Amended February 23, 2016 Kevin Bryant v. Robert Lee Rimrodt and Geico General Insurance Company ( 2015 )


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  •               IN THE SUPREME COURT OF IOWA
    No. 13–1883
    Filed December 11, 2015
    Amended February 23, 2016
    KEVIN BRYANT,
    Appellant,
    vs.
    ROBERT LEE RIMRODT and GEICO GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY,
    Defendants,
    and
    LORI LYNN PARR,
    Appellee.
    On review from the Iowa Court of Appeals.
    Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Linn County, Ian K.
    Thornhill, Judge.
    Plaintiff seeks a new trial based on an allegedly inconsistent and
    inadequate jury verdict awarding medical specials but only one dollar for
    pain and suffering for injuries suffered in a car accident. DECISION OF
    COURT OF APPEALS VACATED; DISTRICT COURT JUDGMENT
    REVERSED; CASE REMANDED FOR NEW TRIAL ON DAMAGES.
    James K. Weston II of Tom Riley Law Firm, Iowa City, for
    appellant.
    2
    Thomas B. Read and Stephanie A. Legislador of Crawford, Sullivan,
    Read & Roemerman, PC, Cedar Rapids, for appellee Lori Lynn Parr.
    3
    WATERMAN, Justice.
    In this appeal, we must decide whether the district court should
    have granted a new trial based on an allegedly inconsistent and
    inadequate jury verdict in a personal injury action arising from a motor
    vehicle accident. The jury initially awarded the plaintiff passenger nearly
    $17,000 in past medical expenses, but zero for pain and suffering. All
    parties agreed that the verdict was inconsistent, and the jury was
    instructed to resume deliberations to resolve the inconsistency. The jury
    then awarded one dollar for pain and suffering but left the rest of the
    verdict unchanged.    The jury was discharged after no party requested
    further deliberations. The plaintiff’s motion for a new trial was denied,
    and we transferred his appeal to the court of appeals, which affirmed,
    concluding “the one dollar award remedied the inconsistency, if any”
    because “[t]he cause and extent of injury were clearly disputed, and [the
    plaintiff] was not credible.”   We granted the plaintiff’s application for
    further review.
    On our review, we conclude the plaintiff preserved error through
    his objections to the verdict and motion for new trial without asking the
    court to send the jury back for a third round of deliberations to address
    the inconsistency.   We hold that the award of one dollar for pain and
    suffering was inconsistent with the award of nearly $17,000 for medical
    expenses incurred for the diagnosis and treatment of pain.            That
    inconsistency requires a new trial. Accordingly, we vacate the decision of
    the court of appeals, reverse the district court judgment, and remand the
    case for a new trial on damages.
    I. Background Facts and Proceedings.
    On the evening of November 15, 2007, Lori Parr test drove a used
    SUV with Kevin Bryant, a salesperson at a Pat McGrath auto dealership
    4
    in Cedar Rapids. Bryant directed Parr to drive down Edgewood Road so
    she could experience city driving in the SUV. Parr made an illegal left
    turn, and the SUV was struck on the passenger side by a car driven by
    Robert Rimrodt.    Bryant hit his head and briefly lost consciousness.
    Both vehicles were totaled.
    Bryant was taken immediately after the accident to the Mercy
    Medical Center emergency room in Cedar Rapids. The emergency room
    doctors noted that Bryant reported pain in his lower back, neck, and
    right leg. The doctors were unable to find any physiological explanation
    for his complaints.     Bryant was prescribed pain medication and
    discharged the same evening. However, Bryant failed to return to work
    that month due to his complaints of accident-related pain.
    On November 24, Bryant went to the emergency room at Mercy
    Hospital in Iowa City, complaining of numbness and tingling in his left
    arm and severe headaches.      A doctor examined Bryant but found no
    physiological explanation for his reported symptoms.     The doctor told
    Bryant that he could expect to heal from the accident within three to four
    weeks.
    Three days later, Bryant saw his personal physician, Dr. Kirk
    Gieswein.   Bryant described his neck and back pain, headaches, and
    trouble sleeping. Bryant also complained of intermittent blurred vision.
    Dr. Gieswein prescribed Maxalt and Nortriptyline for his migraines and
    to help him sleep.    Bryant had several follow-up appointments with
    Dr. Gieswein, and he continued to complain of headaches. Dr. Gieswein
    diagnosed Bryant with posttraumatic headaches.
    On December 10, Bryant began seeing a physician chosen by his
    employer, Dr. Henri Cuddihy, for his neck and low-back pain.       Bryant
    also complained of headaches and blurred vision.             Dr. Cuddihy
    5
    authorized Bryant to return to work with a ten-pound lifting restriction.
    Bryant resumed working at the auto dealership on December 12.
    Dr. Cuddihy eventually removed the lifting restriction and cleared Bryant
    to work without restrictions. Based on Bryant’s subjective complaints of
    back pain, Dr. Cuddihy assigned him a five percent impairment of the
    whole person and referred him to an ophthalmologist and a physical
    therapist.
    The ophthalmologist, Dr. Jeffery Maassen, prescribed bifocals,
    which Bryant said improved his vision and headaches. Bryant also saw
    Patrick Cornelius, a physical therapist.   Bryant’s goal for the physical
    therapy was to relieve his pain.    Bryant told Cornelius that he had
    constant headaches and moderate neck and low-back pain. Cornelius
    observed Bryant had a limited range of motion in his back and neck.
    Cornelius designed a home exercise program for Bryant and scheduled
    appointments for two to three times per week. Bryant did some of the
    exercises but not as often as suggested.       Bryant reported that he
    improved, but he missed work on January 17 and 18, 2008, due to his
    complaints of pain.   After several months of physical therapy, Bryant
    exhibited full range of motion in his back and neck.
    On February 27, Bryant sought treatment from a chiropractor,
    Dr. Christine Bowman. During the initial consultation, Bryant reported
    he had severe neck and low-back pain, numbness in his left leg, and
    headaches.    Dr. Bowman conducted an orthopedic examination and
    observed a restricted range of motion.      She diagnosed Bryant with
    sciatica, degeneration of lumbar disc, degeneration of cervical disc, and
    pain in the thoracic spine. Dr. Bowman recommended Bryant continue
    chiropractic treatments consisting of manual spinal adjustments.
    Bryant responded well to the treatments initially, but later Dr. Bowman
    6
    reported his “prognosis is guarded because he is experiencing mixed
    results.” Bryant said the adjustments helped him manage his pain, and
    he continued with this treatment throughout the trial.
    On November 5, 2009, Bryant filed this lawsuit against Parr 1 and
    Rimrodt, alleging their negligence caused his personal injuries. 2                 Parr
    and Rimrodt countered that Bryant was at fault for directing Parr to
    make the left turn and conducting a distracting demonstration of the
    SUV’s features during the test drive. Bryant’s jury trial began July 8,
    2013, forty-four months after he filed suit.
