Gwendolyn E. Odom, etc. v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
Gwendolyn E. Odom, etc. v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company
Opinion
The Fourth District Court of Appeal overturned a multimillion dollar noneconomic damages award to an adult child whose mother died of lung cancer after the jury found through special interrogatories that the decedent's addiction to cigarettes was a legal cause of her death.
See
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. v. Odom
,
For the reasons that follow, we hold that the Fourth District misapplied the abuse of discretion standard when reviewing the trial court's denial of the motion for remittitur. When the abuse of discretion standard is properly applied, we conclude that the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying the motion by scrupulously following the standard for determining whether a remittitur is appropriate. We further hold that the Fourth District erred in creating a cap on the amount of noneconomic damages a financially independent adult child may be awarded for the wrongful death of his or her parent in conflict with this Court's precedent. Neither the Legislature nor this Court has established a cap on the amount of noneconomic damages a survivor may recover in a wrongful death action, and we decline to do so today. Accordingly, we quash the Fourth District's decision and remand for reinstatement of the judgment. 3
FACTUAL BACKGROUND
Petitioner Gwendolyn Odom brought this
Engle
4
progeny action against Respondent R.J. Reynolds, alleging that her mother, Juanita Thurston, died from lung cancer caused by her addiction to cigarettes manufactured by R.J. Reynolds.
Odom
,
The uncontroverted evidence presented at trial established "a very close and
*272
unique relationship" between Odom and Thurston that endured until Thurston's untimely death.
Odom
,
Throughout Odom's life, Thurston was a constant support to her. After leaving home and moving to South Carolina for college, Odom returned home several months later and moved back in with Thurston. Even after marrying her first husband, Odom continued to live with Thurston for a time. And when Odom's first marriage began to deteriorate, while she was pregnant with her first son, Odom moved back in with Thurston. Odom explained what Thurston's support during this time meant to her:
My mother was always there for me. Without my mother, I think I would have been lost at that point. I was going through a troubled marriage, I was pregnant, and she was the one who I could count on.
Even after Odom got remarried and Odom and Thurston no longer lived together, they continued to spend a lot of time together.
In addition to providing unconditional support to Odom, Thurston was very involved with Odom's children. Thurston was present at the birth of Odom's firstborn son, Ahmad. Thurston was always there for Ahmad's football and baseball games, even traveling to different cities to watch him play. She was his biggest fan. Odom described Thurston's relationship with Ahmad as "extremely close." Thurston considered Ahmad to be her son.
Just as Thurston was there to support Odom and Odom's children, Odom was there to support Thurston. Odom was there for Thurston each time Thurston attempted to quit smoking. Odom was also there when Thurston was diagnosed with lung cancer, and supported Thurston through every step of her treatment.
Odom was also there when Thurston's cancer returned. Although Odom felt as if she had been "punched in [the] stomach" and "hit over the head with a hammer all at one time," she remained strong for Thurston. Odom explained the pain she experienced as she witnessed Thurston's body transform from chemotherapy:
And [Thurston] didn't want to do anything. So it was really-it was really hard. I would go sit with my mother. She liked to lay down a lot. I would sit down with her, hold her hand. I would kiss her face. And I tried to be strong for her. I would go in the bathroom, close the door, and just cry.
And I would cry in the bathroom, I would wash my face, try to get my composure, I would go back in there and, you know, try to be strong for her. I didn't want her to see how upset I was. But to see my mother like that knowing, you know, trying to remember her how she was before it happened. She was 58, but she looked like she was like 30 years older than what she was.
It was-it was very-very painful for me. Very painful. And it's still painful today to think about it, what she went through, you know. She suffered a lot. A lot.
As she had always been, Odom was there when Thurston was admitted to the hospital for the last time. As part of her typical routine, Odom went to Thurston's house and knocked on the door. After Thurston did not answer, Odom called several times. Finally, Thurston made it to the door. It became clear to Odom that Thurston was having a stroke. Odom called 911 and Thurston was taken to the hospital.
*273 At the hospital, the doctor informed Odom that Thurston was on life support. Thurston never woke back up.
