Marten Transport, Ltd., a Foreign Corporation, and Caroline Hurst v. Kathleen E. Lucas (mem. dec.) ( 2017 )

MEMORANDUM DECISION
Pursuant to Ind. Appellate Rule 65(D), FILED
this Memorandum Decision shall not be
regarded as precedent or cited before any Aug 16 2017, 8:21 am
court except for the purpose of establishing CLERK
Indiana Supreme Court
the defense of res judicata, collateral Court of Appeals
and Tax Court
estoppel, or the law of the case.
ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLANTS ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE
Brian J. Hunt Robert A. Montgomery
The Hunt Law Group, LLC Law Offices of Robert
Chicago, Illinois Montgomery
Munster, Indiana
Lonnie D. Johnson
Samantha A. Huettner Bradley Cosgrove
Clendening Johnson & Bohrer, P.C. Clifford Law Offices, P.C.
Bloomington, Indiana Chicago, Illinois
IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF INDIANA
Marten Transport, Ltd., a August 16, 2017
Foreign Corporation, and Court of Appeals Case No.
Caroline Hurst, 45A03-1612-CT-2937
Appellants-Defendants, Appeal from the Lake Superior
Court
v. The Honorable Bruce D. Parent,
Judge
Kathleen E. Lucas, Trial Court Cause No.
Appellee-Plaintiff 45D04-1301-CT-12
Crone, Judge.
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Case Summary
[1] On a snowy, icy interstate Kathleen E. Lucas lost control of her vehicle and
was hit by a tractor trailer driven by Marten Transport, Ltd., employee Caroline
Hurst (collectively “Appellants”). Lucas suffered severe injuries and filed a
personal injury claim against Appellants, alleging that Hurst’s negligent driving
caused her injuries. A jury found that Lucas and Hurst were each fifty percent
at fault in causing the collision and determined that Lucas’s damages were $5
million. The trial court entered a judgment in favor of Lucas and against
Appellants and awarded Lucas $2.5 million. Appellants filed a motion to
correct error (“Motion to Correct Error”) on four separate issues, which the
trial court denied.
[2] Appellants now appeal, raising the following claims of error: (1) the trial court
erred by denying their summary judgment motion (“Summary Judgment
Motion”); (2) the trial court abused its discretion by denying their Motion to
Correct Error regarding the denial of their motion to bifurcate the trial on the
issues of liability and damages (“Motion to Bifurcate”); (3) the trial court
abused its discretion by denying their motion to limit the opinion of Lucas’s
liability expert Thomas Green (“Motion to Limit Green’s Opinion”); (4) the
trial court abused its discretion by denying their Motion to Correct Error
regarding the denial of their motion to limit the testimony of Lucas’s physician
Dr. Neil Allen (“Motion to Limit Dr. Allen’s Testimony”); (5) the trial court
abused its discretion by refusing two of their tendered jury instructions; (6) the
trial court abused its discretion by denying their Motion to Correct Error
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regarding the jury’s allocation of fault; and (7) the trial court abused its
discretion by denying their Motion to Correct Error regarding the jury’s
determination of Lucas’s damages.
[3] Finding no error, we affirm.1
Facts and Procedural History
[4] On the morning of January 11, 2011, Lucas, a twenty-year-old college student,
was driving an Acura sedan southbound on I-65 near exit 249 in Lake County
with her friend Lauren Ward as a passenger. It was windy and intermittently
snowing, and the road was icy and covered with patches of snow. The speed
limit was sixty-five miles per hour. Tr. Vol. 3 at 23. Lucas was driving forty-
five to fifty miles per hour in the left lane. She saw a car coming up behind her
in the left lane and moved slowly into the right lane to allow the car to pass.
[5] As Lucas was changing lanes, Hurst was driving a tractor trailer in the right
lane approximately a “football field” length behind Lucas. Tr. Vol. 4 at 104.
Hurst was going forty-eight to fifty miles per hour. Hurst had been taught to
reduce speed to one-half the speed limit in snowy conditions and to one-third in
icy conditions. Tr. Vol. 2 at 117-18, 120.
[6] After Lucas moved into the right lane, the Acura “started fishtailing” but stayed
in the right-hand lane. Tr. Vol. 4 at 104-05. The Acura spun perpendicular to
1
Given that we find no error, we need not address Appellants’ argument that the cumulative effect of the
trial court’s errors requires reversal.
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the road with the driver’s side facing north and came to a stop in the right lane.
Ward saw Hurst’s tractor trailer coming toward them, and it did not appear to
be slowing down or moving into the left lane or toward the shoulder on the
right. Approximately fifteen to twenty seconds after the Acura started
fishtailing, the tractor trailer crashed into the driver’s side door.
[7] The tractor trailer had an electronic control module (“ECM”), which recorded
the vehicle’s speed and other data every second going back a minute and forty-
four seconds before the vehicle stopped. Tr. Vol. 3 at 13. The ECM data
showed that the tractor trailer’s speed at impact was between twenty-three and
thirty-six miles per hour. Id. at 82. The ECM data indicated the tractor trailer’s
speed at different times before the collision as follows: fifty miles per hour one
minute before impact; forty-eight miles per hour twenty seconds before impact;
forty-nine miles per hour fifteen seconds before impact; and fifty miles per hour
twelve seconds before impact. Id. at 14, 17-18. The ECM also showed that
Hurst did not take her foot off the gas pedal until ten seconds before impact and
that she did not apply the brakes until a second or two before impact. Id. at 18-
19, 34-35.
[8] Because of the accident, Lucas suffered multiple and permanent injuries,
including several fractures to her pelvis, a lacerated bladder, three broken ribs, a
collapsed lung, scalp lacerations, and a concussion. Initially, she was in a coma
and not expected to live. She was put on a ventilator in the intensive care unit,
where she remained for seven days. In total, she was hospitalized for ten days,
although she did not require surgery. When she was discharged from the
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hospital, she was unable to put any weight on her fractured pelvis, could not
walk, and was admitted to a physical rehabilitation facility for two months. She
had to use a wheelchair while she learned how to walk again and underwent
physical therapy.2 She continues to experience chronic pain in her hips and
back and has not had a single day where she was not in pain. She also has
balance problems and cannot sit or stand for long periods of time.