    Bryant was age fifty-five at trial, and according to his trial
    testimony, the injuries from the accident over six years earlier
    permanently harmed his health and altered his life. He claimed that he
    did not go to the doctor or use prescription drugs before the accident.
    Previously, Bryant had played football at the University of Iowa and had
    continued his active lifestyle after graduating. Bryant had regularly lifted
    weights, swam, or jogged before the accident.              Bryant became curious
    about chiropractic care after he had a football-related injury to his ankle
    and was treated by a chiropractor four times. He went twice after his
    football injury and twice in 2007.
    After the accident, Bryant testified he continued to suffer from
    headaches and pain in his leg, lower back, shoulders, neck, and left
    hand.     His blood pressure rose, and he gained weight.                  His injuries
    1Betweenthe accident and trial, Lori Parr married and changed her name to Lori
    Springsteen. For convenience and to align this opinion with the parties’ briefs, we refer
    to her as Parr.
    2Bryant also sued GEICO General Insurance Company under its uninsured and
    underinsured motorist provisions because Bryant claimed his damages would exceed
    Parr and Rimrodt’s insurance policies. GEICO’s claims were severed before trial and
    are not at issue in this appeal.
    7
    decreased his ability to perform everyday tasks, such as vacuuming,
    washing dishes, putting on clothes, or sitting for extended periods. He
    slept poorly due to difficulty finding a good sleeping position.
    Bryant claimed he lost earning capacity because his ability to
    concentrate diminished after the accident.      Bryant said he wanted to
    change jobs because he feared test drives. Bryant explored a new career
    selling insurance based on his past experience in that field but gave up
    because he felt he lacked the concentration needed to complete the
    testing required for an insurance license.
    Defense counsel sought to impeach Bryant on cross-examination
    in   several   ways.    Defense    counsel    introduced     Bryant’s   sworn
    interrogatory answers denying any chiropractic treatment before the
    accident, together with evidence that Bryant, in fact, had twenty-three
    chiropractic manipulations from Dr. Bowman in 2006. Bryant testified
    at trial that Dr. Bowman treated his “minor” back pain, yet Bryant had
    indicated on his 2006 client intake form that he had a history of
    backaches, headaches, and being “locked on all fours.” Defense counsel
    also showed that Bryant worked as a car salesman for about a year after
    the accident despite his alleged anxiety over test drives.
    A defense expert, Dr. Thomas Hughes, testified by deposition that
    he reviewed Bryant’s medical records and conducted an independent
    medical examination.     Dr. Hughes opined that Bryant exaggerated his
    symptoms.       He found no physiological explanations for Bryant’s
    complaints of pain. Dr. Hughes disagreed with how Dr. Cuddihy arrived
    at the five percent impairment rating and concluded Bryant was not
    impaired. Dr. Hughes conceded he had no reason to doubt that Bryant
    was injured when he hit his head during the collision on November 15.
    8
    The defendants also challenged the need for the chiropractic
    treatment Bryant received.           Dr. Dan Futch, a chiropractor who had
    reviewed Bryant’s records, testified Bryant’s treatments were excessive.
    Dr. Futch conceded Bryant had suffered a head injury and minor injuries
    to his neck and thoracic and lumbar spine in the accident.                  But
    Dr. Futch opined Bryant exaggerated his neck pain and his leg pain was
    unrelated to the accident. Dr. Futch described chiropractic adjustments
    as “aggressive” and “skillfully controlled violence” that is generally
    intolerable for persons with serious back problems. Dr. Futch said the
    fact that Bryant was able to undergo over one hundred spinal
    adjustments suggested that Bryant’s back injury was not serious.
    Moreover, Dr. Futch testified that twenty-four treatment sessions provide
    the maximum benefit that may be derived from chiropractic adjustments,
    so Bryant did not need the 115 adjustments he actually received.
    Defense counsel also noted inconsistencies in what Bryant told his
    doctors.      For example, when Bryant went to the emergency room on
    November 24, 2007, he denied having any neck pain.              Further, when
    Bryant first went to Dr. Cuddihy, he did not complain of numbness or
    tingling in any of his extremities. The defendants, however, presented no
    evidence that Bryant was uninjured in the accident.
    In closing argument, Bryant’s counsel asked the jury to award a
    total of $544,824, as follows:
    Past medical expenses 3                                    $33,408
    Future medical expenses                                    $77,340
    Loss of time–earnings 4                                    $11,076
    3This   included $18,732 for chiropractic treatment.
    4Bryant  arrived at this amount from his workers’ compensation award. The
    defendants disputed this amount because $9502 of his award was designated for the
    9
    Loss of future earning capacity                               $75,000
    Past pain and suffering                                       $66,000
    Future pain and suffering                                     $66,000
    Loss of full mind and body—past                               $66,000
    Loss of full mind and body—future                            $150,000
    Bryant’s counsel explained that insurance had paid $20,039 in medical
    bills that must be reimbursed, so Bryant would not personally recover
    any lower award. Both defense counsel agreed that if the jury reached
    the issue of damages, it would be appropriate to award $8237 for these
    medical expenses:
    Chiropractic treatments                                         $1440
    Area Ambulance                                                   $749
    Physical therapy                                                $4021
    Radiology                                                        $276
    UI Healthworks                                                   $837
    Walmart Pharmacy                                                  $33
    Radiologic Medical Services                                      $406
    Cedar Neurologic Surgeons                                        $475
    Parr’s counsel conceded it also would be appropriate to award all of the
    claimed medical expenses for Mercy Medical, Mercy Hospital, Mercy
    Services, and Linn County ER Medicine bringing the total to $16,219.
    The jury was instructed that “[t]o establish his claim against [Parr],
    Plaintiff must prove [Parr’s] . . . negligence was a cause of damage to the
    plaintiff [and] the nature and extent of damage.” The jury was instructed
    as follows regarding causation:
    The conduct of a party is a cause of injury when the
    injury would not have happened except for the conduct.
    There can be more than one cause of an injury. When two or
    more separate acts are so related to the injury that their
    combined action, when viewed as a whole, is the cause of the
    injury without which the injury would not occur, then each
    act may be a cause.
    Instruction No. 12.
    ______________________________
    five percent partial disability assigned by Dr. Cuddihy.   Workers’ compensation paid
    Bryant $1574 in lost wages.
    10
    If you find plaintiff had a pre-existing medical
    condition before this incident and this condition was
    aggravated by this incident causing further suffering or
    disability then he is entitled to recover damages caused by
    the aggravation. He is not entitled to recover for any physical
    ailment or disability which existed before this incident or for
    any injuries or damages which he now has which were not
    caused by either defendant’s actions.
    Instruction No. 29 (emphasis added).
