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STATE FARM MUT. AUTO. INS. CO. v. SCOTT

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit1952-06-24No. No. 13792
198 F.2d 152

Summary

Holding. The trial court judgment is affirmed. The appellate court upheld the admission of evidence regarding the more serious knee injury, rejected the argument that the verdict was legally excessive, and found no basis for a contributory negligence bar to recovery.

State Farm, as the defendant in a personal injury lawsuit arising from an automobile accident, appealed an adverse verdict and judgment. The defendant challenged the trial court's admission of evidence showing a more severe knee injury (a fractured kneecap) than what was described in the plaintiff's complaint, which had alleged only swelling, lacerations, and a sprain. The appellate court found the evidence properly admissible because the defendant had obtained knowledge of the actual extent of the injury through a court-ordered physical examination before trial, and modern civil procedure rules place the burden on litigants to use available discovery methods rather than relying on the complaint to fully state all claims.

The defendant also argued that the jury's verdict of $13,350 was excessive and that the plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence as a matter of law, which would bar recovery. The appellate court rejected these contentions, finding that the verdict amount was not legally excessive and that questions about damages are matters within the trial court's discretion. Additionally, the court found no merit to the claim that the evidence demonstrated contributory negligence as a matter of law.

Summary generated by law.co from the public-domain opinion. The opinion text itself is public domain.

Key issues

  • Admissibility of evidence of injuries more severe than those alleged in the complaint
  • Standard for determining whether a jury verdict is legally excessive
  • Whether evidence established contributory negligence as a matter of law

Procedural posture

The defendant appealed an adverse verdict and judgment in a personal injury action from the trial court.

Authorities cited

No cited authorities resolved to law.co cases yet.

Opinion

majority opinion

RUSSELL, Circuit Judge.

In this suit to recover damages for personal injuries alleged to have been sustained in an automobile accident, appellant, as defendant, suffered an adverse verdict and judgment. In this appeal it assigns error upon the grounds: that the admission in evidence over the objection of appellant of testimony of an injury to the left knee of plaintiff of a different nature and more serious extent than that alleged in the complaint, was erroneous; error in failing to set aside the verdict because of its excessiveness ; in failing to set aside the verdict and judgment notwithstanding it upon the ground that the evidence shows that the plaintiff was guilty of contributory negligence as a matter of law, and; in refusing to allow counsel to argue to the jury the quantum of awards made in similar cases by the Appellate Courts of Louisiana, and in refusing to charge the jury to the same effect.

The last mentioned point we have discussed and ruled, adversely to the contentions of appellant, in Gillen v. Phoenix Indemnity Co., 5 Cir., 198 F.2d 147.

In his complaint, the appellee ■alleged that as a result of the collision he sustained a “marked swelling, three one inch lacerations and a sprain of the left knee.” In another paragraph he alleged that he suffered additional permanent injuries to his left knee “with the left knee having a ruptured or torn disc”, which caused difficulty in raising it. The evidence objected to tended to show that the left knee cap had been fractured, and that a rough under surface remained. It is true that this discloses a more serious injury than alleged. However, it appears that the defendant requested that the plaintiff submit to a physical examination by its physician a few days prior to the trial and that upon this examination the knowledge of the actual extent of the injury became known to such physician. The present Rules of Civil Procedure, 28 U.S.C.A. have abrogated the function of the complaint to state fully and in detail the claims upon which the plaintiff will rely and litigants have the responsibility of limiting such claims by employing the discovery methods so amply available. In any event, the determination of such questions must necessarily rest largely within the discretion of the trial judge. In this case, no prejudice is shown to have resulted to the defendant and the trial Court properly held that, under the circumstances, the evidence was properly admissible.

It can not be said as a matter of law that the verdict finding in favor of the plaintiff for $13,350 is legally excessive. Accordingly, the question of amount and whether in view of it, and any other circumstances of the case, there should have been a new trial or a remittitur was a matter for the determination of the trial Court. Its failure to so order presents no basis for a claim of reversible error here. Atlantic Coast Line R. Co. v. Pidd, 5 Cir., 197 F.2d 153 and citations; Dowell, Inc. v. Jowers, 5 Cir., 182 F.2d. 576, and citations.

Upon our examination of the record we conclude that the assignment of error that the evidence shows that the appellee was guilty of negligence which contributed to his injuries, and thus is legally barred from recovery, is not meritorious.

The judgment of the trial Court is Affirmed.