[9] Lucas also suffered debilitating migraines and headaches, and in September
2012, she began treatment with Dr. Allen, a neurologist. Id. at 159. Lucas
continued regular biannual checkups with Dr. Allen. Id. At the time of trial,
Lucas continued to suffer from headaches and migraines, and was taking four
medications for her condition. Id. at 197. In addition, after the accident, Lucas
experienced cognitive impairment such as trouble concentrating, thinking
clearly, and remembering things. In Dr. Allen’s opinion, the migraines,
headaches, and cognitive impairment were caused by the accident. Tr. Vol. 4 at
20. He believes that Lucas will continue to suffer from headaches and
migraines for the rest of her life. Tr. Vol. 3 at 191.
[10] Lucas’s physical injuries and cognitive impairment affected many areas of her
life. Before the accident, Lucas was an A student at Saint Louis University
majoring in educational studies and music, and she played both the piano and
the violin. After the accident, she had to take a semester off. Upon her return
2
Lucas avers that she underwent a year of physical therapy, but the pages of the transcript she cites do not
indicate how long she was in physical therapy.
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to college, her grades fell to Cs and Bs, and she had to change her major in
music to a minor. However, she was able to graduate with a grade-point
average of 3.4 and went on to earn a master’s degree in jurisprudence from
Loyola University Chicago. Lucas had wanted to become an attorney since she
was eleven years old. She took the standardized law school entrance exam
twice, but her scores were poor, and her applications to law schools were
rejected. At the time of trial, Lucas lived alone and worked as a paralegal for a
law firm in South Carolina. She moved from Chicago to South Carolina
because her parents lived there and would be able to help her.
[11] In January 2013, Lucas filed a negligence action against Appellants, alleging
that Hurst negligently drove the tractor trailer by driving too fast, failing to
reduce her speed to avoid the collision, and failing to keep a proper lookout,
and that her negligence caused her tractor trailer to collide with Lucas’s vehicle
causing physical injuries, great pain and suffering, lost wages, loss of normal
life, future medical bills, and other damages. Appellants’ App. Vol. 2 at 26-28.
Appellants filed an answer denying all material allegations and alleged
affirmative defenses of contributory negligence and that Lucas’s negligence was
the sole proximate cause of her injuries and damages. Id. at 32-34.
[12] In September 2015, Appellants filed their Summary Judgment Motion.
Appellants argued that there was no breach of duty because Hurst was not
driving too fast for the road conditions and did not negligently operate her
vehicle and Lucas’s recovery was barred by Indiana’s comparative fault system.
Following a hearing, in March 2016, the trial court issued an order denying
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their Summary Judgment Motion. The trial court found that Appellants failed
to designate evidence to establish a prima facie case that there was no genuine
issue as to any material fact and that they were entitled to judgment as a matter
of law. The trial court found that there were many issues of fact, including
what a reasonable speed was considering the road and weather conditions,
whether Hurst was operating the tractor trailer reasonably under the
circumstances, and the degree to which Hurst contributed to the collision. Id. at
45-46.
[13] In June 2016, the trial court held a pretrial conference. Appellants filed their
Motion to Bifurcate the trial on the issues of liability and damages and their
Motion to Limit Green’s Opinion. In July 2016, the trial court issued an order
denying both motions. Id. at 76.
[14] In July 2016, the five-day jury trial commenced. On the first day of trial,
Appellants filed their Motion to Limit Dr. Allen’s Testimony. After hearing the
parties’ arguments, the trial court denied the motion. Tr. Vol. 2 at 109-10.
[15] During trial, Lucas’s witnesses included herself, her father, Ward, Dr. Allen,
and the video testimony of Dr. Alberto Sanchez, who treated Lucas while she
was in the intensive care unit. In addition, Lucas’s liability expert, Green,
testified that at a speed of fifty miles per hour, the tractor trailer would have had
at least three different opportunities to stop if Hurst had applied the brakes. Tr.
Vol. 3 at 24-26. He also opined that had Hurst been traveling at thirty-three
miles per hour, or one-half the speed limit, she would have had seven
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opportunities to avoid the collision because the stopping distance for the tractor
trailer would have been shorter. Id. at 29-32. Green opined that the speed of
the tractor trailer was the cause of the collision. Id. at 72.
[16] Hurst testified that before the collision, she was traveling with the flow of
traffic, other cars were passing her, and she would have created a hazard if she
had been driving too slowly. Tr. Vol. 2 at 135, 205. She testified that Lucas
passed her and changed lanes about thirty feet in front of her and started to
fishtail. Id. at 212. Hurst stated that she did not swerve to the right because she
could have lost control of the tractor trailer. Id. at 213. Hurst admitted that she
would have been able to stop the tractor trailer if she had had begun braking
immediately when she saw Lucas’s Acura begin to fishtail. Id. at 224. She also
testified that she would have been able to stop if she had been driving thirty-
three miles per hour. Id. at 174-75.
[17] In closing argument, Lucas’s counsel told the jury that this case is about the
“loss of potential,” and that every aspect of Lucas’s life, “physically, mentally,
emotionally,” has been affected by the crash. Tr. Vol. 6 at 4. Lucas’s counsel
told the jury that given the nature and extent of her injuries, $5 million was a
reasonable amount of damages. Id. at 8. The jury returned a verdict assessing
Lucas’s damages at $5 million and finding that Lucas and Hurst were each fifty
percent at fault. The trial court entered judgment in favor of Lucas and against
Appellants for $2.5 million.
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[18] In August 2016, Appellants filed their Motion to Correct Error asserting that (1)
the trial court erred by denying their Motion to Bifurcate; (2) the trial court
erred by denying their Motion to Limit Dr. Allen’s Testimony; (3) there was
insufficient evidence supporting the jury’s allocation of fault; and (4) the verdict
was excessive and contrary to the weight of the evidence. Appellants’ App.