    The jury instructions on damages stated in part:
    If you find Kevin Bryant is entitled to recover damages,
    you shall consider the following items:
    Past Medical Expenses.     The reasonable cost of
    necessary hospital charges, doctor charges, prescriptions
    and other medical services from the date of injury to the
    present time.
    In determining the reasonable cost of necessary
    hospital charges, doctor charges, prescriptions and other
    medical services, you may consider the amount actually
    paid, or any other evidence of what is reasonable and proper
    for such medical expense.
    ....
    Loss Of time - Earnings. The reasonable value of lost
    wages from the date of injury to the present time.
    ....
    Loss Of Full Mind And Body - Past. Loss of function
    of the mind and body from the date of injury to the present
    time. Loss of mind and body is the inability of a particular
    part of the mind and body to function in a normal manner.
    ....
    Physical And Mental Pain And Suffering - Past.
    Physical and mental pain and suffering from the date of
    injury to the present time.
    Physical pain and suffering may include, but is not
    limited to, bodily suffering or discomfort.
    Mental pain and suffering may include, but is not
    limited to, mental anguish or loss of enjoyment of life.
    ....
    The amount you assess for physical and mental pain
    and suffering in the past and future, future earning capacity,
    loss of function of the mind and body in the past and future
    cannot be measured by any exact or mathematical standard.
    You must use your sound judgment based upon an impartial
    11
    consideration of the evidence. Your judgment must not be
    exercised arbitrarily, or out of sympathy or prejudice, for or
    against the parties. The amount you assess for any item of
    damage must not exceed the amount caused by a party as
    proved by the evidence.
    A party cannot recover duplicate damages. Do not
    allow amounts awarded under one item of damage to be
    included in any amount awarded under another item of
    damage. The amounts, if any, you find for each of the above
    items will be used to answer the questions on the verdict
    form.
    Instruction No. 26 (emphasis added).
    The jury returned a special verdict finding Parr ninety-five percent
    at fault and Bryant five percent at fault. No fault was assigned to the
    other driver, Rimrodt. The jury’s verdict on damages was as follows:
    1.   Past medical expenses                         $16,937.53
    2.   Future medical expenses                               $0
    3.   Loss of time—earnings                          $1,574.66
    4.   Loss of future earning capacity                       $0
    5.   Past pain and suffering                               $0
    6.   Loss of full mind and body—past                       $0
    7.   Loss of full mind and body—future                     $0
    TOTAL (add the separate items of damage)           $18,512.19
    The presiding judge was on military leave when the jury finished
    deliberations, so a different judge received the verdict. All parties agreed
    that the court should send the jury back for further deliberations with an
    instruction that an award of past medical expenses required an award
    for past pain and suffering.     Thereafter, the jury returned a second
    verdict that awarded one dollar for past pain and suffering, but left the
    other amounts unchanged:
    1.   Past medical expenses                         $16,937.53
    2.   Future medical expenses                               $0
    3.   Loss of time—earnings                          $1,574.66
    4.   Loss of future earning capacity                       $0
    5.   Past pain and suffering                          $ 01.00
    6.   Loss of full mind and body—past                       $0
    7.   Loss of full mind and body—future                     $0
    TOTAL (add the separate items of damage)           $18,513.19
    12
    The court, by teleconference, informed trial counsel of the new verdict.
    Bryant’s counsel responded as follows:
    Obviously, it’s one dollar, so that would be my opinion.
    Inadequate.
    And I guess my position is, first, that based on the —
    you know, we sent it back to them, they gave this award of
    one dollar.
    And, again, we submit it’s really inadequate given the
    evidence, that at this time we would discharge the jury and
    set the case for a new trial but, in the alternative, would
    request a further instruction telling the jury that their award
    for pain and suffering is inadequate given the evidence, and
    that they need to — You can’t tell them what to give, but you
    can tell them that it’s not adequate and that they need to do
    more.
    Defense counsel argued the jury’s award complied with the instruction to
    award damages for pain and suffering and objected to sending the jury
    back for further deliberations. Bryant’s counsel responded that the court
    should order a new trial because the jury’s award of damages was
    inadequate and the verdict was inconsistent:
    [The chiropractic treatment and physical therapy], the
    evidence is clear, were performed to assist Mr. Bryant with
    his pain and for the relief of pain and, therefore, it is
    inconsistent for the jury to make the award for those medical
    expenses and others, including evidence of medical expenses
    for pain medication, without an award for pain and suffering
    in an amount significantly greater than what was awarded
    by the jury. It’s — It is inconsistent.
    And where a finding of the jury is not supported by
    evidence, a new trial must be granted. . . .
    . . . And that an inadequate award of damages is
    grounds for a new trial. . . .
    And for those reasons, especially, again, because both
    Defendants have — are resisting the idea of sending another
    instruction to the jury, Plaintiff would at this time request
    that the jury be discharged and that the Court set this case
    for a new trial on the issue of damages.
    The judge directed counsel for Bryant and for Parr to come to court for
    further discussions on how to handle the verdict.
    13
    When counsel for Bryant and for Parr arrived an hour later, they
    agreed the jury should not be told to deliberate a third time:
    MR. WESTON: I think at this time, Your Honor, given
    the response that we’ve had from the jury and some
    additional time to think about it and the discussion that
    we’ve had with Your Honor and Mr. Read, I think it does
    make sense at this point not to send it back again due to the
    inconsistency of the verdict and that they’ve been given a
    chance to remedy that and they weren’t able to do so.
    ....
    And I — I understand the Court, obviously, because
    Your Honor was not there for the trial and hasn’t seen the
    exhibits and didn’t hear any testimony, you’re not familiar
    with the findings of the case, but just our position would be
    that it’s not possible to reconcile the award of medical
    expenses that was made with a verdict of zero or one dollar
    or anything like that for either pain and suffering or body
    function.
    THE COURT: Mr. Read?
    MR. READ: The jury has now been given two chances
    to make its decision on the issue of pain and suffering, and I
    don’t think that a third would be productive at this point. I
    think the Court should accept the verdict form as is and
    proceed.
    Accordingly, the court discharged the jury.
    Bryant filed a motion for a new trial alleging the verdict was
    inadequate and inconsistent. Parr resisted. The judge who had presided
    over the trial, now back from military leave, presided over the hearing on
    the motion for new trial. The district court denied the motion in a ruling
    that focused on the disputed nature of Bryant’s injuries:
    After considering all the evidence presented at trial,
    the Court finds the jury’s award of $1.00 for pain and
    suffering is not inadequate and does not warrant ordering a
    new trial on the issue. The cause and extent of Plaintiff’s
    injury was highly disputed at trial.        The jury received
    contradictory evidence, including Plaintiff’s own testimony,
    that Plaintiff had a pre-existing medical condition at the time
    of the accident. The jury also received evidence that Plaintiff
    had received the same or similar chiropractic treatment pre-
    accident that was also deemed necessary post-accident.
