The Clarion-Ledger website contains the A.P. story on the $2.1 million verdict against Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. that I discussed in an earlier post. While the AP correctly stated the facts of the case, it misstated the ruling of the Mississippi Court of Appeals.
The statement that I have trouble with is the following:
The young men’s families — and a jury — blamed the accident on a faulty tire on the Chevrolet Camaro rather than excessive speed and the beer the men had been drinking.
The Mississippi Court of Appeals agreed this week and upheld a $2.1 million verdict against Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. and Big 10 Tire Co.
The Court of Appeals neither agreed nor disagreed with the jury’s verdict. Instead, the Court considered the issues raised on appeal by Goodyear and found that there was no reversible error. The Court was required by law to give deference to the jury’s decision and could only reverse if there was no evidence to support the prevailing party and reasonable jurors could not have ruled in the prevailing parties’ favor. Since the jury found for the plaintiffs, the Court was required to consider the evidence in the light most favorable to the plaintiffs. Applying this standard, the Court found that the jury’s decision was supported by sufficient credible evidence to support the verdict.
The Court could not and did not simply read the trial transcript and decide whether the Court thought that the jury got it right. Appellate judges do not substitute their assessment of the evidence for the jury’s assessment. The Court’s fifty-six page opinion cited substantial evidence that supported the jury’s verdict. If the Court had found reversible error, it likely would have been related to jury instructions or other procedural rulings by the trial court. This would have resulted in a new trial, not a judgment in favor of Goodyear. It would be nice to see the news media recognize this important distinction.