Odom described how she felt while Thurston spent her last days in the hospital:
It was very-it was very, very difficult for me. It was very difficult. Because at that point, I knew my mother was dying, she was pretty much dead at that point. So I just knew that this is the person that I had always depended on my entire life, and I knew she was dying, she was gone, she was leaving-she was leaving me. And it was very, very sad.
My mother was the one person that I could always depend on. And knowing that I wasn't going to have her in my life anymore, it was going to be very, very difficult for me.
Odom further explained how she felt after her mother passed away:
I think at one point, I was depressed. I don't know that-the definition of depression, but knowing she wasn't there, I didn't want to do anything. I-it was just a bad time for me because I knew that my mother was no longer with me, and I could not call her, I couldn't see her, we couldn't talk on the phone anymore, it was just-it was very difficult.
Odom described an instance when she picked up the phone to call Thurston only to remember that Thurston was not there.
During closing arguments, Odom requested that the jury award Odom $5 million in noneconomic damages. R.J. Reynolds, on the other hand, did not suggest a number to the jury. Instead, R.J. Reynolds told the jury: "[W]e simply leave it to your good judgment and common sense as to whether Ms. Odom should be made a very wealthy person at this stage of her life .... We leave that question to you." On the issue of comparative negligence, R.J. Reynolds argued that the jury should find Thurston 100% at fault for her death, while Odom argued that the jury should allocate "no more than 25%" fault to Thurston. The jury awarded $6 million to Odom, which was later reduced to $4.5 million in accordance with the jury's finding that Thurston was 25% at fault.
See
Odom
,
R.J. Reynolds moved for a new trial or remittitur, arguing that the jury's verdict was grossly excessive and "could only have been the result of passion and prejudice." R.J. Reynolds requested that the trial court vacate the judgment and order a new trial, "or at a minimum substantially reduce the [noneconomic] damages award to the $400,000 to $500,000 range."
After a hearing, the trial court denied R.J. Reynolds' motion. In doing so, the trial court first considered this Court's relevant precedent and the factors set forth in the remittitur statute. The trial court then observed that R.J. Reynolds' argument in favor of a remittitur was based largely upon
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. v. Webb
,
The facts in this case were simply different [from Webb and Putney ]. [Odom] and [Thurston] were only sixteen years apart and enjoyed a relationship that was described as that of close sisters, as much as a mother-daughter relationship. [Odom] lived with [Thurston], for many of the years of her adult life. Their family was close-knit and they *274 spent considerable time together .... [Odom] and [Thurston] were either together every day, or spoke every day .... Moreover, even when [Odom] no longer lived by [Thurston] ..., this remained the case and [Thurston] was an integral part of [Odom's] family (with her own children).
These matters were not disputed; nor was the evidence of how [Thurston's] cancer and death affected [Odom]. [Odom] took her mother to nearly every treatment and medical appointment. She was deeply affected by her mother's illness as she watched her mother deteriorate and experience the ravages of systemic disease and treatment. [Odom] was by her mother's side during this time and remains affected to this day by her mother's suffering and death. Following her mother's death, [Odom] became depressed. That was a very difficult time in her life because she knew her mother was no longer there and that there were times when she would pick up the phone to call her mother, only to realize that she was gone. Even now, years after her mother's death [Odom] still misses her mother, and verbalizes her loss with her own son. Moreover, ... there was evidence in this case that [Odom] continued to lean on her mother for support prior to her death. She had never had any relationship with her father, and her mother was all she had for support in her life.
Thus, the trial court concluded:
The Court has presided over many wrongful death cases. The Court's conscience is not shocked by the jury's [noneconomic] damage verdict, and [R.J. Reynolds] has identified nothing in the record to suggest that the verdict was the product of passion and prejudice.
Accordingly, the trial court denied the motion for remittitur and entered final judgment for Odom.
See
Odom
,
R.J. Reynolds appealed, and the Fourth District reversed, reasoning that "[w]hen it comes to wrongful death awards, including those in the
Engle
context, courts have drawn a distinction between compensatory damages awarded to surviving spouses and to adult children."