    Based upon this evidence, it was reasonable for the jury,
    14
    weighing the credibility of both the Plaintiff and the medical
    experts, to conclude Plaintiff failed to establish his claimed
    pain and suffering damages were caused by the instant
    accident. Furthermore, the Court finds it telling that the
    jury initially determined Plaintiff was entitled to no
    compensation for pain and suffering before awarding only
    $1.00 in nominal damages after being compelled to
    deliberate further by the Court.
    Additionally, the contradictory nature of the evidence
    also supports the jury’s denial of an award for past loss of
    full mind and body, making additional instruction by the
    Court to the jury on this issue unwarranted.
    The jury’s verdict and damage award was supported by
    substantial evidence, did justice for all parties, and should
    not be disturbed.
    Bryant appealed, arguing the verdict was inconsistent and
    inadequate. We transferred the case to the court of appeals. The court
    of appeals affirmed the order denying a new trial. It concluded that given
    Bryant’s preaccident history of pain and lack of objective evidence of
    pain, the one-dollar award for pain and suffering was consistent with the
    evidence:
    [W]e conclude the one dollar award remedied the
    inconsistency, if any, because the award is not so logically
    and legally inconsistent as to be irreconcilable in the context
    of the case. The cause and extent of injury were clearly
    disputed, and Bryant was not credible.
    We granted Bryant’s application for further review.
    II. Standard of Review.
    Our review of a district court’s ruling on a motion for new trial
    depends on the grounds raised in the motion. Clinton Physical Therapy
    Servs., P.C. v. John Deere Health Care, Inc., 
    714 N.W.2d 603
    , 609 (Iowa
    2006).   When the ground for a new trial is inconsistency of the jury
    verdict, we review for correction of errors at law. 
    Id. “[J]ury[] verdicts
    are
    to be liberally construed to give effect to the intention of the jury and to
    harmonize the verdicts if it is possible to do so.” Hoffman v. Nat’l Med.
    15
    Enters., Inc., 
    442 N.W.2d 123
    , 126 (Iowa 1989).        “We are slower to
    interfere with the grant of a new trial than with its denial.” Cowan v.
    Flannery, 
    461 N.W.2d 155
    , 157 (Iowa 1990); see Iowa R. App. P.
    6.904(3)(d).
    III. Analysis.
    We must decide whether the jury verdict awarding $16,937 in past
    medical expenses but just one dollar in past pain and suffering is
    inconsistent such that a new trial is required. We first address Parr’s
    contention that Bryant failed to preserve error because he did not
    request the court to instruct the jury to resume deliberations yet again
    after it increased the pain and suffering award from zero to one dollar.
    We conclude error was preserved by Bryant’s objections and motion for a
    new trial. On the merits of the appeal, we hold the verdict is inconsistent
    and a new trial on damages is required.
    A. Error Preservation. Parr argues on appeal that Bryant failed
    to preserve error because Bryant did not ask the district court to instruct
    the jury to resume deliberations after the jury awarded one dollar for
    past pain and suffering.    Parr contends that a party challenging an
    inconsistent verdict must request further deliberations to cure the
    inconsistency before moving for a new trial or appealing. What sets this
    case apart, however, is that the jury had already been instructed to
    resume deliberations for a second time to cure an inconsistency after it
    initially awarded nearly $17,000 in medical expenses and zero for pain
    and suffering.   The district court, with the agreement of all parties,
    instructed the jury that an award of medical expenses requires an award
    for pain and suffering. The jury responded by awarding one dollar. All
    parties and the district court agreed that additional jury deliberations
    were not required.
    16
    Parr cites no case, and we found none, holding that to preserve
    error for appeal a jury already instructed once to resume deliberations to
    resolve an inconsistency must be instructed to resume deliberations yet
    again after returning a new, slightly different award. Our rules do not
    require sending the jury back repeatedly to resolve inconsistent verdicts.
    To the contrary, the district court may “either send the jury back for
    additional deliberations or grant a new trial.” Clinton Physical 
    Therapy, 714 N.W.2d at 611
    (emphasis added); see also Iowa R. Civ. P. 1.934 (“If
    the answers are inconsistent with each other . . . the court shall not
    order judgment, but either send the jury back or order a new trial.”). In
    Clinton Physical Therapy, the plaintiff consented to a sealed verdict,5
    which we noted “may constitute a waiver of the additional-deliberations
    option, but it would not constitute a waiver of other 
    remedies.” 714 N.W.2d at 610
    . We held that the plaintiff preserved error to challenge
    the district court’s denial of its motion for a new trial based on the
    inconsistent verdict. 
    Id. The district
    court is best positioned to determine whether to order
    additional deliberations before ruling on a motion for new trial.                     See
    Dutcher v. Lewis, 
    221 N.W.2d 755
    , 762 (Iowa 1974) (“Ordinarily, it is
    discretionary with the court as to which of these alternatives to choose.”).
    All parties agreed this jury should not be sent back to deliberate again.
    Bryant thereby waived the right to seek further deliberations but not a
    new trial. Bryant objected to the verdict as inconsistent and inadequate
    and moved for a new trial on those grounds. We hold he preserved error
    to appeal the district court’s denial of his motion for new trial.
    5A  sealed verdict permits the district court to discharge the jury after it reaches
    the verdict “without reporting its findings in open court in the presence of the parties.”
    Clinton Physical 
    Therapy, 714 N.W.2d at 607
    –08.
    17
    B. Inconsistent Verdict. Bryant primarily argues the jury award
    of $16,937 in past medical bills incurred to treat his complaints of pain
    over several years is inconsistent with the award of one dollar for past
    pain and suffering. 6 The first step in our analysis “is to determine if an
    inconsistency exists.”       Clinton Physical 
    Therapy, 714 N.W.2d at 613
    .
    “When we can harmonize the jury verdict in a reasonable manner
    consistent with the jury instructions, the evidence, and inferences the
    jury   could     have drawn      from    that evidence,       the   verdict   is   not
    inconsistent.” Crow v. Simpson, ___ N.W.2d ___, ___ (Iowa 2015); see also
    Iowa R. Civ. P. 1.934.        Conversely, “[w]hen, under this analysis, two
    answers or findings by the jury would compel the rendition of different
    judgments, the answers are inconsistent.” Clinton Physical 
    Therapy, 714 N.W.2d at 613
    .         The district court may enter judgment based on
    consistent answers but may not enter judgment when the answers to
    interrogatories are inconsistent. 
    Id. We applied
    these principles in Clinton Physical Therapy. In that
    case, the plaintiff, a provider of physical therapy services, sued a health
    maintenance organization (HMO) for breach of contract. 
    Id. at 606.
    The
    fighting issue was whether the HMO’s plan covered the services, billed at
    fifty dollars per office visit. 