Vol. 3 at 119-56. Following a hearing, in December 2016, the trial court denied
Appellants’ Motion to Correct Error. Appellants’ App. Vol. 2 at 22-25. This
appeal ensued. Additional facts will be provided below.
Discussion and Decision
Section 1 – Appellants have waived their summary judgment
argument.
[19] Appellants first challenge the trial court’s denial of their Summary Judgment
Motion. We review summary judgment de novo, applying the same standard
as the trial court. Hughley v. State, 15 N.E.3d 1000, 1003 (Ind. 2014). Summary
judgment is appropriate only when the pleadings and designated evidence
reveal that there is no genuine issue of material fact and the moving party is
entitled to judgment as a matter of law. Ind. Trial Rule 56(C); Brill v. Regent
Commc’ns, Inc., 12 N.E.3d 299, 308-09 (Ind. Ct. App. 2014), trans. denied. The
moving party bears the initial burden of demonstrating the “absence of any
genuine issue of fact as to a determinative issue.” Williams v. Tharp, 914 N.E.2d
756, 761 (Ind. 2009). Once the moving party has met this burden with a prima
facie showing, the burden shifts to the nonmoving party to come forward with
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contrary evidence showing that a genuine issue does in fact exist. Cole v.
Gohmann, 727 N.E.2d 1111, 1113 (Ind. Ct. App. 2000).
[20] “Indiana’s distinctive summary judgment standard imposes a heavy factual
burden on the movant to demonstrate the absence of any genuine issue of
material fact on at least one element of the claim.” Siner v. Kindred Hosp. Ltd.
P’ship, 51 N.E.3d 1184, 1187 (Ind. 2016). “Indiana consciously errs on the side
of letting marginal cases proceed to trial on the merits, rather than risk short-
circuiting meritorious claims.” Hughley, 15 N.E.3d at 1004.
[21] In reviewing summary judgment rulings, we consider only the evidentiary
matter that the parties have specifically designated to the trial court. Reed v.
Reid, 980 N.E.2d 277, 285 (Ind. 2012). In determining whether issues of
material fact exist, we do not reweigh the evidence. Daisy v. Roach, 811 N.E.2d
862, 864 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004). Rather, “[w]e construe all factual inferences in
the non-moving party’s favor and resolve all doubts as to the existence of a
material issue against the moving party.” Reed, 980 N.E.2d at 285.
[22] “Summary judgment must be carefully considered in negligence cases because
they are particularly fact sensitive and are governed by the objective reasonable
person standard–one best applied by a jury after hearing all of the evidence.”
Cox v. Stoughton Trailers, Inc., 837 N.E.2d 1075, 1079 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005). To
recover on a theory of negligence, a plaintiff must establish three elements: “(1)
a duty owed to the plaintiff by the defendant; (2) a breach of that duty; and (3)
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injury to the plaintiff resulting from the defendant’s breach.” Rodriguez v. U.S.
Steel Corp., 24 N.E.3d 474, 477 (Ind. Ct. App. 2014), trans. denied (2015).
[23] Appellants argue that “the record demonstrates that there is no genuine issue of
material fact regarding the circumstances giving rise to the occurrence and
because [Appellants] were not negligent,” and “even assuming [Appellants]
were negligent, [Lucas’s] superseding negligence bars her recovery.”
Appellants’ Br. at 22. Appellants maintain that Hurst was driving a reasonable
rate of speed of forty-five miles per hour when Lucas began fishtailing, and
Hurst took the safest action by gradually slowing down rather than braking
suddenly and possibly losing control of the tractor trailer. They also contend
that Lucas lost control of her vehicle while traveling in snowy conditions and
that the accident would not have occurred but for her actions. Appellants’ one-
page argument consists of bald assertions without any citations to the evidence
they designated in support of their summary judgment. Their failure to support
their argument with cogent reasoning and citations to the designated evidence
results in waiver of their argument. See Ind. Appellate Rule 46(A)(8)(a)
(requiring that contentions in appellant’s brief be supported by cogent reasoning
and citations to authorities, statutes, and the appendix or parts of the record on
appeal); Loomis v. Ameritech Corp., 764 N.E.2d 658, 668 (Ind. Ct. App. 2002)
(failure to present cogent argument waives issue for appellate review), trans.
denied.
[24] Waiver notwithstanding, Appellants’ argument is unavailing. Appellants do
not dispute that Hurst had a duty to use ordinary care to avoid injuries to other
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motorists. See Wilkerson v. Harvey, 814 N.E.2d 686, 693 (Ind. Ct. App. 2004)
(“All operators of motor vehicles have a general duty to use ordinary care to
avoid injuries to other motorists.”), trans. denied (2005). Appellants argue that
Hurst was driving a reasonable speed and therefore did not breach her duty of
care to Lucas. Generally, whether a particular act or omission is a breach of
duty is a question of fact for the jury. N. Ind. Pub. Serv. Co. v. Sharp, 790 N.E.2d
462, 466 (Ind. 2003). However, “[i]t can be a question of law where the facts
are undisputed and only a single inference can be drawn from those facts.” Id.[25] Here, Appellants assert that Hurst was driving forty-five miles per hour in
windy, snowy conditions, and there were patches of ice and snow on the road.
Even assuming that these facts were undisputed, we are unpersuaded that they
lead to a single inference that forty-five miles per hour was a reasonable speed
for a tractor trailer given the specific weather and road conditions. See
Wilkerson, 814 N.E.2d at 694 (concluding that genuine issues of material fact
existed regarding whether motorist drove at appropriate reduced speed when
approaching intersection and when approaching special hazard). Thus,
Appellants did not establish as a matter of law that Hurst did not breach the
duty of care to Lucas. Likewise, the mere fact that Lucas lost control of her car
did not establish as a matter of law that any negligence on her part bars her
recovery. Accordingly, we conclude that the trial court did not err by denying
Appellants’ Summary Judgment Motion.