Thus, although the evidence established that Odom and her mother "had a very close and unique relationship" and Odom "took her mother to many of her appointments and was devastated by her decline and subsequent death," the Fourth District concluded that "the relationship between an adult child living independent of their parent is simply not the type of
*275
relationship" that could justify Odom's award.
Odom petitioned to this Court and we granted review.
ANALYSIS
The conflict issue in this case arises from the Fourth District's misapplication of the abuse of discretion standard to the trial court's denial of a motion for remittitur and creation of a bright-line cap on the amount of noneconomic damages a financially independent adult surviving child may be awarded for the wrongful death of his or her parent. It is well-established that a trial court's ruling on a motion for remittitur is reviewed for an abuse of discretion.
See
Lassitter v. Int'l Union of Operating Eng'rs
,
In reviewing a true discretionary act, the appellate court must fully recognize the superior vantage point of the trial judge and should apply the "reasonableness" test to determine whether the trial judge abused his discretion. If reasonable men could differ as to the propriety of the action taken by the trial court, then the action is not unreasonable and there can be no finding of an abuse of discretion. The discretionary ruling of the trial judge should be disturbed only when his decision fails to satisfy this test of reasonableness.
Canakaris v. Canakaris
,
Our analysis begins by setting forth the relevant legal background. With the legal background set, we address the conflict issue presented in this case. Finally, we turn to properly review the trial court's denial of R.J. Reynolds' motion for remittitur for an abuse of discretion.
I. Relevant Legal Background
Under Florida's wrongful death statute, "[m]inor children of the decedent, and all children of the decedent if there is no surviving spouse, may ... recover for lost parental companionship, instruction, and guidance and for mental pain and suffering from the date of injury." § 768.21(3), Fla. Stat. (2014). Thus, an adult child twenty-five years or older has a right to claim noneconomic damages under the wrongful death statute only if there is no surviving spouse.
See
The Legislature's stated purpose with the wrongful death statute is "to shift the losses resulting when wrongful death occurs from the survivors of the decedent to the wrongdoer."
In tandem with the right to recover noneconomic damages, in every case for money damages the trial court has a separate obligation to determine if the damages award is "excessive or inadequate in light of the facts and circumstances which were presented to the trier of fact."
The remittitur statute provides a list of factors for courts to consider when determining whether an award is excessive or inadequate:
(a) Whether the amount awarded is indicative of prejudice, passion, or corruption on the part of the trier of fact;
(b) Whether it appears that the trier of fact ignored the evidence in reaching a verdict or misconceived the merits of the case relating to the amounts of damages recoverable;
(c) Whether the trier of fact took improper elements of damages into account or arrived at the amount of damages by speculation and conjecture;
(d) Whether the amount awarded bears a reasonable relation to the amount of damages proved and the injury suffered; and
(e) Whether the amount awarded is supported by the evidence and is such that it could be adduced in a logical manner by reasonable persons.
In addition to the factors set forth in the remittitur statute, this Court has observed that reviewing "amounts awarded in similar cases has at least a limited value" in determining whether an award is excessive.
Loftin v. Wilson
,
Notwithstanding the factors set forth in the remittitur statute and any guidance that can be gleaned from reviewing similar cases, this Court has recognized that measuring noneconomic damages is inherently difficult as "there is no objective standard by which to measure" them.
Angrand v. Key
,
*277 Jurors know the nature of pain, embarrassment and inconvenience, and they also know the nature of money. Their problem of equating the two to afford reasonable and just compensation calls for a high order of human judgment, and the law has provided no better yardstick for their guidance than their enlightened conscience. Their problem is not one of mathematical calculation but involves an exercise of their sound judgment of what is fair and right.
Braddock v. Seaboard Air Line R.R. Co.
,
In addition, the standard jury instructions, which were given in this case, explain to the jury that "there is no exact standard for fixing the compensation" of a noneconomic damages award. Fla. Std. Jury Instr. (Civ.) 502.2. The jury is further cautioned not to allow sympathy or prejudice influence their decision. Fla. Std. Jury Instr. (Civ.) 700.
Because assessing the amount of damages is within the province of the jury, this Court has made clear that when reviewing a motion for remittitur, a court "should never declare a verdict excessive merely because it is above the amount which the court itself considers the jury should have allowed."
