started to make a left turn into a private drive. When her car had advanced approximately halfway into the eastbound lane of the highway, a collision occurred between cars driven by plaintiff and defendant. Defendant was traveling in the opposite direction. Defendant testified that he observed plaintiff’s car slowing down and assumed that its driver would stop and wait for him to pass. He says that she suddenly turned in front of him and that, therefore, he was unable to avoid the collision. Defendant’s negligence allegedly consisted of driving his car at such a reckless and excessive speed that he could not stop within the assured cleared distance ahead.

Of the several grounds urged by appellant for reversal, 1 requires discussion. It concerns actions of the trial judge in the evening and night of the second day’s deliberations by the jury. The jury retired for deliberations at 2:30 p. m. on February 23, 1960, and continued for the balance of that day. The jury resumed deliberations on the morning of the next day and, except for time out for lunch, was confined to the jury room the entire day. At or about 5:30 p.m. on this, the second, day of deliberations, the trial judge called the members of the jury into the courtroom and advised them that his calendar required him to be in another county in his circuit on the following morning. He asked, there[366]*366fore, the jury to continue their quest for a verdict after the evening meal. At 10:55 p.m. the jury was summoned to the courtroom and the foreman was asked if he felt there was any possibility that the jury could arrive at a verdict. He replied, “I doubt it.” The judge then asked the foreman what was the present jury vote. In this connection the foreman was advised that he was not to disclose whether the vote was in favor of plaintiff or defendant. The foreman advised the judge that the vote stood at 9 to 3, and, in response to a question, indicated that it had changed twice since the evening meal. The judge then advised the jury as follows: “Well you go back and take 1 vote, then come back and report and I will decide what to do.” At 11:05 p.m. the jury returned to the courtroom. The foreman was asked how the vote stood at that time. He replied, “10 to 2.” The colloquy between the court and the jury foreman was then as follows:

“The Court: Do you feel that that is progress in view of your deliberations you have had heretofore ?

“The Foreman: Well I don’t know.

“The Court: Well if there is something I can say to you that might be of help I am perfectly willing to do it.

“The Foreman: Well if we could hear the testimony of the plaintiff and defendant it might help.

“The Court: Well the difficulty with that is it would be improper to hear a portion of the testimony of any witness, or the testimony of any witness, to the exclusion of other witnesses, because you must consider all of the testimony of all of the witnesses in determining the questions of fact which have to be decided. Even if I should ask the reporter, which of necessity would require considerable time, to transcribe the testimony of those 2 witnesses, there is other testimony which bears on their testimony and you would have recalled to your recollection a part of the testimony of a witness, or witnesses, [367]*367and not have the testimony of all of the witnesses recalled to yonr recollection. Under onr method of trial it is the jury’s function to recall the testimony as they heard it, and if I were to give you all the testimony it would he quite an undertaking. I am afraid, with this handicap, your request is such that it cannot be granted. Is there anything else -I can say that might be helpful to you as to the law?

“The Foreman: Whether or not you said a juror should surrender his honest conviction to reach a verdict?

“The Court: No, I did not say that. I said, on several occasions, that the verdict must be the conscientious verdict of each juror. If you cannot conscientiously agree then there is a disagreement. I also said, however, that a minority — -and it is obvious from what you say there is a minority — they ought to give serious consideration as to whether the facts which the minority holds are the result of careful conscientious consideration of the evidence in view of the fact, inasmuch as they do constitute a minority view. But you must not be misled by my statement to presume that there is anything wrong with the minority view. If the minority is firmly convinced that they are right, then they have a right to continue to believe that.

“The Foreman: That seems to be the situation, Your Honor.

“The Court: Well, you changed 1, at least there has teen 1 change. The majority has increased ty 1. (Emphasis supplied.) Because of the time this case has taken to try, and because of the expense involved — these people have a right to have this lawsuit decided — and I have already mentioned, upon a retrial there is no reason to expect that the 12 people in the box will be any more qualified than those of you who are now here, there is no reason to expect that the evidence will be any clearer than it has been in this case, and if you can possibly come to a decision, considering everything that I have said thus far, the litigants have a right to ask you to decide [368]*368the case. If you can, that ends it. I want to be entirely sure that you cannot before I discharge you. In view of the fact that the tally is 1 different than it was when you came in a feiu minutes ago, I think there may be a possibility and I will have to ask you to go back and deliberate for a little longer. You may retire.” (Emphasis supplied.)

At 11:55 p. m. the jury returned to the courtroom. At this point, the court, apparently upon request, read again the instruction regarding procedure to be used in answering special questions which had been submitted. The jury was then asked to retire and resume deliberations. At 12:20 a. m., the date now being February 25th, the jury returned to the courtroom to render its verdict. The foreman advised the court that the jury had found for the defendant, after which the following colloquy ensued:

“The Clerk: Have you answered the 3 special questions ?

“The Foreman: Yes.

“The Clerk: Will you please read the first special question and answer?

“The Foreman: ‘Was plaintiff injured as a result of any negligence on her part?’ The answer: 10 yes, 2 no.

“The Court: They are not all answered the same way?

“The Foreman: No.

“The Court: The question must be answered all the same way. Ho I understand that you are in disagreement as to the answers to question No 1?

“The Court: I apparently did not make myself plain. With respect to the special questions they must all be answered alike. If they are not all answered alike it constitutes a disagreement. I am quite sure I made that statement earlier today.

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Related

People v. Younger
158 N.W.2d 493 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1968)
Yinger v. Secord
119 N.W.2d 577 (Michigan Supreme Court, 1963)

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Bluebook (online)
119 N.W.2d 577, 369 Mich. 364, 1963 Mich. LEXIS 476, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/yinger-v-secord-mich-1963.