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Section 2 – The trial court did not abuse its discretion by
denying Appellants’ Motion to Correct Error as to the issue of
bifurcation.
[26] Appellants next challenge the denial of their Motion to Correct Error regarding
the trial court’s denial of their Motion to Bifurcate. “We review a trial court’s
denial of a motion to correct error for an abuse of discretion.” Hlinko v. Marlow,
864 N.E.2d 351, 353 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007), trans. denied. “‘An abuse of
discretion occurs when the trial court’s decision is clearly against the logic and
effect of the facts and circumstances before the court, or when the trial court has
misinterpreted the law.’” Id. (quoting Pfaffenberger v. Jackson Cty. Reg’l Sewer
Dist., 785 N.E.2d 1180, 1183 (Ind. Ct. App. 2003)).
[27] Appellants’ Motion to Bifurcate is governed by Indiana Trial Rule 42(B), which
provides in relevant part, “The court, in furtherance of convenience or to avoid
prejudice, or when separate trials will be conducive to expedition and economy,
may order a separate trial of any claim.” In ruling on a motion for bifurcation,
“‘[t]he trial court is granted a wide degree of latitude in exercising its proper
discretion …, and we will reverse the denial only for an abuse of that
discretion.’” Dan Cristiani Excavating Co. v. Money, 941 N.E.2d 1072, 1075 (Ind.
Ct. App. 2011) (quoting Elkhart Cmty. Schs. v. Yoder, 696 N.E.2d 409, 414 (Ind.
Ct. App. 1998)), trans. dismissed.
[28] In deciding whether to bifurcate a trial and separately try the issues of liability
and damages, the trial court should consider the following:
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The avoidance of prejudice is more than sufficient reason for a
separate trial. However, a separate trial should not be granted
solely upon the movant’s speculation that it might be prejudiced
by certain testimony. If an issue can be conveniently and
expeditiously resolved, a separate trial may be ordered in the
interest of judicial economy. If the proof of damages will be
complicated and costly the issue of liability could first be
separately tried. This was the specific purpose in adding
subdivision (C) to T.R. 42 [(regarding submission of claims or
issues to juries in stages)]. However, ... while the separation of
trials can result in judicial economy when the defendant prevails
on the issue of liability (by obviating the need for a trial on
damages), the defendant must first convince the court that it has a
persuasive argument on the question of liability in order to justify the
potential risk and expense of two trials.
Id. at 1075-76 (quoting Frito-Lay, Inc. v. Cloud, 569 N.E.2d 983, 990 (Ind. Ct.
App. 1991)) (emphasis added).
[29] As to whether Appellants presented the trial court with a persuasive argument
on the question of liability, they bluntly assert that they presented “a strong
liability defense,” without further explication. Appellants’ Br. at 24. Because
they have failed to provide cogent argument on the threshold issue, they have
waived their argument. See Loomis, 764 N.E.2d at 668.
[30] As for prejudice, they argue that Lucas’s injuries were so severe and she was
such a sympathetic witness that the “evidence of her injuries caused the jury to
overlook the law on the issue of liability in order to compensate her.” Id. at 25.
Contrary to Appellants’ assertion, the fact that the jury found that Lucas was
fifty percent at fault shows that it did not overlook the law on liability. The
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jury’s assessment of fifty percent fault to Lucas “is a strong indicator that jurors
were not unduly affected by the evidence of [her] damages.” Shafer & Freeman
Lakes Envtl. Conservation Corp. v. Stichnoth, 877 N.E.2d 475, 483 (Ind. Ct. App.
2007), trans. denied (2008).
[31] Furthermore, we are unpersuaded by Appellants’ claim that this case is
comparable to Frito-Lay, 569 N.E.2d 983. In that case, another panel of this
Court determined that bifurcation on the issues of liability and damages was
necessary on retrial. Id. at 991. The Frito-Lay court explained that the potential
for prejudice resulting from the plaintiff’s injuries amounted to much more than
mere speculation because her injuries were so terrible: she was comatose for
many months; sustained a number of broken bones in her pelvis and left leg,
which left her with a shorter left leg and marked limp; suffered from paralysis
on the left side of her body, which distorted her facial muscles; had undergone
two brain surgeries, which removed significant portions of her brain; suffered
severe learning and memory disabilities; could never be employed; and required
twenty-four hour supervision and residential care for the rest of her life. Id. at
985, 991. Even in light of such grave injuries, the Frito-Lay court observed that
it would have been extremely reluctant to invade the province of the trial
court’s discretion on the issue of bifurcation, if it had not already determined
that reversal was warranted based on unrelated errors as to both liability and
damages. Id. at 991. The court concluded that “the denial of a motion for the
bifurcation on the issues of liability and damages in the retrial of this case
would constitute an abuse of discretion.” Id.
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[32] We observe that the Frito-Lay court expressed its extreme reluctance to
encroach on the trial court’s discretion on the issue of bifurcation and was
willing to do so only because there were other reversible errors and a retrial was
going to be held in any event. In this case, the circumstances that would
warrant reversal of the trial court’s decision regarding bifurcation are not
present. Therefore, we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion
by denying Appellants’ Motion to Correct Error on the issue of bifurcation.
Section 3 –Appellants have waived any claim of error
regarding their Motion to Limit Green’s Opinion.
[33] Appellants claim that the trial court abused its discretion by denying their
Motion to Limit Green’s Opinion. Green’s written report contained the
following opinions to which Appellants objected: (1) Hurst testified at her
deposition that she had been applying her brakes and slowing down for at least
thirty seconds prior to the collision, but the ECM data from the tractor trailer
showed that Hurst was not braking or slowing down for nearly that long; (2)
had Hurst reduced her speed by one-half, she would have been able to stop
prior to crashing into the Acura; and (3) had Hurst reduced her speed, she
should have been able to avoid the crash altogether or, at the very least, she
would have reduced the severity of the collision. Appellants’ App. at Vol. 2 at
56.