Bould v. Touchette
,
Two factors unite to favor a very restricted review of an order denying a motion for new trial on ground of excessive verdict. The first of these is the deference due the trial judge, who has had the opportunity to observe the witnesses and to consider the evidence in the context of a living trial rather than upon a cold record. The second factor is the deference properly given to the jury's determination of such matters of fact as the weight of the evidence and the quantum of damages.
The appellate court should not disturb a verdict as excessive, where the trial court refused to disturb the amount, unless the verdict is so inordinately large as obviously to exceed the maximum limit of a reasonable range within which the jury may properly operate.
Id.
(emphasis added). Stated another way, an appellate court should only hold an award excessive if it "shock[s] the judicial conscience."
Seaboard Coast Line R.R. Co. v. McKelvey
,
We have not yet addressed whether a noneconomic damages award in an
Engle
progeny case was so excessive that it shocked the judicial conscience and thus necessitated a remittitur. However, we recently held that a punitive damages award of $30 million in an
Engle
progeny case did not shock the conscience merely because it was more than what the plaintiff requested.
See, e.g.
,
Schoeff v. R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co.
,
In
Schoeff
, the plaintiff "asked the jury not to exceed $25 million in punitive damages."
Having set forth the relevant legal background, we now turn to explain how the Fourth District misapplied the well-established abuse of discretion standard when reviewing the trial court's denial of R.J. Reynolds' motion for remittitur.
II. Misapplication of the Abuse of Discretion Standard
First, it is clear that the Fourth District misapplied the abuse of discretion standard, as it paid no deference to the trial court, which "had the opportunity to observe the witnesses and to consider the evidence in the context of a living trial rather than upon a cold record."
Lassitter
, 349 So.2d at 627. In fact, the Fourth District's decision fails to discuss or otherwise mention the trial court's well-reasoned order denying R.J. Reynolds' motion. Determining that the trial court abused its discretion without first determining that the trial court's decision was unreasonable is not consistent with the abuse of discretion standard.
See
Canakaris
,
Second, in addition to the lack of deference to the decision of the trial court, the Fourth District failed to consider any of the factors set forth in the remittitur statute.
See
§ 768.74(5)(a)-(e), Fla. Stat. (2014). While the Fourth District's opinion recites the factors, it does not identify the presence of any of the factors in this case, including that the jury's award was indicative of passion.
Third, and significantly, the Fourth District misapplied the abuse of discretion standard when it concluded that the jury's verdict in this case was excessive based on four district court of appeal decisions, two of which the trial court expressly found to be distinguishable.
See
Odom
,
In reversing the trial court, the Fourth District did not conclude that this determination by the trial court was unreasonable. Rather, instead of assessing the reasonableness of the trial court's determination, as required by the abuse of discretion standard, the Fourth District concluded that two other district court of appeal cases "establish that no matter" what the evidence showed, the jury's multimillion dollar verdict in this case was excessive because it was in favor of a financially independent adult child.
Odom
,
For the reasons stated, we conclude that the Fourth District erred by misapplying the abuse of discretion standard when reviewing the trial court's denial of R.J. Reynolds' motion for remittitur. We now turn to address the Fourth District's cap on damages.
III. Cap on Damages
In addition to misapplying the abuse of discretion standard, the Fourth District created a cap on the amount of noneconomic damages a financially independent adult child may be awarded for the wrongful death of his or her parent when it concluded that, regardless of the evidence, "the relationship between an adult child living independent of their parent is simply not the type of relationship" that can justify a multimillion noneconomic damages award.
In creating this cap on damages, the Fourth District relied on
Webb
and
Putney
, which it concluded "establish that no matter how strong the emotional bond between an adult child and a decedent parent may be, an adult child who lives independent of the parent during the parent's smoking related illness and death is not entitled to multi-million dollar compensatory damages award."