    Id. at 606.
    The HMO contended the plaintiff
    failed to mitigate damages by continuing to provide services for members
    6Bryant    also argues the verdict was inconsistent because the jury failed to
    award any amount for loss of full use of mind and body. We agree with the district
    court and court of appeals that the jury’s finding on that element of damages was not
    inconsistent with the award of medical expenses. The jury was instructed that damages
    for loss of full use compensate for the “inability of a particular part of the mind and
    body to function in a normal manner.” It is a separate element from pain and suffering.
    See Brant v. Bockholt, 
    532 N.W.2d 801
    , 804–05 (Iowa 1995). The jury could have found
    Bryant suffered no loss of function from the accident. Accordingly, the jury’s award of
    medical expenses but zero for loss of full use is not inconsistent.
    18
    after being notified they were not covered by its plan. 
    Id. The case
    was
    submitted to the jury with special interrogatories. 
    Id. at 607–08.
    The
    jury returned a sealed verdict with answers to the first three
    interrogatories, finding the HMO breached the contract. 
    Id. at 608.
    The
    jury answered the fourth interrogatory by finding the plaintiff did not fail
    to mitigate its damages. 
    Id. The jury’s
    answer to the fifth interrogatory
    found the plaintiff’s damages were $138,750. 
    Id. Yet, the
    jury answered
    the sixth interrogatory by finding the plaintiff failed to mitigate damages
    in the amount of $128,200. 
    Id. The district
    court “discharged the jury
    without notifying the attorneys for the parties.” 
    Id. The plaintiff
    moved
    for a new trial, arguing that the verdict was inconsistent. 
    Id. The district
    court found it was possible to reconcile the answers based on evidence
    that $128,200 was the amount billed after notification that the services
    were outside the HMO’s coverage while $138,750 was the total amount
    billed. 
    Id. at 609.
    The district court changed the jury’s answer to the
    fourth interrogatory from “no” to “yes” to reflect a finding of failure to
    mitigate and entered judgment for the plaintiff in the amount of $10,550.
    
    Id. The plaintiff
    appealed, and we transferred the case to the court of
    appeals, which affirmed. 
    Id. We granted
    the plaintiff’s application for
    further review.    
    Id. We acknowledged
    “the district court may have
    uncovered a very logical explanation for the inconsistent answers.” 
    Id. at 614.
    But we concluded that reforming the verdict required impermissible
    speculation as to the jury’s intent as to conflicting evidence of mitigation:
    When two answers in a verdict are both supported by
    substantial evidence but are inconsistent under the
    instructions, a court may not attempt to reconcile the
    inconsistency and enter a judgment by correcting the
    inconsistency to conform to the intent of the jury because
    19
    the two conflicting views of the evidence would necessarily
    produce some speculation about the intent of the jury.
    
    Id. Accordingly, we
    held “[t]he answers in the verdict in this case were
    internally inconsistent as a matter of law” which required a new trial. 
    Id. Because the
    jury in that case had not been given the opportunity
    to resolve the inconsistency through further deliberations, necessitating
    a retrial, we reiterated, “To avoid repetition of this resource-wasting
    result, we repeat [our] prior admonition that ‘[t]he trial court should not
    discharge the jury until it determines the special verdict is consistent
    and supported by evidence.’ ” 
    Id. at 616
    (quoting 
    Cowan, 461 N.W.2d at 160
    )). The district court in this case followed that admonition when the
    jury awarded Bryant nearly $17,000 in medical expenses but zero for
    pain and suffering—a verdict all parties agreed was inconsistent.       But
    the jury, after being instructed an award of medical expenses required an
    award for pain and suffering, deliberated again and awarded one dollar
    for that element, leaving the rest of its verdict unchanged. The district
    court and court of appeals concluded the one dollar award cured the
    inconsistency. We disagree.
    A dollar constitutes nominal damages. 
    Cowan, 461 N.W.2d at 158
    .
    We have stated:
    Generally, nominal damages are not recoverable in cases in
    which damages are an element of the cause of action.
    Because damages are an element of a negligence or
    comparative fault action, nominal damages should not be
    awarded. If a party has suffered personal injury as a result
    of another’s negligence or fault, the injured party is entitled
    to actual or substantial damages, not nominal damages.
    Nominal damages are allowed, not as an equivalent for the
    wrong, but in recognition of a technical injury and by way of
    declaring a right and are not the same as damages small in
    amount.
    
    Id. at 158–59
    (citations omitted). In Cowan, we held that an award of
    medical expenses to treat pain was inconsistent with an award of zero for
    20
    pain and suffering. 
    Id. at 160.
    The district court erred by failing to follow
    Cowan.
    Cowan was injured when his car collided with a grain truck. 
    Id. at 156,
    159. He sued the truck driver for negligence. 
    Id. at 156.
    Cowan’s
    alleged damages included medical expenses incurred to treat severe
    headaches, dizziness, blurred vision, and back pain from the collision.
    
    Id. at 159.
       The defendant “vigorously challenged” Cowan’s alleged
    injuries with medical records noting Cowan’s prompt recovery and a job
    application submitted a year after the accident in which Cowan “certified
    . . . he did not have, nor had he ever had, chronic neck pain, neck
    stiffness, chest pain, back injury, chronic back pain or back stiffness.”
    
    Id. at 160.
      The jury found past and future medical expenses totaling
    $21,220 but awarded zero for pain and suffering, loss of earning
    capacity, or loss of body function. 
    Id. at 157.
    The jury was discharged
    without further deliberations, and the district court entered judgment on
    the verdict. 
    Id. Cowan moved
    for a new trial, contending the verdict was
    “internally inconsistent” and “not supported by the evidence.” 
    Id. The district
    court denied the motion, ruling that the “total amount of
    damages found by the jury is reasonable and supported by the evidence.”
    
    Id. Cowan appealed.
    Id. at 156. 
    We reversed and remanded the case for
    a new trial on damages. 
    Id. at 160.
    We concluded,
    [i]t is illogical to award past and future medical expense
    incurred to relieve headache, neck and back pain and then
    allow nothing for such physical and mental pain and
    suffering. Having determined that these medical expenses
    were recoverable, there seems no way for the jury to disallow
    recovery for the appellant’s pain and suffering for the same
    injuries. Although the award may be adequate, a special
    verdict award of nothing for pain and suffering is
    inconsistent and unsupported by evidence.
    
    Id. at 160.
    The same reasoning applies to Bryant’s verdict.
    21
    By contrast, in Foggia v. Des Moines Bowl-O-Mat, Inc., we were
    presented with a factual variation of Cowan and held a small award for
    pain and suffering but zero for medical expenses was consistent. 
    543 N.W.2d 889
    , 891–92 (Iowa 1996).             Foggia slipped and fell on an icy
    concrete slab outside the defendants’ bowling alley. 