[34] On appeal, Appellants argue that Green’s opinions violate Indiana Rule of
Evidence 704(b), which provides that witnesses may not testify to opinions
concerning whether a witness has testified truthfully. The parties’ briefs on this
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issue take some interesting twists and turns. In their original brief, Appellants
fail to cite to the portion of the transcript that contains Green’s allegedly
inadmissible testimony. In her appellee’s brief, Lucas asserts that Appellants
failed to object to the evidence at trial, and therefore waived any claim of error.
It is well settled that “[o]nly trial objections, not motions in limine, are effective
to preserve claims of error for appellate review.” Raess v. Doescher, 883 N.E.2d
790, 796-97 (Ind. 2008). “A trial court’s ruling on a motion in limine does not
determine the ultimate admissibility of the evidence; that determination is made
by the trial court in the context of the trial itself.” Walnut Creek Nursery, Inc. v.
Banske, 26 N.E.3d 648, 653 (Ind. Ct. App. 2015). “‘Absent either a ruling
admitting evidence accompanied by a timely objection or a ruling excluding
evidence accompanied by a proper offer of proof, there is no basis for a claim of
error.’” Id. (quoting Hollowell v. State, 753 N.E.2d 612, 615-16 (Ind. 2001)).
“The failure to make a contemporaneous objection to the admission of evidence
at trial, so as to provide the trial court an opportunity to make a final ruling on
the matter in the context in which the evidence is introduced, results in waiver
of the error on appeal.” In re Guardianship of Hickman, 805 N.E.2d 808, 822
(Ind. Ct. App. 2004), trans. denied.
[35] In their reply brief, Appellants attempt to avoid waiver and direct us to a
portion of Green’s trial testimony to which they objected. Appellants’ Reply
Br. at 7-8 (citing Tr. Vol. 3 at 78-79). The record shows that Lucas’s counsel
was questioning Green regarding Hurst’s deposition testimony that she had
been applying her brakes and slowing down for thirty seconds prior to the
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collision. Lucas’s counsel asked Green, “We know that’s just a lie: isn’t it?”
Tr. Vol. 3 at 79. Appellants objected, and the trial court sustained their
objection. Lucas’s counsel then asked Green, “We know that’s false, correct?”
Id. Appellants objected again, and the trial court sustained their objection.
Lucas’s counsel withdrew the questions. Lucas’s counsel then asked Green if
Hurst’s testimony was inconsistent with the ECM data, and Green answered
that it was. Appellants did not object.
[36] To the extent that Appellants failed to object to testimony that was similar in
substance to the opinions to which they objected to in their Motion to Limit
Green’s Opinion, they have waived any claim of error. See Banske, 26 N.E.3d at
654 (concluding that defendant’s motion in limine to exclude naprapath’s
testimony regarding her treatment of plaintiff did not preserve claim of error
and defendant waived all issues as to the admissibility of naprapath’s testimony
because defendant did not object at trial when naprapath’s deposition was read
into evidence or when naprapath’s medical records were admitted). To the
extent that Appellants objected, their objections were sustained, Lucas’s counsel
withdrew the questions, and Green did not answer. No evidence was admitted.
Therefore, there is no basis for a claim of error.
Section 4 –Appellants have waived any claim of error
regarding their Motion to Limit Dr. Allen’s Testimony.
[37] In their Motion to Limit Dr. Allen’s Testimony, Appellants argued that Lucas
failed to comply with Indiana Trial Rule 26(E)(2)(b) by failing to supplement
her response to requests for production of documents, specifically medical
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records from her treatment with Dr. Allen after March 2013. Appellants’ App.
Vol. 3 at 74-76. In support, they asserted that on November 19, 2013, Lucas
provided her initial response to their request for production of documents. Her
response included medical records from her treatment with Dr. Allen, which
showed that he had last treated Lucas on March 5, 2013. Id. at 75. Although
Lucas had continued treatment with Dr. Allen after March 5, 2013, she had not
supplemented her medical records. Appellants requested that any exhibits or
testimony from Dr. Allen regarding Lucas’s medical condition after March 5,
2013, be excluded. Id. at 76. After hearing the parties’ arguments, the trial
court denied the motion. Tr. Vol. 2 at 109-110. After trial, Appellants filed a
Motion to Correct Error, which included a claim that the trial court erred by
denying their Motion to Limit Dr. Allen’s Testimony. In addition to their
argument that Lucas failed to supplement her response to requests for
production of documents, they argued that Lucas failed to amend her answers
to interrogatories. The trial court denied their Motion to Correct Error. On
appeal, Appellants aver that the trial court abused its discretion by denying their
Motion to Correct Error on this issue.
[38] Lucas posits that Appellants waived their claim regarding Dr. Allen’s testimony
on several grounds, the first being that Appellants failed to object to the
evidence during the trial. The record shows that on direct examination, Dr.
Allen testified that he had his initial visit with Lucas in 2012, that he had
continued to treat her every six months, and that her last visit was about a week
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or two before trial. Tr. Vol. 3 at 159, 190. Appellants did not object, and
therefore they have preserved no claim of error. See Banske, 26 N.E.3d at 654.
[39] Lucas also contends that Appellants invited any error by introducing specific
evidence regarding Dr. Allen’s medical treatment at trial. Under the doctrine of
invited error, “‘a party may not take advantage of an error that she commits,
invites, or which is the natural consequence of her own neglect or
misconduct.’” Witte v. Mundy ex rel. Mundy, 820 N.E.2d 128, 133 (Ind. 2005)
(quoting Evans v. Evans, 766 N.E.2d 1240, 1245 (Ind. Ct. App. 2002)). “Invited
error is not subject to review by this court.” Berman v. Cannon, 878 N.E.2d 836,
839 (Ind. Ct. App. 2007), trans. denied (2008).