Even if we were to conclude that
Webb
and
Putney
support the Fourth District's creation of a cap, neither the Legislature nor this Court has limited or established a bright-line cap on the amount a survivor may be awarded in noneconomic damages under the wrongful death statute. To the contrary, the Legislature has expressly permitted all adult children of a decedent to recover noneconomic damages for the decedent's wrongful death "if there is no surviving spouse." § 768.21(3), Fla. Stat. (2014). In doing so, the Legislature did not impose a cap on the amount an adult child may recover, nor did it include a requirement that the child be financially dependent on the decedent at the time of the decedent's death.
See
Thus, the sole requirement for an adult child to recover noneconomic damages for the wrongful death of his or her parent is that the parent must not be survived by a spouse. Additionally, while the Legislature has bestowed upon courts the responsibility of reviewing awards for money damages and remitting awards that are excessive, notably absent from the list of factors in the remittitur statute for courts to consider when determining whether an award is excessive is the "type of relationship" between the decedent and survivor.
Odom
,
This Court also has not capped the amount that may be awarded, and we decline to impose such a cap today. Instead, we reaffirm that a verdict should only be held excessive, and thus remitted, where it "evinces or carries an implication of passion or prejudice, corruption, partiality,
*280
improper influences, or the like."
Lassitter
, 349 So.2d at 627. Additionally, while verdicts in other similar cases may be instructive, those cases are not dispositive in determining whether a specific verdict is excessive. Finally, and importantly, courts must resist the urge to "declare a verdict excessive merely because it is above the amount which the court itself considers the jury should have allowed."
Bould
, 349 So.2d at 1184. Both the Legislature and this Court have aptly recognized that the determination of the appropriate amount of damages is best left to the enlightened conscience of jurors, who know "what is fair and right."
Braddock
,
Having concluded that the Fourth District misapplied the abuse of discretion standard and erroneously capped the amount of damages a financially independent adult child may be awarded for the wrongful death of his or her parent, we now turn to properly apply the abuse of discretion standard to the trial court's denial of R.J. Reynolds' motion for remittitur in this case.
IV. This Case
In this case, the jury was presented with extensive and undisputed evidence of the "very close and unique relationship" that Odom and Thurston shared and the effect Thurston's years-long suffering and eventual death had on Odom.
Odom
,
While Odom advocated for an award of $5 million, R.J. Reynolds chose not to suggest a specific amount or even a range to the jury. Instead, R.J. Reynolds left the question of how much to award to the "good judgment and common sense" of the jury, asking only whether they wanted to make Odom a "very wealthy person at this stage of her life." Only after the jury returned its verdict did R.J. Reynolds argue that an award in "the $400,000 to $500,000 range" was appropriate. It is difficult for a party to challenge an award as excessive after the fact when that party declined to offer any guidance to the jury at trial.
See
Hawk v. Seaboard Sys. R.R., Inc.
,
When ruling on R.J. Reynolds' motion for remittitur, the trial court properly identified the standard for determining if an award is excessive and considered the factors set forth in the remittitur statute. Noting that R.J. Reynolds' argument was based on Webb and Putney , the trial court carefully compared the facts of those cases with this case and determined that they were "simply different." In making this determination, the trial court detailed the undisputed evidence of Odom and Thurston's relationship and how Thurston's cancer and death affected Odom. Concluding that its conscience was "not shocked by the jury's compensatory damage verdict and [R.J. Reynolds] ha[d] identified nothing in the record to suggest that the verdict was the product of passion and prejudice," the trial court denied the remittitur. We conclude that the trial court did not *281 abuse its discretion in denying the motion for remittitur.
Further, we reject the Fourth District's conclusion that the relationship between Odom, a financially independent adult child, and her deceased mother is "not the type of relationship" that can justify a multimillion dollar noneconomic damages award.
Odom
,
CONCLUSION
Because the trial court did not abuse its discretion in denying R.J. Reynolds' motion for remittitur, we quash the decision of the Fourth District and remand with instructions to reinstate the final judgment. We also disapprove Webb and Putney to the extent they are inconsistent with this opinion. Finally, we award Odom attorney's fees for the appeal of this case in an amount to be determined by the trial court because the judgment in this case far exceeds the proposal for settlement filed by Odom, pursuant to section 768.79(1), Florida Statutes (2014), in the amount of $100,000. 9
It is so ordered.