    Id. at 890.
    He first
    sought treatment months later, when he told his chiropractor “he was
    sore because he had just cut down 100 trees.” 
    Id. He did
    not inform his
    chiropractor that he had fallen on ice until his next visit a day later. 
    Id. At trial,
    the defendants produced evidence that Foggia had an extensive
    history of separate injuries, both before and after his fall at the bowling
    alley.    
    Id. The jury
    found for the plaintiff and awarded one hundred
    dollars for past pain and suffering, but zero for future pain and suffering,
    past medical expenses, or loss of past and future body function. 
    Id. at 891.
         The plaintiff’s motion for a new trial based on the allegedly
    inconsistent verdict was denied, and he appealed. 
    Id. We affirmed
    and held the jury verdict that awarded Foggia one
    hundred dollars for pain and suffering but no medical expenses was
    consistent. 
    Id. at 892.
    We considered the verdict in Foggia to be the
    “inverse” of the verdict in Cowan:
    The court in Cowan . . . opined that it was illogical for a jury
    to “award past and future medical expense incurred to
    relieve headache, neck and back pain and then allow
    nothing for such physical pain and suffering.” Such a
    breach of logic does not exist in the instant case. Here the
    jury awarded Foggia damages for past pain and suffering,
    but nothing for past medical expenses.          Based on the
    evidence and testimony presented at trial, it is plausible that
    the jury found none of his medical expenses were caused by
    the fall at issue. The jury in this case found that the
    plaintiff’s claimed medical expenses, loss of function, and
    much of his pain and suffering were not the result of this
    fall. Because these are the precise types of findings within
    the province of the jury and they are supported by
    substantial evidence in the record, we will not disturb them
    by granting the plaintiff a new trial.
    22
    Id. (quoting 
    Cowan, 461 N.W.2d at 160
    ).                 Cowan is the applicable
    precedent here, and its application requires a new trial in this case.
    The jury was instructed to award only damages caused by Parr’s
    negligence. 7     Bryant’s submitted medical expenses of over $30,000,
    which according to his testimony, were incurred to treat his complaints
    of pain from the accident caused by Parr’s negligent driving. Like the
    defendant in Cowan, Parr vigorously contested the extent of Bryant’s
    injuries and impeached him with his own inconsistent statements. The
    jury could have found Bryant suffered only minimal injuries in the
    accident and greatly exaggerated his complaints of pain. The evidence
    supported a finding that the ongoing chiropractic treatment, and much
    of his other medical care, was for preexisting conditions or unrelated to
    the accident. 8       Yet, the jury found Parr’s negligence caused Bryant to
    incur $16,937 in medical expenses. 9 These damages were necessarily for
    many months of treatment of his accident-related injuries, specifically,
    pain. Moreover, the jury awarded Bryant $1574 for three weeks of lost
    earnings, again necessarily finding that accident-related pain caused him
    to miss work. These findings cannot be reconciled with the award of only
    7Instruction No. 12 stated in part, “The conduct of a party is a cause of injury
    when the injury would not have happened except for the conduct.” Instruction No. 26
    stated in part, “The amount you assess for any item of damage must not exceed the
    amount caused by a party as proved by the evidence.”
    8Instruction No. 29 allowed recovery for the aggravation of preexisting medical
    conditions but provided Bryant “is not entitled to recover for any physical ailment or
    disability which existed before this incident or for any injuries or damages which he
    now has which were not caused by either defendant’s actions.”
    9Instruction  No. 26 stated in part, “Do not allow amounts awarded under one
    item of damage to be included in any amount awarded under another item of damage.”
    Given the separate instructions for medical expenses and pain and suffering, we cannot
    presume the jury intended its award of medical expenses to compensate Bryant for his
    pain. To the contrary, the jury had been informed that Bryant’s insurer would be
    reimbursed for any award of medical expenses up to $20,039. See Iowa Code
    § 668.14(2) (allowing evidence and argument as to insurance subrogation rights).
    23
    one dollar for pain and suffering. See 
    Cowan, 461 N.W.2d at 158
    –60. If
    the jury believed Bryant’s pain was nonexistent or unrelated to the
    accident, it should not have awarded that amount of medical expenses or
    lost earnings.    We cannot speculate as to the jury’s intent to affirm a
    judgment based on inconsistent answers. Clinton Physical 
    Therapy, 714 N.W.2d at 614
    .
    Because we are reversing on the inconsistency ground, we do not
    reach Bryant’s alternative argument that the amount of the verdict was
    inadequate. 10
    C. Scope of New Trial. The parties disagree on the scope of a
    new trial.    Neither Bryant nor Parr argue liability should be retried.
    Bryant seeks a new trial on all elements of damages, while Parr argues
    the new trial on damages “should be limited to the verdict line-item of
    any damage finding this Court deems must be retried.” Parr notes that
    “Bryant has not challenged the jury’s verdict as to past medical
    expenses, lost wages, or any future damages” and argues Bryant should
    not get “a second bite at the apple as to damages which he did not
    complain of on appeal, and which do not [affect] the re-trial of any
    damages . . . reversed on appeal.” We must determine the scope of the
    new trial.
    10In  Fisher v. Davis, we noted some of our cases addressing challenges to
    verdicts that awarded medical expenses but no amount for pain and suffering held a
    new trial was required because “the verdict was ‘inconsistent with the evidence.’ ” 
    601 N.W.2d 54
    , 59 (Iowa 1999) (quoting Shewry v. Heuer, 
    255 Iowa 147
    , 153, 
    121 N.W.2d 529
    , 533 (1963)). We stated, “In the future, a party seeking a new trial on the ground
    that the verdict was inadequate should use the grounds in rule 244 [now Iowa R. Civ. P.
    1.1004 governing motions for new trial] rather than the common law inconsistency rule.”
    
    Id. (emphasis added).
    In Clinton Physical Therapy, however, we clarified that parties
    may challenge such verdicts as “internally inconsistent” under our rules governing jury
    verdicts and special 
    interrogatories. 714 N.W.2d at 611
    –14. We reverse the district
    court judgment on that basis here.
    24
    “The general rule is that when a new trial is granted, all issues
    must be retried.” McElroy v. State, 
    703 N.W.2d 385
    , 389 (Iowa 2005).
    We may narrow the scope of the retrial under some circumstances:
    As a condition to the granting of a partial new trial, it should
    appear that the issue to be tried is distinct and separable
    from the other issues, and that the new trial can be had
    without danger of complications with other matters.