[40] The record shows that during their cross-examination of Dr. Allen, Appellants
submitted all of Dr. Allen’s handwritten notes of his treatment of Lucas,
including treatment after March 5, 2013. Tr. Vol. 3 at 206; Defendants’ Ex. 15.
The record also shows that Appellants questioned Dr. Allen about the six times
he treated Lucas after March 5, 2013. Tr. Vol. 3 at 245-Vol. 4 at 14. Appellants
asked him expressly about each of the treatments, which occurred in July 2013,
February 2014, September 2014, May 2015, November 2015, and July 2016.
Tr. Vol. 3 at 245, 246, 249; Tr. Vol. 4 at 6, 8, 9. “‘It is well settled that error in
admitting evidence at the trial is not available on appeal where the complaining
party submits evidence to substantially the same effect.’” Blocher v. DeBartolo
Props. Mgmt., Inc., 760 N.E.2d 229, 235 (Ind. Ct. App. 2001) (quoting Hagerman
Constr., Inc. v. Copeland, 697 N.E.2d 948, 954 (Ind. Ct. App. 1998), opinion on
reh’g, trans. denied), trans. denied (2002). Accordingly, any error in the admission
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of Dr. Allen’s medical treatment of Lucas after March 2013 was invited and is
not subject to appellate review.
[41] Further, Lucas claims that Appellants’ argument that she failed to amend her
answers to interrogatories was improperly raised for the first time in their
Motion to Correct Error. “A party may not raise an issue for the first time in a
motion to correct error or on appeal.” Troxel v. Troxel, 737 N.E.2d 745, 752
(Ind. 2000). The record shows that Appellants did not raise this argument to
the trial court at the hearing on their Motion to Limit Dr. Allen’s Testimony; in
fact, Appellants’ counsel told the trial court, “I’m not complaining that they
didn’t change their interrogatory answer.” Tr. Vol. 2 at 105. Therefore, this
argument is waived.
[42] In sum, the Appellants have failed to present any reviewable issue regarding the
trial court’s denial of their Motion to Limit Dr. Allen’s Testimony.
Section 5 – The trial court did not abuse its discretion by
refusing Appellants’ tendered jury instructions.
[43] Appellants argue that the trial court erred by refusing two of their tendered jury
instructions. “The purpose of an instruction ‘is to inform the jury of the law
applicable to the facts without misleading the jury and to enable it to
comprehend the case clearly and arrive at a just, fair, and correct verdict.’”
Wilkerson v. Carr, 65 N.E.3d 596, 601 (Ind. Ct. App. 2015) (quoting Joyner-
Wentland v. Waggoner, 890 N.E.2d 730, 733 (Ind. Ct. App. 2008)). We review a
claim of error based on the giving of an instruction for an abuse of discretion.
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Collins v. Rambo, 831 N.E.2d 241, 245 (Ind. Ct. App. 2005). “In reviewing a
trial court’s decision to give or refuse a tendered instruction, this Court
considers whether the instruction (1) correctly states the law, (2) is supported by
the evidence in the record, and (3) is covered in substance by other
instructions.” Willis v. Westerfield, 839 N.E.2d 1179, 1189 (Ind. 2006). Further,
“‘[e]ven if the instruction is a correct statement of the law, is supported by the
evidence, and is not covered by the other instructions, we will not reverse unless
the failure to give the instruction substantially and adversely affects the rights of
the complaining party so as to quite likely have affected the result.’” Wallace v.
Rosen, 765 N.E.2d 192, 196 (Ind. Ct. App. 2002) (quoting Barnard v. Himes, 719
N.E.2d 862, 868 (Ind. Ct. App. 1999), trans. denied).
[44] The first instruction tendered by Appellants, number 6(A), reads, “You are
instructed that the duty imposed upon Defendants does not require them to use
every possible precaution to avoid Plaintiff’s injury.” Appellants’ Br. at 37;
Appellee’s Br. at 31.3 Appellants maintain that instruction 6(A) correctly states
the law. In support, they cite Kostidis v. General Cinema Corp. of Indiana, 754
N.E.2d 563 (Ind. Ct. App. 2001), trans. denied. In that case, the court concluded
that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in giving the following
instruction:
3
Both parties cite solely to the transcript volume 5 at 219 but that page does not reflect the parties version.
However, because they are in agreement as to instruction 6(A), we have used their version.
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I instruct you that the duty imposed upon the Defendants did not
require them to use every possible precaution to avoid the
Plaintiff's injury; nor that the Defendants should have employed
any particular means, which may appear after the accident,
would have avoided it; nor were the Defendants required to
make accidents impossible. The Defendants were only required
to use such reasonable precaution to prevent the accident as
would have been adopted by ordinarily prudent persons under
the circumstances as they appeared prior to the accident.
Id. at 571-72. Appellants also cite Gamble v. Lewis, 227 Ind. 455, 465, 85 N.E.2d
629, 634 (1949), in which the court concluded that an instruction similar to the
one in Kostidis was improperly refused by the trial court.
[45] Instruction 6(A) consists of a single sentence that is virtually the same as the
first sentence in the Kotisdis and Gamble instructions. However, that single
sentence standing alone, as it does in Appellants’ tendered instruction, is
incomplete and misleading. It could be read to mean that if there is a possible
precaution that the defendant did not take, then the defendant is not liable.
Accordingly, we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in
refusing Appellants’ tendered instruction 6(A).
[46] Appellants also challenge the trial court’s refusal of their tendered instruction 7,
which reads,
If you should find by the preponderance of the evidence, that the
sole, proximate cause of the accident and the Plaintiff’s injuries
was the actions of the Plaintiff, Kathleen Lucas, that caused her
to lose control of her vehicle, and you further find that the
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Defendant, Caroline Hurst, was not negligent, then your verdict
should be for the Defendants and against Plaintiff.
Appellants’ Vol. 3 at 87.