LEWIS, QUINCE, LABARGA, and LAWSON, JJ., concur.
POLSTON, J., dissents with an opinion, in which CANADY, C.J., concurs.
Because the Fourth District's decision in
R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. v. Odom
,
First, Odom does not conflict with
Lassitter v. International Union of Operating Engineers
,
However, in
Lassitter
, this Court also explained that an appellate court may review a trial court's ruling in denying a motion for a new trial or remittitur only for an abuse of discretion.
Second,
Odom
does not conflict with
Braddock v. Seaboard Air Line Railroad Co.
,
Third,
Odom
does not conflict with
Bould v. Touchette
,
Lastly, the majority claims that this Court has conflict jurisdiction because of the Fourth District's "creation of a bright-line cap on the amount of noneconomic *283 damages a financially independent adult surviving child may be awarded for the wrongful death of a parent." Majority op. at 270. However, as just outlined above, the three decisions alleged to be in conflict by the Petitioner did not involve an award to a financially independent adult surviving child, let alone address whether a cap on noneconomic damages for such individuals is permissible. Moreover, contrary to the majority's claim otherwise, no bright-line cap was announced by the Fourth District's holding. Rather, the Fourth District considered other cases, and the facts in this case, to determine that Odom's relationship did not justify the amount of the award in this case and was outside the range or reasonableness:
Based on the foregoing precedent, the jury's award of $6 million in compensatory damages to Plaintiff for the loss of her mother was excessive. Although the evidence established that Plaintiff and her mother had a very close and unique relationship, at the time of Ms. Thurston's illness and death, Plaintiff was not living with Ms. Thurston and was not financially or otherwise dependent on her. Instead, Plaintiff was married with two children of her own and Ms. Thurston was living with her long-time partner. Although Plaintiff took her mother to many of her appointments and was devastated by her decline and subsequent death, the relationship between an adult child living independent of their parent is simply not the type of relationship which can justify the magnitude of the Plaintiff's compensatory damage award. Accordingly, we hold that the trial court abused its discretion when it denied RJR's motion for remittitur or a new trial.
Odom
,
Accordingly, because Odom does not expressly and directly conflict on the same question of law with any of the decisions cited by the Petitioner, this Court does not have jurisdiction to review this case. I respectfully dissent.
CANADY, C.J., concurs.
We have jurisdiction.
See
art. V, § 3(b)(3), Fla. Const.;
see also
Fla. Ins. Guar. Ass'n, v. Devon Neighborhood Ass'n
,
Our relevant precedent is cogently set forth in
Bould v. Touchette
,
In lieu of this Court's precedent, the Fourth District relied on the following district court of appeal cases to reach its decision in this case:
Philip Morris USA Inc. v. Putney
,
The jury in this case also found that punitive damages against R.J. Reynolds were warranted.
Odom
,
Engle v. Liggett Grp., Inc.
,
§ 768.21(3), Fla. Stat. (2014).
The jury in
Putney
awarded $5 million in noneconomic damages to each of the decedent's three surviving adult children, for a total of $15 million.
In
MBL Life Assurance Corp. v. Suarez
,
The prior version of the statute stated that only "[m]inor children of the decedent may ... recover for lost parental companionship, instruction, and guidance and for mental pain and suffering from the date of injury." § 768.21(3), Fla. Stat. (1987). Additionally, prior to 1979, "minor children" included only "dependent unmarried children under 21 years of age, notwithstanding the age of majority." § 768.18(2), Fla. Stat. (1979). The definition of "minor children" was changed in 1981 to include all children under the age of twenty-five, notwithstanding the age of majority. § 768.18(2), Fla. Stat. (1981).
Although the trial court would normally determine entitlement to fees based on a proposal for settlement on remand, see § 768.79(6), Florida Statutes (2014), the record reflects that the trial court has already entered an agreed order finding that Odom is entitled to attorney's fees under the statute.
Reference
- Full Case Name
- Gwendolyn E. ODOM, Etc., Petitioner, v. R.J. REYNOLDS TOBACCO COMPANY, Respondent.
- Cited By
- 13 cases
- Status
- Published