    
    Id. (quoting Larimer
    v. Platte, 
    243 Iowa 1167
    , 1176, 
    53 N.W.2d 262
    , 267–
    68 (1952)). In applying these principles to personal injury cases, we have
    said, “If there is no evidence in the record that the jury’s determination of
    fault was compromised or affected by the evidence of damages, the issue
    of liability should not be resubmitted on remand.” Thompson v. Allen,
    
    503 N.W.2d 400
    , 401 (Iowa 1993) (citing cases).        We have repeatedly
    limited the retrial to the issue of damages when the jury awarded past
    medical expenses but zero for pain and suffering. See, e.g., 
    Thompson, 503 N.W.2d at 401
    –02; 
    Cowan, 461 N.W.2d at 160
    ; Witte v. Vogt, 
    443 N.W.2d 715
    , 717 (Iowa 1989). Generally, “it [is] unfair to require a new
    trial on all issues ‘when the verdict establishing liability was not the
    result of a compromise trading off liability for reduced damages.’ ”
    
    Thompson, 503 N.W.2d at 402
    (quoting Vorthman v. Keith E. Myers
    Enters., 
    296 N.W.2d 772
    , 778 (Iowa 1980)).
    The jury found Parr ninety-five percent at fault for turning left into
    the path of Rimrodt’s car and found Bryant, Parr’s passenger, five
    percent at fault for telling her to turn left or distracting her. The jury
    found Rimrodt faultless.     No party contends the liability findings are
    tainted by the jury’s determination of damages or that the jury
    compromised on liability. Accordingly, we conclude the new trial shall be
    on the issue of damages, with the total award to be reduced by Bryant’s
    five percent fault.
    25
    In Brant v. Bockholt, we addressed the scope of a new trial on
    damages. 
    532 N.W.2d 801
    , 805 (Iowa 1995). Jonas Brant, a high school
    senior, was a passenger in a car accident who suffered severe facial
    lacerations when he hit the windshield. 
    Id. at 802.
    The accident left him
    with permanent scarring. 
    Id. at 803.
    The jury returned a verdict in his
    favor and awarded past and future medical expenses and past and future
    pain and suffering but “nothing for past or future loss of function of the
    body or for future loss of earnings.” 
    Id. He appealed,
    and we held a new
    trial was required because “the jury should not have been instructed to
    reduce the award for future pain and suffering to present worth.” 
    Id. We determined
    that liability need not be retried but ordered a retrial on all
    elements of damage because “[j]ury determinations of various elements of
    damages are apt to be influenced by the recovery allowed for other
    elements of damage.” 
    Id. at 805.
    In Fisher v. Davis, however, we distinguished Brant as “pertaining
    to one injury.      That led us to conclude that the jury should consider
    anew all the elements of damages pertaining to that injury.” 
    601 N.W.2d 54
    , 60 (Iowa 1999) (citation omitted). Darcy Fisher’s car was rear ended,
    and she initially complained of neck pain and saw her physician the next
    day.   
    Id. at 55.
       He “diagnosed Fisher’s condition as ‘an injury to the
    cervical and thoracic area of the spine,’ commonly referred to as a
    whiplash injury.” 
    Id. He noted
    that condition had “markedly improved”
    eight days after the accident. 
    Id. at 56.
    Three weeks after the accident,
    Fisher complained for the first time of right arm and elbow pain, which
    the same physician “diagnosed her condition as epicondylitis, commonly
    referred to as ‘tennis elbow.’ ” 
    Id. She later
    had surgery on her elbow
    and physical therapy.        
    Id. A year
    after her car accident, Fisher
    complained for the first time of right shoulder pain, which was later
    26
    treated surgically. 
    Id. Fisher sued
    the other driver, claiming her neck,
    elbow, and shoulder injuries all resulted from the rear-end collision. 
    Id. Causation of
    the injuries was the fighting issue at trial. 
    Id. The district
    court submitted her claims for all three injuries to the jury, which
    returned a verdict for $534 in past medical expenses, the amount
    incurred for treatment of her neck pain alone. 
    Id. at 56–57.
    The jury
    awarded nothing for past or future pain and suffering or any other
    elements of damage. 
    Id. at 57.
    We concluded the damage award was
    inadequate because “it was illogical for the jury to award Fisher medical
    expenses to treat her neck injury and pain and then allow nothing for
    her pain and suffering.” 
    Id. at 59.
    But we determined that the jury, by
    awarding the “precise medical expenses relating to Fisher’s neck injury,”
    found that injury alone was sustained in the collision.          
    Id. at 60
    (“[I]nherent in that award was also a clear rejection of Fisher’s claim that
    her elbow and shoulder were also injured in the collision.”). Accordingly,
    we held that “any retrial should be limited to damages relating to Fisher’s
    neck injury.” 
    Id. Bryant likewise
    claimed he sustained multiple injuries in the
    accident resulting in neck pain, headaches, blurred vision, and low back
    pain that manifested at different times. But unlike Fisher, the amount of
    Bryant’s medical expenses awarded cannot be attributed to treatment of
    one type of injury to the exclusion of others.     Accordingly, we decline
    Parr’s invitation to limit the retrial to some elements of past damages but
    not others. This leaves Parr’s argument that because the jury declined to
    award Bryant any future damages, the retrial should be limited to past
    damages, presumably up to the date of the first trial. Parr, without citing
    supporting authority, contends Bryant waived his right to a retrial on
    future damages by not challenging the jury’s failure to award him any
    27
    amount for future damages. Bryant responds that he sought a new trial
    on all elements of damages based on Brant.         We conclude Bryant’s
    motion for new trial preserved error on his claim that the new trial
    should be on all elements of damage, past and future.
    Since Fisher, we have not adjudicated the scope of a new trial in a
    personal injury action when the first jury had awarded no future
    damages and the inconsistency in its verdict involved only past medical
    expenses and past pain and suffering. None of our cases before Fisher
    limited the scope of a new trial on damages to preclude submission of an
    element of damage rejected by the first jury. We see no indication that
    the jury’s rejection of Bryant’s claims for future damages resulted from a
    compromise    trading   off   amounts    awarded       for   past    damages.
    Nevertheless, we face the confirmed inconsistency in the verdict on past
    damages, our admonition in Brant that the award for one element of
    damages may affect another, and our general reluctance to engage in
    speculation to uphold findings in an inconsistent verdict.          Cf. Clinton
    Physical 
    Therapy, 714 N.W.2d at 614
    (declining to engage in speculation
    to reform inconsistent verdict).     Moreover, Bryant may have new
    evidence, including medical expenses incurred since the first trial over
    two years ago, which would be unfair to exclude from a retrial.             Cf.
    
    McElroy, 703 N.W.2d at 389
    (cautioning against narrowing scope of
    retrial in a manner that complicates other matters).
    We hold Bryant is entitled to a new trial on all elements of damage
    supported by substantial evidence, notwithstanding the first jury’s
    rejection of his future damage claims in July 2013.
    28
    IV. Disposition.
    For the foregoing reasons, we vacate the decision of the court of
    appeals, reverse the district court judgment, and remand the case for a
    new trial on damages.