[47] Appellants contend that tendered instruction 7 is a correct statement of the law,
citing Gates v. Rosenogle, 452 N.E.2d 467 (Ind. Ct. App. 1983). Although the
Gates court found that a nearly identical instruction was a correct statement of
the law, it went on to explain,
We disagree with [defendant’s] assertion that it, in effect,
represents a separate or special defense which requires the giving
of an instruction. It is not and does not. It is merely an implication
of the requirement that in order to recover from the defendant, the
plaintiff must prove by a preponderance of the evidence that the defendant
in question was guilty of a breach of duty (negligence) which proximately
caused plaintiff’s injuries. If the defendant was not guilty of such an
act of negligence, then the plaintiff was not entitled to recover
from him regardless of whether anyone else was negligent. The
court so instructed the jury through defendant’s tendered
instruction No. 1 and the court’s other instructions concerning
plaintiff’s burden of proof. Accordingly, there was no error in
refusing defendant’s tendered instruction No. 3.
Id. at 475 (emphasis added). As in Gates, other instructions in this case
informed the jury regarding breach of duty (final instruction 15) and Lucas’s
burden of proof (final instructions 5-6), comparative fault (final instructions 13-
14), and proximate cause (final instruction 18). Appellants’ App. Vol. 3 at 92-
93, 100-102, 105. As such, we find no abuse of discretion in the trial court’s
refusal of instruction 7.
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Section 6 – The trial court did not abuse its discretion by
denying Appellants’ Motion to Correct Error regarding the
jury’s allocation of fault.
[48] Appellants argue that the trial court abused its discretion by denying their
Motion to Correct Error regarding the jury’s allocation of fault. Specifically,
they insist that the evidence does not support the jury’s determination that
Lucas and Hurst are each fifty percent at fault and that no reasonable jury could
have found that Lucas was less than fifty-one percent at fault.
[49] In reviewing the jury’s allocation of fault, we observe,
The apportionment of fault is uniquely a question of fact to be
decided by the factfinder. At some point the apportionment of
fault may become a question of law for the court. But that point
is reached only when there is no dispute in the evidence and the
factfinder is able to come to only one logical conclusion. In
evaluating a jury’s allocation of fault, we may not reweigh the
evidence, for such is not the function of a court of review.
Burton v. Bridwell, 938 N.E.2d 1, 6 (Ind. Ct. App. 2010) (quoting Dennerline v.
Atterholt, 886 N.E.2d 582, 598 (Ind. Ct. App. 2008), trans. dismissed) (citations,
brackets, and quotation marks omitted), trans. denied (2011).
[50] Appellants declare that (1) the undisputed evidence shows that Lucas’s decision
to change lanes caused the accident; (2) she presented no evidence to dispute
that she failed to exercise reasonable care, was traveling too fast, and lost
control of her vehicle as a result of the lane change; (3) her liability expert,
Green, testified that the accident would not have occurred had she not lost
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control of her vehicle; (4) Hurst never lost control of the tractor trailer and
reduced speed to avoid the collision; and (5) Officer Dale Morgan, the police
officer who responded to the scene, testified that Hurst’s conduct was not a
contributing circumstance to the accident. Lucas counters that there was
evidence that Hurst was driving the tractor trailer faster than reasonable under
the winter road conditions and that Hurst did not exercise reasonable care
because she did not slow down or brake immediately upon seeing Lucas lose
control of her vehicle and did not attempt to avoid the accident by steering
toward the shoulder. We agree with Lucas.
[51] The evidence shows that the road conditions were snowy and icy. Hurst
testified that she was driving forty-five to fifty miles per hour. She admitted that
if she had begun braking when she saw Lucas’s Acura begin fishtailing she
could have stopped. Green opined that at a speed of fifty miles per hour, the
tractor trailer would have had at least three different opportunities to stop if
Hurst had applied the brakes sooner. The ECM data showed that Hurst did not
take her foot off the gas pedal until ten seconds before the collision and that she
did not apply the brakes until a second or two before impact.
[52] Hurst also testified that she was taught to reduce her speed by one half the
speed limit in snowy conditions. The speed limit was sixty-five miles per hour,
half of which is thirty-three miles per hour. The ECM data showed that Hurst
had not reduced her speed by half within the minute prior to the collision other
than at the point of impact. Tr. Vol. 2 at 26. Green opined that had Hurst been
traveling at thirty-three miles per hour, she would have decreased the distance
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she needed to stop and would have had seven opportunities to avoid the
collision. Tr. Vol. 3 at 29-32. Officer Morgan testified that he did not know
how fast Lucas was driving and that she could have lost control of her vehicle if
she had been driving five miles per hour. Tr. Vol. 5 at 22. We cannot say that
the evidence is undisputed and leads to only one logical conclusion. The
Appellants argument is merely a request to reweigh the evidence, which we
must decline. See Burton, 938 N.E.2d at 6. Accordingly, we find no abuse of
discretion in the trial court’s denial of Appellants’ Motion to Correct Error on
this issue.4
Section 7 – The trial court did not abuse its discretion by
denying Appellants’ Motion to Correct Error regarding the
jury’s determination of Lucas’s damage award.
[53] Last, Appellants assert that the damage award of $5 million, of which Lucas
received $2.5 million, is shockingly excessive and against the weight of the
evidence. In general, a person injured by another’s negligence is entitled to
reasonable compensation. Berman, 878 N.E.2d at 840. Reasonable
compensation means “an amount that would reasonably compensate the
plaintiff for bodily injury and for pain and suffering.” Id. at 841. Reasonable
4
Appellants compare this case to Warrick v. Stewart, 29 N.E.3d 1284 (Ind. Ct. App. 2015), but that case is
substantially different from this one. There, defendant’s dog darted out into the street and collided with
plaintiff-motorcyclist who was traveling below the speed limit. The jury found that plaintiff was seventy
percent at fault, and plaintiff filed a motion to correct error. The trial court found that all the evidence
indicated that plaintiff was traveling under the speed limit and the jury’s assignment of seventy percent fault
to him was against the weight of the evidence and granted his motion to correct error. Defendant appealed,
but we concluded that the evidence supported the trial court’s determination that plaintiff was not speeding
and affirmed the decision of the trial court. Id. at 1289, 1292.