    DECISION OF COURT OF APPEALS VACATED; DISTRICT
    COURT JUDGMENT REVERSED; CASE REMANDED FOR A NEW
    TRIAL ON DAMAGES.
    All justices concur except Mansfield, J., and Cady, C.J., who
    concur in part and dissent in part.
    29
    #13–1883, Bryant v. Parr
    MANSFIELD, Justice (concurring in part and dissenting in part).
    I agree that a new trial is required because the special verdict
    awarding $16,937.53 for past medical expenses is inconsistent with the
    special verdict awarding only a nominal one dollar for past pain and
    suffering. However, there is no reason for the new trial to encompass all
    damages.    Everyone received a fair trial below, and the jury clearly
    rejected Bryant’s claims for ongoing or future harm. That is, the jury
    awarded Bryant nothing for future medical expenses, future pain and
    suffering, loss of future earning capacity, or future loss of full mind and
    body. Just as it is unnecessary for liability to be retried, an area where
    Bryant obtained a favorable verdict, by the same rationale it is
    unnecessary for future damages to be retried, where Parr prevailed.
    The stated reason for not limiting a new trial to certain categories
    of damages is the concern that “[j]ury determinations of various elements
    of damages are apt to be influenced by the recovery allowed for other
    elements of damage.”     Brant v. Bockholt, 
    532 N.W.2d 801
    , 805 (Iowa
    1995). But that concern about cross-contamination is absent here, as
    the majority concedes.    For past medical expenses, the jury awarded
    essentially the amount that Parr’s counsel conceded was due to Bryant—
    assuming the jury found liability—and less than the amount that
    insurance had paid on behalf of Bryant. It is simply inconceivable that
    this jury concluded Bryant had suffered some future harm but decided
    not to award any damages for it because of some other damages he was
    getting.
    Moreover, in Fisher v. Davis, 
    601 N.W.2d 54
    , 61 (Iowa 1999), we
    qualified Brant somewhat and indicated there is no need to retry
    “rejected claims [that] are irrelevant to the elements of damages
    30
    pertaining to the injury the jury did believe [the plaintiff] sustained.”
    Retrial here could be easily and economically limited to Bryant’s alleged
    past damages.
    The majority says that Bryant may have “medical expenses
    incurred since the first trial . . . which would be unfair to exclude from a
    retrial.” But this of course begs the question whether there should be a
    second trial on claims as to which Bryant had a fair trial and which the
    jury squarely rejected. If a second trial is warranted, parties should be
    able to update their relevant evidence, but that is not a separate reason
    for a new trial.
    Numerous other jurisdictions have followed the approach for which
    I am advocating here. See Rice v. Cmty. Health Ass’n, 
    203 F.3d 283
    , 290
    (4th Cir. 2000) (noting that “a new trial can be limited to ‘any separable
    matter’ ” and ordering a new trial on consequential damages only so as to
    avoid a “windfall” to the defendant that had not challenged other aspects
    of the damage award (quoting 11 Charles Alan Wright et al., Federal
    Practice and Procedure § 2814 (2d ed. (1995))); Peebles v. Circuit City
    Stores, Inc., No. 01 Civ. 10195(CSH), 
    2003 WL 22227964
    , *2 (S.D.N.Y.
    Sept. 25, 2003) (ordering a new trial only as to future damages rather
    than all damages and stating that “the greater weight of [New York]
    authority favors” this position); Sunahara v. State Farm Mut. Auto. Ins.
    Co., 
    280 P.3d 649
    , 658 (Colo. 2012) (limiting a new trial to the issue of
    past economic damages only); ITT Hartford Ins. Co. of the Se. v. Owens,
    
    816 So. 2d 572
    , 577–78 (Fla. 2002) (noting that “[t]he plaintiff’s future
    medical damages constitute a discrete item of recovery, separate from
    other damages,” and a new trial should be confined to them alone);
    Costales v. Rosete, 
    331 P.3d 431
    , 446 (Haw. 2014) (“We therefore further
    limit the damages issues to be re-tried to those that are contested and
    31
    that are ‘sufficiently separate’ from those damages issues that are not
    contested on appeal.”); Stamp v. Sylvan, 
    906 N.E.2d 1222
    , 1230–31 (Ill.
    App. Ct. 2009) (finding a verdict irreconcilably inconsistent where the
    jury awarded damages for past medical expenses but not pain and
    suffering while upholding the trial court’s decision to limit the new
    damages trial to pain and suffering and loss of a normal life for the six-
    month period as to which the jury awarded medical expenses); Masterson
    v. Siemens Indus., Inc., Nos. 2013-CA-000014-MR and 2013-CA-000050-
    MR, 
    2014 WL 5489304
    , at *3 (Ky. Ct. App. Oct. 31, 2014) (upholding the
    trial court’s decision to limit the new trial to the sole issue of pain and
    suffering damages for a discrete time period and leaving the jury verdict
    undisturbed with regard to all other issues); Lindquist v. Scott
    Radiological Grp. Inc., 
    168 S.W.3d 635
    , 651 (Mo. Ct. App. 2005)
    (affirming the grant of a new trial limited to the issue of past economic
    damages); Richards v. Fairfield, 
    6 N.Y.S.3d 743
    , 745–46 (App. Div. 2015)
    (ordering a new trial limited to consideration of damages for future pain
    and suffering while upholding damages awarded for past pain and
    suffering); Foust v. Smith, No. 26275, 
    2015 WL 968856
    , at *4 (Ohio Ct.
    App. Mar. 6, 2015) (finding that the trial court “acted reasonably by
    finding that the failure to award [plaintiff] some amount for pain and
    suffering is contrary to the weight of the evidence” and that the “court
    did not err by granting a new trial on that singular issue limited to past
    physical pain and suffering damages”); Orris v. Brand, No. 98-1361, 
    1999 WL 516724
    , at *1 (Wis. Ct. App. July 22, 1999) (per curiam) (affirming
    the grant of a new trial limited solely to consideration of damages for
    pain and suffering and noting that “[a] jury’s decision on pain and
    suffering damages would not necessarily be affected by its decisions on
    other components of damages”).
    32
    One last point: It should be emphasized that the majority’s
    principle works in both directions. Suppose the jury felt that Bryant had
    been seriously and permanently injured in the accident and awarded him
    everything his attorney had asked for in closing argument, except for
    past pain and suffering damages where it only awarded one dollar.
    Under the court’s decision, as a practical matter, Bryant would be
    reluctant to appeal this verdict inconsistency, because if he won, he
    would lose his entire damages award and be stuck with a do-over on all
    aspects of damages. By the same token, Parr could use an appeal on
    this specific inconsistency as a method to overturn the entire damages
    award. Is that fair?
    For the foregoing reasons, I respectfully dissent in part.
    Cady, C.J., joins this concurrence in part and dissent in part.