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compensation also includes “past, present, and future expenses reasonably
necessary or incidental to the plaintiff’s effort to alleviate [her] injuries and all
pecuniary losses suffered, or to be suffered, as a result of inability to engage in
[her] usual occupation.” Kavanagh v. Butorac, 140 Ind. App. 139, 145, 221
N.E.2d 824, 828 (1966).
[54] “A jury determination of damages is entitled to great deference when
challenged on appeal.” Sears Roebuck & Co. v. Manuilov, 742 N.E.2d 453, 462
(Ind. 2001). “We will not substitute our idea of a proper damage award for that
of the jury.” Berman, 878 N.E.2d at 841. “[W]hen the evidence is conflicting,
the jury is in the best position to assess the damages.” Cox v. Matthews, 901
N.E.2d 14, 23 (Ind. Ct. App. 2009), trans. dismissed. Thus, when reviewing a
damage award, we will not reweigh the evidence and will consider only the
evidence and the reasonable inferences arising therefrom that support the jury’s
award. Reed v. Bethel, 2 N.E.3d 98, 113 (Ind. Ct. App. 2014). Our supreme
court has explained that a damage award is not excessive “where (1) the award
was not based upon jury prejudice, partiality, or corruption, (2) the jury has not
misunderstood or misapplied the evidence, (3) the award was not based upon
consideration of an improper element such as liability insurance, and (4) the
award was within the parameters of the evidence.” Kimberlin v. DeLong, 637
N.E.2d 121, 130 (Ind. 1994), cert. denied (1995). We will uphold the damage
award if it “can be explained on any reasonable ground.” Berman, 878 N.E.2d
at 840. “‘Our inability to actually look into the minds of the jurors is, to a large
extent, the reason behind the rule that we will not reverse if the award falls
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within the bounds of the evidence.’” Sears, 742 N.E.2d at 462 (quoting Annee v.
State, 256 Ind. 686, 690, 271 N.E.2d 711, 713 (1971)).
[55] Appellants liken this case to Lucero v. Lutheran University Ass’n, 621 N.E.2d 660(Ind. Ct. App. 1993), but that case is distinguishable. There, Lucero slipped
and fell on icy stairs at a university campus. Lucero’s physical injuries were
minor and his medical bills totaled $1200 to $1300. His major claim for
damages stemmed from his allegation that he was unable to participate in
military combat activities because he was not medically qualified. The jury
awarded Lucero $240,000. The university filed a motion to correct error,
contending that the damage award was excessive and unsupported by the
evidence. The trial court agreed. It found that Lucero’s actual medical
expenses were only $1300; and although the evidence indicated that Lucero had
physical conditions that rendered him unable to engage in military activities,
the evidence was undisputed that these were preexisting conditions and not a
result of the accident. Id. at 663. The evidence was undisputed because Lucero
presented no evidence to support any causal link between the accident and his
inability to participate in the military, and in fact his own medical expert
testified that there was no causal link between the accident and his inability to
participate in the military. Id. at 663-64. Accordingly, the trial court found that
the award of $240,000 was shockingly and outrageously excessive, granted the
university’s motion to correct error, and ordered a new trial. Id. at 664.
[56] Lucero appealed, arguing in relevant part that the trial court erred when it
determined that the verdict was against the weight of the evidence. This court
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rejected his argument. Id. The Lucero court explained that Lucero’s inability to
qualify to serve in the army was due to his preexisting medical conditions, and
therefore he failed to prove that his fall was the proximate cause for damages
related to his military career. Id. Thus, the Lucero court concluded that “the
trial court did not abuse its discretion in determining the verdict was against the
weight of the evidence and granting a new trial.” Id.[57] Here, there is ample evidence to support the damage award. As a result of the
accident, Lucas was in a coma in the intensive care unit and not expected to
live. She received multiple permanent injuries and will experience chronic,
lifelong physical pain. Due to her injuries, she was in wheel chair and required
rehabilitation followed by physical therapy to learn how to walk again. Lucas
had to give up running and playing the piano and the violin. She will also
suffer headaches and migraines, for which she will require medication. The
cognitive impairment she experiences because of the accident has made it
difficult or impossible for her to pursue her dream of becoming an attorney.
[58] This case is similar to Reed, 2 N.E.3d 98. There, another panel of this Court
upheld the jury’s damage award of $3.9 million where a student was struck by a
bus. Id. at 115. He suffered severe injuries that required a sixteen-day hospital
stay and multiple surgeries and skin grafts. The jury found that the student’s
total damages were $5 million, but that he was twenty-five percent at fault,
resulting in a damage award of $3.9 million. The bus driver and her employer
appealed arguing in relevant part that the verdict was excessive because the
student failed to introduce evidence of permanent impairment or any need for
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further medical treatment, and that his evidence of permanent scarring and pain
was not compelling. The Reed court observed that the student presented
evidence that he suffered fractures to his spine and right ankle, a spleen
laceration, and a degloving injury to his left foot, required a sixteen-day hospital
stay, and underwent multiple surgeries and skin grafts. Id. It further noted that
he presented evidence that he was in good physical condition before the
accident and was limited in his ability to participate in the same activities after
the accident. Thus, the Reed court concluded that the defendants’ argument
was merely a request to reweigh the evidence, and affirmed the jury’s award.
Id.
[59] Here Appellants seem to be arguing that the jury placed an unreasonably high
value on what it would take to compensate Lucas for her inability to engage in
all the activities she had before the accident and to pursue the career she had set
her sights on. They also argue that they disputed the extent and permanency of
her injuries and that there is insufficient evidence that the accident was the
proximate cause of her inability to pursue her desired profession. These
arguments amount to nothing more than invitations to reweigh the evidence,
which we must decline. See id. at 113. We conclude that the jury’s damage
award falls within the bounds of the evidence, and therefore affirm it.
[60] Affirmed.
Baker, J., and Barnes, J., concur.
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